Olympic athlete wins Gaza's first-ever marathon

[oberliner]

RAFAH, Palestinian Territories — More than 1,400 Palestinians were up before dawn on Thursday to take part in the Gaza Strip's first-ever marathon, running the entire length of the coastal enclave.

As the sun rose, around 50 runners gathered at the start line at the entrance to Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip, bouncing nervously as they waited for the starting whistle.

Just nine people, seven of them Gazans, signed up to run the full 42-kilometre (26-mile) stretch that ends at the southern city of Rafah on the Egyptian border.

Most of the other competitors were school children in brightly-coloured T-shirts, who ran short stretches of the race in a relay format, with more than 1,200 taking part through the morning, each one covering between one and four kilometres.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iveb0I9AjlqN-CnYW19oBYASm8xQ?docId=CNG.3bce48042eb243fc76055628cd8a2455.1d1

[aranthus]

1. Cool.

In five to ten years it will be a Boston Qualifier Marathon. Then my wife will want to run it.

[oberliner]

2. Does your wife life in Gaza?

If not, why would that be her race of choice to qualify for the Boston Marathon?

[aranthus]

3. I was kidding.

Although the Gaza Marathon probably doesn't have a lot of hills. Yes there are several closer to home that she could run (and has).

[oberliner]

4. Oops

Sorry for being so clueless.

[aranthus]

5. Nah. It's just my strange sense of humor. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

6. Good for Nader al-Masri!

[oberliner]

7. BBC piece on him here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/world_olympic_dreams/8789261.stm