I love the Beirut Marathon and everything it stands for. I look forward to it every year and I try to promote it in the best way possible as I truly believe it’s a great sporting event that all Lebanese should take part in. It takes a lot of time, effort and dedication to organize successful marathons one year after the other and to attract more people, and the Beirut Marathon Association has managed to do all that and more. Moreover, BMA’s president May El-Khalil is an inspiration to many in Lebanon and around the world and she is one of the key reasons behind Beirut Marathon’s success and I highly respect and admire this lady.
The Beirut Marathon is a peace run and running can have a positive impact on individuals and ultimately on communities and countries, which is why we should embrace it and fully support it.
If you are wondering why I am saying all that, it is because I’ve been hearing and reading some negative comments regarding the Beirut Marathon and how it’s a useless event that puts money in the BMA’s pockets which is completely wrong and absurd. I even overheard someone say in a cafe today that running for causes is stupid. It’s quite weird to hear people say such things, knowing that everything that the Beirut Marathon stands for and promotes is for the benefit of all the Lebanese. The participants are running for unity, fun, glory, achievement, promoting wellness and healthy living, for causes and charitable organizations and more importantly for the benefit of Lebanon and all the Lebanese. Every year, we have new causes to run for, inspiring runners to look up to and new challenges to overcome.
The Beirut Marathon is something we should be proud of and take part in or at least encourage if we don’t like to run or even walk.