Nowhere to run: Palestine marathoners race on short track
In Bethlehem’s fourth annual marathon, thousands of Palestinian and international runners competed on a half-marathon track in a stark illustration of the tight restrictions on Palestinian movement.
For the fourth year in a row, Bethlehem hosted a spring marathon. Nearly 4,400 participants, including foreigners and local Palestinians, ran, walked or pushed baby strollers in the Palestine Marathon on April 1 in a festive atmosphere.
To finish the full marathon, the runners had to complete two laps of a 21-kilometer (13-mile) track. The inability to provide a single 42-kilometer (26-mile) course lies at the heart of the organizers’ purpose in holding this event. In coordination with the Copenhagen-based Right to Movement, Palestinian organizers have turned the sporting event into a public demonstration of the Israeli restrictions on Palestinians, showcasing the difficulties of living under occupation and being surrounded by an 8-meter (26-foot) concrete wall.
Local Palestinian organizer George Zeidan told Al-Monitor that this year’s marathon was the biggest. Zeidan proudly noted the participation of more than 2,000 women, nearly 46% of all registrants. While a large number of participants completed part of the marathon, 298 men and 89 women ran the entire 42-kilometer run. Runners of 64 nationalities participated in the marathon, which 450 volunteers helped make a major success.
Samuel Dalou from Ramallah told Al-Monitor that he completed a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) portion of the race at a personal record of one hour and 30 minutes. “The NGO [nongovernmental organization] I work for encouraged us to participate in the event, and I am very happy I did,” he said, adding that the atmosphere was very supportive. “Even the mayor of Bethlehem was out in the streets encouraging the runners.”
