Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon kicks off on December 4

AMMAN — The 11th Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon kicks off on December 4 with the participation of local, regional and international runners.

“We have selected ‘Run for a Cause’ as a theme for this year’s event to highlight an important aspect of all Run Jordan events, that 20 per cent of the ticket sales go to charity,” Lina Al Kurd, deputy general manager of Run Jordan, said at a press conference on Sunday.

“This year, we have established cooperation agreements with two major NGO’s in the city of Aqaba namely: The Friends of Autism Society, which helps to support autistic children and their families in the southern region of the Kingdom; and the Bride of the South Orphan Society, which offers counselling and educational support for orphans,” she added. 

The race, under the patronage of HH Prince Firas, chairman of the board of Run Jordan, consists of three categories: 21km Half Marathon, 10km Fun Run and 4.2km Children’s Race. 

“The starting point for the 21km race will be the InterContinental Hotel and end at Revolution Square [Thawra Plaza]. The 10km and 4.2km events will start from Ayla towards Revolution Square,” Kurd pointed out.

According to Kurd, Run Jordan is expecting a major event in Aqaba.

“We are expecting runners from all ages to participate in the event as the weather usually is great in Aqaba and people like to visit Aqaba during the month of December. One of the main objectives of the event is to encourage tourism to Jordan and promote athletic cooperation across countries in the Middle East and the world,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sahel Dodin, CEO of Ayla, one of the main sponsors said: “Our support of this unique sports and health activity lines up with our corporate social responsibility objectives and strategies which aim to improve the health of our society and increase the level of health awareness.”

“As the main sponsor of this event for the third time in a row, we seek to build solid bridges between our company and the local community particularly in Aqaba,” he added.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to support sustainable development, public service, and events that promote Aqaba as a major destination for domestic and international tourism,” he stated.

Last year, Ra’fat Zboun was crowned champion of the 21km race of the men’s category after clocking 1h9m30s, followed by Ayman Suradi (1h11m33s) and Bashar Raheel (1h12m2s).

In the 21km women’s category Sudan’s Hanouya Hasballah came first in 1h16m 24s, followed by Razam Muqbel (1h36m48s) and Samah Najjar (1h38m6s).

In the 21km Wheelchair category, Ali Sawalmeh clocked 1h16m24s, followed by Bilal Bersameh (1h42m49s) and Raed Qasaymeh (2h12m29s).

In the 21km Visually Impaired category Suhail Nashash clocked 1h25m31s, followed by Abed Raouf (1h30m5s).

Registration is open for runners online at Run Jordan website (www.runjordan.com) and at its offices. Registration doors in Aqaba will also open at Aqaba City Centre between November 29 and December 3 from 10am until 6pm.