600 female students participate in marathon on International Women's Day

CAIRO - 13 March 2019:" Around 600 female students participated in a marathon in Hurghada on the International Women's Day," Red Sea Governor Ahmed Abdullah said Wednesday.

Ahead of the marathon, the governor underlined the importance of women's contribution to social development.

On March 8, the Cairo International Airport received female Arab and foreign travelers with packs of roses and chocolate with a slogan that says “Tâ' MarbûTa ( a character that comes at the end of a word to express femininity) is the secret of your strength”.

In January 2019, the 26th edition of the International Egyptian Marathon kicked off at Luxor city with the participation of over 200 runners from 38 countries. The event, organized under the auspices and sponsorship of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Tourism, is deemed one of the most renowned sports activities across the Middle East.

“Around 200 Arab and foreign runners from five continents are taking part in the 26th edition of the marathon; we also dedicated an event for people with special needs, who were honored by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi,” race director, Gasser Riad, said.

“The significant cooperation between government authorities contributed to the success of the marathon,” Riad stressed.

In 2018, the marathon received prominent sports figures, including French runner Alan Mimoum, winner of the 1956 Olympic Gold Medal; German runner Ceirpinski, winner of the 1976 1980 Olympic Gold Medal; German runner Roland Winkler, winner of the 1970 & 1972 championship; Italian runner Gelindo Bordin, winner of the Olympic Gold Medal; and Japanese renowned runner Nakayama.

The idea behind the 100 Km Pharaonic Race, one of the marathon’s activities, came from a 1977 discovery by Egyptian Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa who while digging discovered a piece of rock telling the story of Pharaoh soldiers running a 100-Kilometer race.