More than 1,000 runners hit the streets of Beirut on Sunday morning for the city’s first major distance race since Covid-19 forced Lebanon into lockdown.
Organisers said the event message, “Raise The Bar", was a call to action for women to persevere as the country grapples with multiple crises.
One hundred per cent of the 40,000 Lebanese Lira ($4) entry fees were donated to StandforWomen, an NGO working to empower women in Lebanon.
With the country still suffering from the pandemic while grappling with a suffocating economic crisis, the race along Beirut's crumbling waterfront, damaged in the Beirut Port blast in August, provided a rare moment of hope.
Almost 700 competitors took part in a women’s only 10-kilometre race, while 337 entrants ran in the half marathon. Four-time Olympian Chirine Njeim dominated the 10k race, setting a new record, while the women’s half marathon was won by Kathia Rashed. Bilal Awada took first place in the men’s half marathon.
The races have attracted a host of Lebanon’s rich and famous, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri competed in 2016.
One of the most prestigious road races in the region, the annual marathon used to attract more than 47,000 participants. However, anti-government protests led to it being cancelled in 2019 and it too fell victim to the pandemic in 2020.
