8,000 students to participate in Jeddah marathon

More than 8,000 intermediate and secondary school students are expected to participate in the 10th annual marathon.
The event will be organized by Al-Bir Charitable Society in association with Mobily in Jeddah on April 30.
“People from different parts of the Kingdom will participate in the marathon including Saudi champions who have won prizes in national, regional and international levels,” said an Al-Bir official. Runners from Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Ethiopia, Kenya, France, US and UAE will also participate, organizers said.
Al-Bir signed an agreement yesterday with the Nesma Group of Companies to support the program, which has become a popular sports events in the Kingdom. The marathon’s higher committee is chaired by Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed. Other members include Jeddah Mayor, Hani Abu Ras; director general of health in Makkah region, Abdullah Al-Tawi; director general of education in Jeddah, Abdullah Al-Thaqafi.
The committee has identified the tracks for different groups of contestants including people of special needs, 18 years old and below, the general public, professionals and amateurs.
The committee will also identify the roles of different government departments for the smooth running of the event.
Jeddah marathon has always won applause from the general public and sports community.
The signing of agreement with Nesma comes in line with early preparations for the event. Mazen Batterjee, chairman of Al-Bir and Saleh Al-Turki, chairman of Nesma, signed the deal in the presence of top officials from both sides.