More than 25,000 Lebanese nationals and 550 competitors from other nations took part in the Tripoli Half Marathon Sunday.
The races, with the slogan “Keep It Green,” were held under the patronage of North Lebanon Gov. Ramzi Nohra, and attracted a number of lawmakers and officials.
Nohra spoke of the importance of the marathon event before the competition began, stressing that the race would communicate an accurate image of northern Lebanon as a touristic, environmental and civilized attraction.
President of North Lebanon’s Traders’ Association Toufic Dabbous voiced his enthusiasm for the event. “Tripoli has proved its existence and that it is living a normal life as an economic force ... Every Lebanese national should visit Tripoli,” he said.
The first leg of the day’s races started at 7 a.m., with the handicapped race. The 7-km run lasted around three hours and included both local and international participants.
The winner of the Wheelchair 7-km race was Ahmad al-Goul, with George Wehbe and Ahmad Chibli coming in at second and third place respectively. For the women’s section of that race, French national Marie Noel and Lebanese national Rita Saade tied for first place.
Rabih Jammal won the Race for the Visually Impaired.
In the 21 km foreign individuals’ race, Moangie Ifrayim won first place, while Kitani Shizangh Silas and Toula Deiriji won second and third. For the female foreigners’ 21-km race, Yayi Mikwanet and Tighighen Bilay won.
In the Lebanese nationals’ 21-km race, Hussein Awada and Bilal Awada came in at first and second place respectively. Zaher Zeineddine came in at third place. For the Lebanese women, Katia Rashid, Jenny al-Qusair and Ilga Trad came in first, second and third respectively.
The event was organized by “For Lebanon,” a nonprofit organization that works on increasing awareness about the importance of sport, and its effect on young people.
The Tripoli Half Marathon was held to raise awareness about the importance of adhering to rules, using sports as a mean to get this message through to Lebanese youth.
