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WÜSTENSAND UND SOS-KINDERDORF
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Wadi Rum — scene for marathon By Sarah Ryan By Sarah Ryan
. “Five, four, three, two, one,” counted Asma Khader, minister of culture and government spokesperson, into the clear blue sky. The runners took off into the sand and red mountains of Wadi Rum along the 10km, 21km and 42 km trails. “Well, I start very fast giving everything I've got. I try to run as fast as I can,” said Helene Poulain, a 25-year-old runner in the 10km race. “The last 5km-6km starts to be more about the mind than the body, really,” she said. “It's much harder to run in the sand. I need at least two and a half hours instead of the one and three quarter hours I usually need for a half-marathon,” said Kay Maronde, a 31-year-old runner. I usually start very slow in order to pass people late in the race, he said. “The last kilometre is like the whole run,” said Anas Al Abbadi, a 28-year-old running the 21km race. Samer Al Abadi won first place in the 10km while Tamam Salamah won the women's race. In the 21km course, Bader Alkhwaldah won first place and Nour Al Bkour won the women's race. The winners of the full 42km marathon were Wolfgang Hofmann and Susana Nermaak. The runners listed off a variety of reasons for participating in the event. “Just being healthy and fit, clarity of mind really, and I like the challenge,” said Poulain. Khader, who ran the 10km race, said she participated for three reasons: First to join her daughters, second to support and contribute to a charitable event and third to spend the day in such a fantastic place. On the other hand, Maronde said his friends forced him into the marathon. “I didn't train a lot since winter 2003, but I said alright for the half-marathon,” he said. It was easy to convince him because of the location, he explained. Throughout the race there were several stands filled with water, bananas, apples and biscuits to refresh the runners. However, some runners got lost due to poor directions along the trail. “The route is very nice, the view is beautiful, no organisation, no directional signs. There should have been stations every 2km with people who guided you and gave you water,” said Batoul Arnaout, who ended up running the 21km route instead of her intended 10km race because of the confusion. It's great to know I'm strong enough to run the 21km though, said Arnaout. The money raised by the marathon will go towards charitable causes, said Lama Jamhawi, media spokesperson for the event. “Charity and tourism and sport” are the foundations of the marathon, she said. “To introduce sport as a way to support charity and bring tourism to this important area,” she added. All money raised through the marathon will go to Al Raja'a School for the Deaf in Al Ruseifa and to buy gluco-check machines for poor people with diabetes in collaboration with the Jordanian Society for Diabetes. The World Humanitarian Marathon and Ultramarathon Foundation, through which the race was held in collaboration with the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Development, will also donate 30,000 euros towards hearing aids, and a German surgeon who participated in the marathon will perform knee surgeries for the poor free of charge. The 150 participants in the event covered the age spectrum with the oldest participant in his 80s and the youngest runner 13 years old. “It was a beautiful run,” said Nigel Sole, a 50-year-old participant. “If only you could have the desert without sand,” he added. Jordan Times, Sunday, November 21, 2004 |
Zum dritten mal nahm ich an dem Wüstenmarathon Jabal Ishrin in der wunderschönen Landschaft des Wadi Rum in Jordanien teil. Als mir eine Lauffreundin in Düsseldorf beim Training so nebenbei erzählte, dass sie nicht mehr weiss, wohin mit den Spielsachen ihrer Kinder, hatte ich die Idee:
Mein Lauffreund Bodo freute sich nach all der Mühe des Wüstenlaufes besonders über den leckeren Nachtisch, obwohl er vorher nie etwas von Skal International gehört hatte, findet er diesen Verein jetzt ganz prima.
