PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem

Photos by Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org; Text by Haggai Matar and Michael Omer-Man

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
Runners race along the Israeli separation wall as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the banner “Right to Movement,” runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

Runners in the first ever Bethlehem Marathon were forced to run two laps of the same course on Sunday, as Palestinians were unable to find a single stretch of free land that is 42 kilometers (26 miles) long (in Area A, where the PA has both security and civil authority). The marathon took place in spite of harsh and untypical weather conditions and the winner was Abdel Nasser Awajneh, a Palestinian man from Jericho.

Palestinians “do not have a state, and their lands are controlled by a foreign army – that army controls their movement with roadblocks, checkpoints, military zones, an illegal wall and a complex set of discriminatory laws,” the marathon organizers explained in a statement. “The EU and the U.S. talk about a two-state solution, an independent Palestine – but we cannot find the 42 kilometers needed for a marathon. Not 42 kilometers of an area, which [is] supposed to be an independent state [that is] controlled by the Palestinian themselves.”

Around half of the 500 participants were Palestinians, the rest foreigners, AFP reported. Only 100 ran the full marathon.

As reported last week on +972, 26 runners from the Gaza Strip were denied permission to enter the West Bank in order to run in the race.

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
A runner wearing a t-shirt supporting Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi passes Palestinian Authority police as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

 

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
Runners race along the Israeli separation wall as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

 

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
A Palestinian girl runs barefoot on rain-drenched streets as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

 

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
A young woman runs past the slogans “Free Palestine” and “Hope” painted on the Israeli separation wall as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

 

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
A pair of international competitors hold hands as they near the finish line in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

 

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
A runner rejoices at the finish line as hundreds of Palestinian and international athletes took part in the the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.

 

PHOTOS: First Palestine Marathon runs between walls in Bethlehem
Palestinian young men perform a traditional dabke dance to celebrate their completion of the inaugural Palestine Marathon which took place in Bethlehem, West Bank, April 21, 2013. Under the title “Right to Movement”, runners had to complete two laps of the same route, as organizers were unable to find a single course of 42 uninterrupted kilometers under Palestinian Authority control.