Gaza Marathon: Difference between revisions
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The first ever '''[[Gaza]] marathon''', sponsored by the [[United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]] (UNRWA), was held on May 5th, 2011. |
The first ever '''[[Gaza]] marathon''', sponsored by the [[United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]] (UNRWA), was held on May 5th, 2011. |
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==Course and conditions== |
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The race’s course spans the entire Gaza Strip, from [[Beit Hanoun]] near the order with [[Israel]] in the north-east to [[Rafah]], near the Egyptian border in the south. From Beit Hanoun, runners turn westward, toward the [[Mediterranean sea]] coast, and then run south-west, parallel to the coast, to Rafah. |
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The course is mostly flat<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110505/wl_mideast_afp/athleticsmarathonisrpalgazaun Olympic athlete wins Gaza's first-ever marathon]</ref> but conditions in May tend to be hot. <ref name="haaretz"> |
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Organizers had to ensure the runners' security, provided by [[Hamas]] security forces, with the race coming only three weeks after an Italian activist was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by Islamist militants. There were also concerns about male and female athletes running side-by-side, which the Islamist authorities object to.<ref>[http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20110505-277331.html Olympic athlete wins Gaza's first-ever marathon]</ref> |
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== 2011 Race == |
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About fifty runners started the course, with just nine runners completing in the full distance. Of these, seven were Palestinian athletes training for next year's Olympics.<ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gRgiyy46LdXsao-hV8a55wL5swgw?docId=6762704 Palestinian runners, aid workers in Gaza sprint in territory's first marathon]</ref> Six more ran the [[half marathon]], and 150 runners from the Gaza Athletics Federation joined for the last stretch of eight kilometers.<ref>[http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=965 UNRWA stages its first Gaza Marathon]</ref> |
About fifty runners started the course, with just nine runners completing in the full distance. Of these, seven were Palestinian athletes training for next year's Olympics.<ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gRgiyy46LdXsao-hV8a55wL5swgw?docId=6762704 Palestinian runners, aid workers in Gaza sprint in territory's first marathon]</ref> Six more ran the [[half marathon]], and 150 runners from the Gaza Athletics Federation joined for the last stretch of eight kilometers.<ref>[http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=965 UNRWA stages its first Gaza Marathon]</ref> |
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The winner, with a time of 2:42:47, was [[Nader al-Masri]], who competed in the [[2008 Beijing Olympics]] in the 5,000-meter race, placing 38th and not advancing. There were two international participants, both of them UNRWA employees running a marathon for the first time. One of them, Gemma Connell, was the only woman who ran the entire race. She finished with a time of 4 hours and forty-five minutes.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/05/gaza-stages-first-marathon Gaza stages its first marathon]</ref> |
The winner, with a time of 2:42:47, was [[Nader al-Masri]], who competed in the [[2008 Beijing Olympics]] in the 5,000-meter race, placing 38th and not advancing. There were two international participants, both of them UNRWA employees running a marathon for the first time. One of them, Gemma Connell, was the only woman who ran the entire race. She finished with a time of 4 hours and forty-five minutes.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/05/gaza-stages-first-marathon Gaza stages its first marathon]</ref> |
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UNRWA sponsors the event as a fund-raiser for its Summer Games for Gaza school children. The goal was to raise one million US dollars for the Summer Games, and UNRWA has said the goal was exceeded. <ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/palestinians-set-off-for-gaza-s-first-ever-marathon-1.359965 Palestinians set off for Gaza's first ever marathon]</ref> |
UNRWA sponsors the event as a fund-raiser for its Summer Games for Gaza school children. The goal was to raise one million US dollars for the Summer Games, and UNRWA has said the goal was exceeded. <ref name="haaretz">[http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/palestinians-set-off-for-gaza-s-first-ever-marathon-1.359965 Palestinians set off for Gaza's first ever marathon]</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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Revision as of 20:29, 5 May 2011
| Gaza Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Date | May |
| Location | Gaza Strip |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Established | 2011 |
| Course records | Men: 2:42:47 (2011) Nader al-Masri Women: 4:45:00 (2011) Gemma Connell |
| Official site | The UNRWA Gaza Marathon 2011 |
The first ever Gaza marathon, sponsored by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), was held on May 5th, 2011.
Course and conditions
The race’s course spans the entire Gaza Strip, from Beit Hanoun near the order with Israel in the north-east to Rafah, near the Egyptian border in the south. From Beit Hanoun, runners turn westward, toward the Mediterranean sea coast, and then run south-west, parallel to the coast, to Rafah.
The course is mostly flat[1] but conditions in May tend to be hot. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
2011 Race
About fifty runners started the course, with just nine runners completing in the full distance. Of these, seven were Palestinian athletes training for next year's Olympics.[2] Six more ran the half marathon, and 150 runners from the Gaza Athletics Federation joined for the last stretch of eight kilometers.[3] The winner, with a time of 2:42:47, was Nader al-Masri, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 5,000-meter race, placing 38th and not advancing. There were two international participants, both of them UNRWA employees running a marathon for the first time. One of them, Gemma Connell, was the only woman who ran the entire race. She finished with a time of 4 hours and forty-five minutes.[4]
UNRWA sponsors the event as a fund-raiser for its Summer Games for Gaza school children. The goal was to raise one million US dollars for the Summer Games, and UNRWA has said the goal was exceeded. [5]