Fourth Ooredoo Marathon a massive success

The fourth Ooredoo Marathon took place on Friday with nearly two thousand runners taking part from across Qatar’s communities and around the world. Present at the event were H.E. Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali, Minister of Youth and Sports of the State of Qatar and H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, Ooredoo. Kicking off at 6.30 am at the Museum Of Islamic Arts Park, the event saw runners jog, sprint, and walk around the route, which looped the Corniche.

Commenting on this occasion, H.E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Youth and Sports, said, “I am delighted to have taken part in this Marathon, which falls directly in line with the Ministry’s vision of promoting the wellbeing of individuals in Qatar. The Ministry of Youth and Sports will continue to support such activities that target various age groups and fitness levels within the local society. Indeed, such initiatives will enable our mission to foster a sports culture within the community and encourage individuals to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani - Chairman of Ooredoo, the Ministry of Interior, as well as all of the entities who took part and made this event a success.”

H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, Ooredoo, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of this year’s races. A significant number of people have come out to support their loved ones as they run, the entry fees will make an important contribution to ‘Education Above All’, and you can feel a true community spirit in the air which will hopefully encourage everyone to get more involved in sports in 2016. The health of the people of Qatar is one of the highest priorities, and Ooredoo is delighted to be playing our part.”

The Ooredoo Marathon, which began in 2013, is designed to help Qatar’s people become more active and healthy, and has grown into a highly-anticipated event for experienced marathon runners, health conscious people and novices alike. Qatar Sports For All Federation also took part in the event by providing trainers who gave advice and instructions to participants on the proper way to warm-up and exercise before the race. 

This year, the Ooredoo Marathon featured a full marathon (42.195km), a half-marathon (21.0975km), 10km, 5km junior and adult races, as well as a child-friendly 3km and a 1km event. First place for the full Ooredoo Men’s Marathon went to Amos Maindi of Keyna with an impressive time of 2 hours 21 minutes. Pamela Chepkoech Bundotich also from Keyna took the title of Ooredoo Marathon Female Winner with a time of 2 hours 58 minutes.

As well as the competitive races, which saw a total of QR 1,000,000 worth of prize money distributed at the event, Ooredoo hosted a children’s 1km fun run, and family-friendly 3km and 5km races. All funds raised from the 2016 Ooredoo Marathon will be donated to “Educate A Child’ a programme of the Education Above All Foundation launched by Her Highness SheikhaMozabint Nasser, which aims to significantly reduce the number of children worldwide who are missing out on their right to an education.