News22 May 2005


Zakia Mrisho wins Casablanca Women's race

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Zakia Mrisho wins 7th edition of Courir pour le Plaisir (© IAAF)

CasablancaTanzania’s Zakia Mrisho ended Morocco’s Zhor El Kamch’s domination  of the Casablanca women’s race Courir pour le Plaisir (Run for Fun) today as she crossed the line ahead of 20,000 women in 32 minutes 49 seconds.

Five-time winner Zhor El Kamch pulled up halfway through the race with severe cramps after leading the field through to the five kilometer point, leaving three contestants in the leading pack: Mrisho and the two Ethiopian contestants, Adaneche Zekiros Adane and Letay Negashe Hadish.

The three ran in a tight group right up to final straight, when Mrisho kicked for home to win the sprint for the tape and the 4,500 euro first prize. Adane crossed the line three seconds behind the Tanzanian in 32:52, followed by her compatriot Hadish in 33:00. The trio were nearly a minute ahead of the next contender, Morocco’s Fatema Ayachi (33:56).

Mrisho adds this victory to her career records, which have included victory in the 2004 edition of the classic Cinque Mulini cross country race in Italy and a sixth place in the 3000 metres at the 2003 World Athletics Final, where she finished just ahead of Zhor El Kamch.

Although the winning time was unexceptional in itself, as always with the Casablanca race, the essential of what has become probably the largest women’s race in the world lay in the action behind the leaders, with the mass race.

Thousands of Moroccan women, with ages ranging from 15 to 75 years, ran, jogged and walked their way around the course, sometimes on their own, usually in groups, chatting and laughing in a massive display of female solidarity.

In shorts and singlets – usually proudly covered by the tee shirts handed out by the organisers – long trousers or the traditional djellabah, wearing trainers, sandals or the pointed babouches, 20,000 women of Casablanca and the surrounding areas made their way along the avenues of Casablanca, passing in front of the great Mosque Hassan II before breaking into a final ‘sprint’ for the finish line as they came onto the Place Mohammed V, the principal square of Casablanca.

For all of them their participation in this race was a matter of pride: the race of ‘Nawal’ as all of the women here fondly call Nawal El Moutawakel, the founder of this race and a major force in the emancipation of women’s sport in Morocco.

Among the supporters of the race this year were Edwin Moses, Frank Fredericks and Hicham El Guerrouj, joining all the major local authorities and politicians on the grandstand to enjoy the enthusiasm of the thousands of women pouring past the stands.

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