RUNNING FOR LOVE & PEACE
There’s a lot of passionate runners out there.
But it’s not only the running that we love but also the reasons we run for, that keep us going.
Run for Love 2018
On 14 February 2018 Nick Lawson starts running a marathon a day for 365 days…. barefoot. He’ll run from South to North-Africa to spread a message of global unity and love. People from all over the world will come and run and cycle with him, as far as they are capable of each day, and each person raises money for a different charity.
He’d love to get all of us involved in some way. You can join Nick on his solo journey through 23 countries to help him spread this message of love and try to help as many people as possible.
More info: #RunForLove2018 #NickLawson
World Peace Marathon
Suresh Joachim started running from Bethlehem, Israel on 25th December 2017, for a better, healthier, and war-free tomorrow. Suresh holds a peace torch and runs on all 7 continents, in 72 countries and 123 cities in 270 days to finish in Toronto, Canada on September 22, 2018.
Suresh is attempting to set 2 Guinness World Records with the World Peace Marathon: to raise the most money with a charity run and to meet and greet most celebrities.
Suresh is a Canadian film actor, producer, and multiple Guinness World Record holder who has broken more than 60 world records in 5 continents to support underprivileged children around the world.
More info: #WorldPeaceMarathon
Free to Run
In 2015 Mimi Anderson mentored two amazing Afghan women as they prepared to take part in a 250km 7-day self-sufficiency staged race in the Gobi Desert as part of a team; they were to become the first Afghan women to accomplish such an extraordinary feat. The obstacles they faced in training were tremendous. They often faced street harassment if they tried to train in public and even getting access to gym facilities was difficult as women. Free to Run had to provide private transport to take the women to and from a local gym during ‘female hours’, where they could spend hours running on a treadmill. On occasion, they found unexploded remnants of wars when they trained in the mountains.
“We don’t live in a perfect world and there are still large parts of it where women and girls suffer from inequality. They don’t have the opportunity to participate in any form of sport due to the constraints put on them by the society they live in. In conflict-affected communities, women suffer violence, discrimination and abuse, and their access to sport and physical activity is non-existent. Can you imagine living a life like that?” says Mimi.
Mimi Anderson is an ambassador for Free to Run; a non-profit organization established by ultrarunner Stephanie Case in 2014. They provide opportunities for women and girls from conflict-affected areas to get involved in running, fitness and outdoor adventure. Through sport, Free to Run aims to empower and educate women in some of the most difficult areas on earth, such as Afghanistan, South Sudan and are working with the refugees in Hong Kong. They are using the power of sport to change lives and communities.
In Afghanistan, Free to Run helped form sports clubs for female students, engaging them in hiking and other outdoor activities. Often for the first time in their lives, these young women are experiencing what it is like to move freely outdoors. By empowering women and educating men, Free to Run uses sport to challenge the perception of the role of women in public life, in societies where traditionally they had less freedom.
#FreeToRun
Freedom Runners: Running The Freedom Trail for Save the Children, South Africa
In 2014 ultra-marathon runner Samantha Gash from Australia and fellow ultra-marathon runner Mimi Anderson from the United Kingdom, ran two marathons per day for just over a month.
After two years of planning, they ran 1,968km across the Freedom Trail, beginning in the far east of the country in Pietermaritzburg and finishing 32 days later in Paarl, just outside Cape Town.
They raised over £26,000 for Save the Children to set up an initiative in South Africa. The project was launched in March 2015 to support young women in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal; providing the girls with better access to feminine hygiene products, enabling them to remain in education.
#SaveTheChildren
The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run
is a torch relay that travels throughout the length and breadth of the world promoting the simple message that there is infinitely more that unites us as human beings than divides us. A key feature of the Run is the idea that it is individuals who, through changes in their own lives, can make positive change in the world a reality. Since 2004, the Run has also been known as the World Harmony Run.
Relay teams in each participating country are made up of runners from all walks of life, who have dedicated their time and energy to bring the Run to communities around the globe. Coordinators in each country partner locally with schools, community groups, sporting organizations, city and state government departments to bring the run to the community as a service encouraging international friendship and understanding.
Every year, the Run makes its way through the 5 main continents of America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. Members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre assist with the planning of the run, but it is truly a grassroots project, with many people from local communities coming forward to help, inspired by the simplicity of the Run’s message.
More info: #SriChinmoy #PeaceRun
BUILDING PEACE THROUGH RACES
Sharing pain and joy from start to finish creates friendships for life. People of all kinds of backgrounds and cultures share the same goal. The camaraderie and self-confidence, gained during a race, can bridge gaps between varied ideas and perspectives. While political peace may seem out of reach, personal or local peace is achievable.
Free Movement Palestine Marathon
is an initiative to increase awareness on our right to freedom of movement as stated in Article 13 of the universal declaration of Human Rights.
The Palestine Marathon’s aim is to establish a running culture in Palestine. It is an opportunity that provides Palestinians with the chance to move in a new and fun way which also builds a relationship based on the love for running and cultural exchange between Palestinians and the people from around the world. The event is about showing the outside world a new side of Palestine and Palestinians. It is about creating awareness and building understanding across cultures. Palestine Marathon is about cultural exchange, cultural exploration, and understanding. It is free of any political agenda. Nothing happens until something starts moving. So we want to move. Move with us.
The next Palestine Marathon takes place on 23 March 2018 and includes a marathon, half marathon, 10K race and 3K family race.
More info: #PalestineMarathon
Great Peace Run
In 2018 it will be 100 years since World War I came to an end. The ‘Great War’ was the scene of unspeakable cruelty. One of the most important fronts was situated in the western-most part of Flanders, with Ypres as its focal point.
On 6 May you will have the opportunity to remember this historic moment alongside runners from all countries worldwide during the Great Peace Run: a half marathon visiting iconic monuments and places that played an important part in the events of 1918.
The course of this unique experience run and walk starts at the famous Menin gate, continuing on through Flanders’ Fields, including Hill 60 and Hill 62. The finish is drawn on the town square of Ypres in front of the “In Flanders Fields” Museum.
More info: #GreatPeaceRun
“Running is more than a sport; it’s a way of connecting with people worldwide.”
Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh
Run for Peace
Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh is a Jordanian marathon and half marathon runner who has represented Jordan in many national and international races. He hopes to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Mo’ath is a strong believer in the potential of sport to change individual behavior and transform wider conflicts. He encourages young people in the Middle East to realize their own athletic potential and to begin positive change through sport.
He worked for the United Nations in New York and Generations For Peace, a Jordan-based international peace-building organization. Currently, Mo’ath is International Ambassador for the Beirut Marathon Association, to spread their message of togetherness, tolerance, and positivity.
More info: #RunForPeace
Beirut marathon
heads into its 16th year of bringing runners together from Lebanon and around the world for the greater purpose of peace and love.
It all began with a dream to build a running community and culture across Lebanon.
After surviving a near-fatal accident while running, May El Khalil began to actualize her dream: from her hospital bed she oversaw the emergence of the Beirut Marathon Association. Armed with determination, unwavering resolve, and the help of her family, friends, and a dedicated team of supporters, May succeeded in establishing one of the most successful running events in the region, the Beirut International Marathon.
The yearly event in November includes the Youth Race, Women’s Race, Half Marathon and Beirut International Marathon.
More info: #BeirutMarathon
Ultramarathon Vukovar Srebrenica
is a marathon race run by four runners in July 2012 and 2013, on a section from the city of Vukovar in Croatia to Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The race was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipović, and in the organization of the Council of the Bosniak National Minority of the City of Zagreb.
Ultramarathoners from Croatia were running 227 kilometers from Vukovar to Srebrenica. They started on July 6 in memory of the victims of the two cities, as well as all the innocent victims in the past wars.
Since then, every year on July 6 runners cover the same 227 km route to recall the suffering of Vukovar and Srebrenica, as well as to encourage the resolution of the issue of missing persons.
Besides the ultramarathon, a peace march of ca 5000 people takes place in Srebrenica on the 10th of July, the same day that the runners arrive.
More info: #UltramarathonVukovarSrebrenica
Košice Peace Marathon
is the oldest marathon in Europe and the second oldest in the world after the Boston Marathon. The first marathon was held in 1924, inspired by the Olympic marathon in Paris in the same year. The first women’s race was held in 1980.
After World War II it became known as Marathon of Freedom and transformed later in Peace Marathon. Their charity program Running with a Heart supports care for little oncological patients, homeless people and the development of athletics.
It’s a flat road course of two laps through the historic city center of Košice, the second largest city in Slovakia.
The event includes a marathon, half-marathon and a relay and is held each year in the first week of October. It attracts more than 10.000 participants, both elite and fun runners.
More info: #KošicePeaceMarathon
Sister Marathon Peace Initiative
aims to build lasting friendships across cultures that serve to bring the world closer together.
They provide member-only destination retreats, travel packages and free homestay opportunities in 100’s of cities around the world for the community of marathoners and running enthusiasts, together with international race directors and volunteers who are determined to bring peace and goodwill to the world through the sport of running.
Trip fees atre donated to local charities.
More info: #SMPI
More events
Kigali International Peace Marathon, 20 May 2018, Rwanda
Peace Run 24 September 2018, part of the Just Peace weekend, The Hague, The Netherlands
Cheorwon DMZ International Peace Marathon in the Demilitarised Zone of South-Korea, 23 September 2018 (date to be confirmed)
Resources / further reading
video: Free to run, Gobi March race accomplished by first two Afghan women
video: Freedom Runners: The Freedom Trail, South Africa
Sri Chinmoy Peace Run — Documentary
Palestine Marathon sparks a growing push for movement over politics
International Day Of Peace White City Marathon 2017, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Walk2Peace; European 4000K peacewalk finished in October 2017; next steps will be made in Asia 2018.
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Originally published at Running Your Life.
