Runners compete in Luxor marathon

Jan 20, 2016 Runners from 27 countries recently converged in Egypt to participate in the Luxor marathon.

Luxor, which has a third of the world’s antiquities, has become a popular destination for enthusiastic runners.

Gasser Riad, CEO of Event Sport, the company responsible for putting together the event said ancient Egyptians used to prove their strength by taking part in such sport.

“The marathon began 23 years ago and it was with the tourism ministry and Egypt’s tourism authority, and its aim was to promote tourism, and also, we want to tell the whole world that the pharaohs, our ancestors, were the first to play sports, and sports, to them, was the civilized language,”

Mariana Cooke, a British runner, said she was looking forward to the run but also felt anxious about the race.

“This is my first run in Egypt, but I’ve been running for many years. I’ve relocated from Malaysia, so this is my first run since the Borneo marathon in 2014. So, I’m a bit nervous and quite excited,”

Cooke, a 55-year-old teacher at the New Cairo British International School, came in fourth place in the 12 kilometer run.

Mahmoud Dehis, expressed satisfaction in the organization of the event.

“Thanks God, this marathon, the 23rd marathon, was a strong and incredible race. The organisation was very high and there were plenty of services every 2.5 km. Thanks God, I just returned from winning first place in a 100 km race, so administration advised me to only participate in the 22 km race instead of the 42 km race, so that I don’t exhaust my body too much,”

Brandl Florian, an Austrian runner who took second place in the 42 kilometer race, said local support from the people of Luxor was helpful in allowing participants to focus on the event.

“The people were very supportive and also all the village securities, everyone, was very supportive, so it was really good for us, we had a good feeling, and then you can focus on the run, and you don’t have to think about other things, so I really appreciate how the people of Luxor supported us in this run,”