in the accompanying 10k race.Another key
indicator of the success of the race is the
attraction of their highest quality field of elite
athletes to date,with teams attending this
year from such centres of excellence as
Kenya,Ethiopia andTanzania,attracted by a
course designed to produce a super-fast race.
I am however,a little disappointed to note
that the contingent of runners from the US
and Europe seems confined to those either
already working in the region or who have
close ties here with friends or family.I can
appreciate concerns of security but I suspect
a lack of information or understanding of the
local language and culture may be the issue.
In fact,the country is easily accessible with a
four hour flight fromWestern Europe and
boasts a multicultural mix of largely
Christian and Muslim nationals with French
and Arabic spoken widely.English is also
spoken in some of the more tourist centric
regions of the city and you can spend your
hard earned cash in either the Lebanese
Pound or US Dollars.
Winter Warmer
December is a great time to visit,the
weather in Beirut at this time of year is
refreshingly warm and offers a pleasant
escape from the onset of winter in US and
Europe.Temperatures are set kindly in the
low 20s oC and the Mediterranean Sea is still
warm enough for a pleasant swim for those
keen enough.And so it was on race day.
Arriving at the start area I'm pleased to
see that the majority of the 25,000 runners
taking part in the 10k race are younger
runners,which bodes well for the future of
races in this country.I hoped I was looking at
many of the marathon runners of tomorrow.
These truly are pioneering times for our
sport in Lebanon and in the Middle East.
The race start,similar to most other big
city marathons was a sea of nervous looking
runners shivering in the chilled morning air,
waiting for the sun to gradually warm their
skin.With 350 of us on the start line there's
plenty of company yet also plenty of space
to relax and warm up.A wide array of
feel-good music pumps out over loud
speakers to help banish any remaining early
morning doziness and get us all in the mood
for 26.2 miles in the ascending sunshine.
One notable character on the start line is
British runner RichardWhitehead,a double
amputee from Nottingham who has recently
taken to Marathon running despite his
evident limitations of running on prosthetic
legs that extend to up above the knee and
thereby severely limiting the strength of
movement from his remaining leg muscles.
His performances to date have been nothing
less than sheer inspiration having completed
the arduous 90km Comrades Ultra Marathon
in South Africa and recorded a world record
Marathon best in his class at the Beirut
Marathon in 2008,a time of 3:14.
electric atmosphere
And soon we're off! The field strings out
relatively quickly and before long I passed
the first of many (35,I was told) loud
speakers along the course � there was music
around every turn.
Nothing gets your spirits up like a good
upbeat melody and for me,the early
highlight was reaching the 5km mark of
downtown Beirut with a heavy helping of the
Nolan Sisters blaring out at full blast.Surreal
and truly wonderful.Now I really did`Feel
Like Dancing',but there was a Marathon to
be run.So on I trudged.
Running through the noisy 5km
checkpoint was great fun,high fives with
a few friends and even local dignitary
Maxime Chaya ran a hundred metres
with me in full dress shoes and jacket.
The early buzzing atmosphere was
infecting everyone.
As the course meanders through the old
town of Beirut I find myself getting lost in my
own thoughts.The troubles of the city's past
are still evident in places,but regrowth is
everywhere and there are some great
modern features.Beirut is a City on the
mend,driving forward at full speed into the

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