6 months later, Beirut reignites marathon
Nearly six months to the day after its original date, the 18th edition of the OMT Beirut Marathon made its grand return to the capital on Thursday, May 1. On this labor holiday, the streets of downtown came alive in the early hours when several thousand runners gathered on the waterfront at Biel for the start of the marathon (42.195 km) and the half marathon (21 km) at 6:15 a.m. local time.
Despite a few raindrops, the weather proved more clement than the storm that arrived the day before. 'We had to reinstall everything twice during the night because of the gusts of wind,' recounted Soraya Barbir, director of the Beirut Marathon Association (BMA). 'All the tents and flags flew away, the advertising posters too... but we managed to put everything back in place in time. In the end, it was almost ideal weather for the runners: Thanks to the cloud cover and the light wind, they didn't suffer too much from the heat,' she rejoiced.
'Last-minute cancellations'
These weather conditions gave the organizers a final scare, having already dealt with many unforeseen events in recent months, including in recent days. 'We received a lot of last-minute cancellations due to the latest strike [by the Israeli air force] on the southern suburb three days ago. When international runners see that Beirut has been struck, they don't necessarily understand that our limits are different from theirs,' added Barbir. This further reduced the number of participants, while the organization hoped to welcome between 12,000 and 15,000 runners across the various races of the day.
As indicated by the date on the runners' shirts, this 18th edition was initially supposed to take place on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, but the escalation of war between Hezbollah and Israel thwarted the event, as was the case for the 2019 and 2020 editions, canceled due to the 2019 protest movement, and then the COVID-19 pandemic the following year. Finally rescheduled for May 4, the date of this 18th edition had to be adjusted again due to the scheduling of municipal elections starting this Sunday in several regions of the country.
But these numerous upheavals did not dampen the enthusiasm of those present on the site, where a festive atmosphere prevailed amid numerous entertainment and food stalls set up for the occasion. Some distinguished guests even joined the festivities, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who came to greet runners near the finish line. Amir Saoud, captain of the national basketball team and player of the Beirut club Riyadi, also mingled with the crowd to partake in the 5-kilometer race. The proceeds from this event will be donated 30 percent to 21 Lebanese NGOs selected by the BMA, including Braveheart, CCCL, Neonate, Up Handi Cup, Learning Center for the Deaf and Ajialouna. Additionally, nearly 1,000 volunteers were deployed across the site, including several who came from the London and Rome marathons, alongside the Lebanese Red Cross rescue teams.
First place for Ethiopian Diriba Tseg
On the sporting front, the elite races witnessed slightly less competition than usual for all the reasons mentioned above, added to by the London marathon taking place this week, causing the absence of several international runners and Lebanese specialists in the discipline.
In the men's race, victory was secured by Ethiopian Diriba Tsega, who completed the 42-kilometer course in two hours, 15 minutes, and eight seconds, ahead of Kenyan Emmanuel Kiprop Serem (2h 17 min and 2 sec) and Ethiopian Bekele Fetene (2h 20 min and 7 sec), who completed the podium. The women's race was dominated by another Ethiopian, Lemlem Abebe Asefa, in 2h 31 min and 3 sec. Her two compatriots, Zewudinesh Huris Degefa (2h 33 min and 8 sec) and Hawi Megerssa Regassa (2h 33 min and 9 sec), finished in second and third places, receiving their prizes from the hands of UNIFIL's peacekeeping commander, Spanish General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz.
Finally, the honorary title of the fastest Lebanese of the day went to Tony Hanna, third in the last edition in 2023 and winner this time in 2h 30 min and 58 sec. He was ahead of Omar Abou Hamad (2h 40 min and 10 sec) and Samir Salman (2h 42 min and 48 sec). Meanwhile, Chirine Njeim won the women's ranking with a time of 2h 50 min and 38 sec, ahead of Kathia Rached (3h 13 min and 38 sec) and Nada Jisr (3h 19 min and 44 sec).
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