mybeirutmarathon

Empowering Women through Sports

Mrs. May El Khalil, president of the Beirut Marathon Association, spoke at the AIMS 19th annual congress in Prague which had for its main topic this year: Women in Running and Innovative Technologies.
AIMS, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, was established in 1982 and has been holding its yearly congresses to provide forums for the exchange of ideas. These congresses soon evolved into writing articles of Association to go beyond this and set some basic rules to govern the Association and membership.
The Beirut Marathon Association’s BLOM Beirut Marathon earned the AIMS Bronze label, in 2010, a prestigious classification in the world of international races.
Mrs. May El Khalil was invited to speak at this year’s congress and presented an overview of the achievements of the BMA and her own inspirational story of overcoming the odds and coming back from a difficult situation to create motivation and a national event like no other.
“As usual, Beirut Marathon Association’s presentation was one of the highlights of the congress” says Mrs. El Khalil, “it touched people’s hearts and so many people, men and women came to me to say congratulations on the way we inspired them.”
Empowering women through sports was one of the main themes of Mrs. El Khalil’s presentation saying that “we need to be the change we want to be in the world” she continued: “In the Middle East, we have a long way to go. Sports are still a male dominated field whether in organization or participation. The Beirut Marathon Association, an organization led by a female, has been able to make a real impact on women’s role in sports in Lebanon. In our 9th edition of the race last year, we had 10,643 women runners in the 10KM race and 11,536 male runners, almost half of the participants were female.”
Mrs. El Khalil also stressed the importance of overcoming fear and rejection and that the key to success is having a passion for what one believes in. She said that she never saw gender as an obstacle, and that women can take on multiple roles in their societies and that the only barriers are internal. She explained “I really trust that women can take an active role in world peace, regional peace and national peace… with an event like the Beirut Marathon, peace has become a reason to run, to train and to win. The more conflict we encounter in the Middle East, the more runners we see on the street.” Mrs. El Khalil concluded her speech by inviting everyone to Beirut to be part of the BLOM Beirut Marathon taking place on November 11, 2012.

The Case of Racism, Activists, and Runners

It is truly very comforting to know that there are so many people out there who are looking out for the welfare of others.  Namely all the activists who monitor the web and the world to raise awareness and to advocate for those who have been mistreated and discriminated against. It is a healthy sign for a healthy society that is caring and looking out for each other.  Social media has become the main tool for these activists, and it has become a credible source for many.  That is why I am writing this entry:

Dear activists, we really appreciate what you are doing and all the lofty causes you are advocating, but please, in order to maintain your credibility and a sense of fairness make sure that you are verifying your information with all concerned parties before slandering any person or organization on your pages and blogs. Get both sides of the story, and then decide on your position.

Case in Point:

The Beirut Marathon Association organized a 6 KM race in Saida yesterday as part of its Grand Prix Series.  Due to a glitch in logistics, and human error on the part of some runners, those runners started the race earlier than others (they started with the disabled runners).  Two of those runners who started early arrived first and second to the finish line, but they were disqualified because they started before the other runners.  Because the two runners were Sudanese refugees, it was automatically assumed that they were dropped because of racist considerations, and that the disqualification was unfair, and soon the Facebook page of the Beirut Marathon was inundated with accusations, blogs started to write about it, newspapers got in on it, and people were getting upset!!

Why is it that we are always ready to believe the worst about each other?

Why would an organization that works very hard to spread the spirit of fair play discriminate against a group that it has long tried to support (namely refugees of all nationalities)?

Who would profit from such a discrimination?

All of you bloggers and social media activists have a real responsibility to get the truth before posting very hurtful information about organizations or individuals.

There may have been technical and logistic shortcomings in the Saida Race, but there was definitely no racism or discrimination.  We are aware that corruption exists in all strata and in all institutions of our society, and we appreciate that there are those who are ready to raise a red flag when it is seen or practiced.  Stay Aware, Stay Active, Stay FAIR.

The special needs start

The Official start

#Training #Tips # 7: #Running Right#

Training Program Coordinator, Mariam Haidar says… Start your training by perfecting your running technique.  As you run try to quickly get your foot off the ground, running lightly on your feet.  Focus on gliding smoothly rather than treading heavily.  By doing this you will run faster and reduce the impact that causes injury.

#Rumors Be #Heard…#Jordanian #Princesses Ghida Talal and Dina Mired #running #Beirut #Marathon!

Princess Ghida Talal and Princess Dina Mired will be running the 2011 BLOM Beirut Marathon to promote the fight against cancer!

#Running #Middle #East #Magazine #SNEAK #PEAK!