Run

Founder of the Beirut Marathon, May el Khalil is an advocate of the simple life and of sporting spirit. And we’d all be lucky to have half her spirit.

You’re making thousands of people run their tails off every year; what’s the catch?

I’ve always loved sports. I had the opportunity to practice while living in Nigeria. Women there have minimal distractions, and with my dynamic personality I had to spend my energy somewhere. I was young and I wasn’t ready to be part of the socialite activities. I geared my interest towards all kinds of sports. I started doing aerobics and to get the discipline I needed, I started leading aerobics classes myself; first one, then two, then three classes a day. This gave me discipline, stamina and commitment. And yes, I also ran a lot.

But you no longer run…

Since my accident I can’t run anymore. It was a major accident but I don’t let it consume me and don’t want it to consume this interview. It happened for a reason, to make me a more focused positive-thinking person. In short, I was hit by a car while I was training for a marathon, and I was sandwiched between the vehicle and a wall. I was hospitalized for two years and went through 36 surgeries. While I was in the hospital, my thoughts revolved around the marathon. I didn’t want pity, self or otherwise, and I focused on my recuperation and establishing the marathon. I had meetings between surgeries.

Moving on then. You’ve gotten all these people to run; how exactly is this helping anyone?

The marathon could’ve been just like any other game or sport. But, running can include everyone – elites, young, old, presidents, employees. The marathon has no social classification, you’re always the star! In other sports, say basketball, you’re only a spectator. You can’t be part of it even if you wanted to; you’re there just to watch stars. And as far as the bigger picture goes? I said, let’s get the NGOs in, let’s get the disabled involved, let’s get the schools, institutions and charity organizations – let’s make this thing a melting pot.

There is some sort of underlying charity system behind the whole thing; how does that work?

Say I want to help Braveheart. I send emails to my friends, family and co-workers asking them to pledge me. For instance, they’ll agree to sponsor you $50 per kilometer. At the end I get my money together and give it to the charity I’ve chosen. This motivates both the runners and the sponsors. Out of the blue, people won’t just donate. By running, they commit themselves and share a cause. My daughter recently lost her friend to ovarian cancer. She now dresses up in a big pink wedding dress and emails friends asking them to sponsor her ten kilometer run.

So we motivate givers by giving them a spectacle…

This is done in London, the biggest marathon in the world ($1.45 million per run). There is an official cause, one which we furnish with an awareness campaign. This year it was cancer. The campaign is funded by the marathon, and the runners are free to choose their charity. The Children’s Cancer Center was our target but some runners will give it to ovarian cancer, breast cancer and other. The marathon then becomes the platform between the NGO and the runner and funds are directly transferred to the charity not through us.

So about that pink dress…

Costumes are very common in Europe and are becoming more common here. This gives the event more fun and the runners more motivation. We have some hilarious costumes in the race. In our first year Zena was the only person to dress-up but others soon followed. Now, individuals, institutions and companies plan their wardrobe way ahead. I love the way it has grown.

Wrapping up, what’s your favorite place in Lebanon?

I feel I’m a daughter of all the villages of Lebanon, but I can’t pick a favorite. I love it all. And Beirut, Beirut is the shining capital of diversity and charm.

Get involved; the Beirut Marathon is an excellent excuse for charity that just happens to be fun and unifying. For more information head here.