Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon kicks off on December 12

AMMAN — The Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon kicks off on December 12 with the participation of local, regional and international runners.

According to Lina Kurd, deputy general manager of Run Jordan, the event will have new routes for its 21km, 10km and 4.2km races.

“The starting point for the 21km race will be the Movenpick Hotel and the ending at Revolution Square [Al Thawra Plaza]. The 10km event will start from Ayla towards Revolution Square and the 4.2km will start from Al Farouk Street through Ayla, then towards Revolution Square,” she said during a press conference held at the Greater Amman Municipality Council Auditorium on Saturday.

“We are expecting a huge number of expatriates and local runners to take part in the event as we have set a package where people can enjoy the event and at the same time enjoy some touristic sites. A main objective of the event is to encourage tourism to Jordan and promote athletic cooperation across countries in the Middle East and the world,” she added.

Sahel Dodin, CEO of Ayla Oasis Development Company, one of the main sponsors, said that it is great to be part of the marathon.

“We are happy to sponsor the event not only for the coming three years but also for more years to come as we believe in the cause of the event and in the touristic mission of its activities,” Dodin said.

Fawzi Masad, director of Amman City, said: “We have agreed with the Ministry of Education to prepare students representing government schools in the event as part of our programme to teach healthy lifestyle to schools,”

Last year, Jordan’s Rafat Zboun (1h10m01s) won the 21km men’s race, while countrywoman Razan Muqbel (1h30m06s) won the women’s race.

“We believe that this year we will have a tougher competition although the atmosphere will be relaxed and enjoyable. A lot of runners are working hard for this event,” Kurd said.

Twenty per cent of the ticket sales of the Ayla Red Sea Half Marathon, which is accredited by the International Athletics Federation, go to charity.

Last year more than 1,500 runners from around the world took part in the event.