(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain | The Peninsula
Muscat: The Al Mouj Muscat Marathon 2020 came to an end yesterday with four more exciting races bringing down the curtain on the two-day running spectacle.
The last day''s programme included the 5km, 3km, 2km and 1km races as many more participants particularly the children taking the Al Mouj Muscat streets to join Oman''s popular running festival.
''It was another exciting day of races. A great way to finish the phenomenal event, marathon legend Paula Radcliffe the global ambassador for the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon told The Peninsula after the medal ceremony.
''I am very happy to see the enthusiasm of all those who participated especially among the kids. Many of them were competing for the first time and the urge to do well was there, she added.
''Al Mouj Muscat Marathon is a great event which brings the communities together from all over Oman. It is growing every year and this year we saw a record participation. It has now become a global event as many athletes from different parts of the world came here to participate in this event, she added.
Yesterday, the most crowded event was the 5km race, which witnessed a total of 3,153 male and female athletes in action.
The men''s 5km race was dominated by home stars as Ahmed Aqeel Al Ansari clinched the title in 00:17:33, followed by his compatriots Wadah Al Faliti (00:17:58) and Mubarak Al Rubkhi (00:18.02).
Great Britain''s Stephanie McLeod topped the women''s 5km field in 00:22.01, followed by Iran''s Zohreh Hashemabadi (00:23:09) and South Africa''s Lindie Jacobs (00:23:26).
The 3km run in which 1050 children took part, saw Oman''s Osama Salim winning the boys'' gold medal in 00:14:20, with his team-mates Qusay Al Rashdi (00:14:34) and Ali Al Alburtomani (00:14:37) securing the second and third positions respectively.
Libya''s Nour Ben Daw was the winner of girls'' competition in 3km, clocking 00:15:26 to finish the distance. She was followed by Oman''s Ahad Al Riyami (00:15:28) and Egypt''s Kanzy Mohammed (00:16:14).
Home athletes Hamad Al Hasani and Hia Al Lawati claimed the 2km titles while R. Nahul and Nina Soldaini were victorious in 1km boys and girls races.
The course of the two-day event took in the palm trees and wide boulevards of Al Mouj Muscat, before moving on to the vibrant golf course and the finish in the Race Village, where the runners crossed the line to tune of traditional Omani music.
In all, over 10,000 runners from 102 different countries a new record of participation in the annual event took part in the competition.
The first day featured marathon, half marathon and the 10km races. Kenya''s Pius Karanja and Ethiopia''s Astede Habtamu won the marathon titles the showpiece race of the event.
First held in 2012 the Muscat Marathon was originally organised by the Muscat Road Runners. The inaugural grassroots event attracted 135 competitors a total which has steadily increased over every subsequent edition.
In 2017 it cemented its position as one of the showpiece events in Oman''s sporting calendar and a growing presence on the international sporting calendar with the involvement of established event managers Oman Sail and the support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat - the renowned waterfront destination.
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