3,500 people run Erbil marathon
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - About 3,500 runners took part in the 10th Erbil International Marathon on Friday, including a large number of foreigners.
The slogan for this year’s race was: "Establish love, peace, and non-violence in Iraq."
Anna Helphet from New Zealand and her Scottish dog ran together for 12 kilometers.
"We were originally training for the marathon, but I had to travel and I lost the training. So we thought we would do the 12 kilometers. We quite often run here in the park, in Sami Abdulrahman. And I know the dog is easy, he could do this again," Helphet said, adding that they "very much enjoyed" the race.
Kalkha Biyaman also ran. She said she was thrilled to have taken part in her first marathon.
"It is my first marathon ever. So it is very nice to run in Erbil. It was a good experience," Biyaman said.
According to organizers, 350 foreign runners from every part of the world took part.
Running around Sami Abdulrahman Park, the marathon had three different levels - two kilometers, 12 kilometers, and 42 kilometers.
The slogan for this year’s race was: "Establish love, peace, and non-violence in Iraq."
Anna Helphet from New Zealand and her Scottish dog ran together for 12 kilometers.
"We were originally training for the marathon, but I had to travel and I lost the training. So we thought we would do the 12 kilometers. We quite often run here in the park, in Sami Abdulrahman. And I know the dog is easy, he could do this again," Helphet said, adding that they "very much enjoyed" the race.
Kalkha Biyaman also ran. She said she was thrilled to have taken part in her first marathon.
"It is my first marathon ever. So it is very nice to run in Erbil. It was a good experience," Biyaman said.
According to organizers, 350 foreign runners from every part of the world took part.
Running around Sami Abdulrahman Park, the marathon had three different levels - two kilometers, 12 kilometers, and 42 kilometers.