12,000 Runners Participate in Beirut Marathon

More than 12,000 runners from 60 countries and regions participated on Sunday in the Beirut International Marathon 2022, the National News Agency reported. The Beirut Marathon Association, a nonprofit nongovernmental organization, organized the 26.2-mile race, which was held in the Beirut Waterfront area under the slogan “I am Beirut.”

The race has been held annually since 2003, although it was canceled in 2019  due to anti-government protests and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The winner of this year’s men’s race was Ethiopian runner Metko Dekiba, who had a time of 2:14:21. Mologu Ambe, also from Ethiopia, won the women’s race, crossing the finish line in 2:28:57, just 19 seconds over the course record for women, 2:28:38, set by Eunice Chumba of Bahrain in 2017. The course record for men, 2:10:41, was set in 2018 by Moroccan runner Mohamed El Aaraby.