How 1st Tehran Marathon is breaking walls

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  • It’s been just over a year since international sanctions were lifted on Iran, a move that paved the way for the former pariah state to step slowly back into the arms of the global community. Regular flights from Europe have resumed, business deals have been struck and, on Friday April 7 of this year, the capital of Tehran will host its first marathon.

    The 1st Tehran International Marathon is the brainchild of Dutchman Sebastiaan Straten, who hopes the race will be a celebration of sport, culture and food that opens the world’s eyes to a country that has been sealed off from the outside world for many years.

    Straten fell in love with the homeland of his wife many years ago and it has felt like a second home for him for some time. He is desperate to share his experiences of a nation which he insists is far removed from the sinister caricature painted by Western media.

    At present, the sporting scene in Iran is one dominated by football, its fanatical following exemplified by the Azadi Stadium – a cavernous arena which is home to the national team and once housed 128,000 supporters for a World Cup qualifier.

    Athletics certainly has some catching up to do, though Iran was represented at the 2016 Olympics in Rio with competitors in long jump, discus and hammer, as well as athletes in the 100m, 20km walk, and Marathon races.

    Mohammad Jafar Moradi’s 129th-place finish in the 42km race may have made few headlines, but he was only the second Iranian to ever complete the Olympic marathon – his time of 2:31:58 was almost 29 minutes faster than Nasser Babapour managed in 1988.

    Mohammad Jafar Moradi at the 2016 Olympics for Iran.

    Mohammad Jafar Moradi at the 2016 Olympics for Iran.

    Moradi embodies a growing grassroots movement, one that has only recently captured the imagination of Iranians, according to the Tehran Marathon’s Dutch organiser.

    “I remember when I first travelled to Iran I was running myself through the streets and people seemed surprised,” Straten recalls. “People thought I was catching a bus or in a hurry to get somewhere but after a while – when they noticed I did it most days – they started to realise it was a sporting activity. Some people started to cheer and shout ‘barakallah’ (God’s blessing be with you).”

    The positive reaction from strangers continued when Straten organised the first International marathon in Iran at Marvdasht near Shiraz in April 2016. The outpouring of support from locals at the event inspired the Dutchman to set his sights on Tehran.

    “Two years ago we got a request from a Dutch runner who wanted to run a race in Iran. I asked around but could find nothing for international competitors – small groups of friends run together, but street running is something new – so decided to organise one myself.

    “We held the first marathon near Shiraz, at Persepolis, and it was certainly a challenge – not in the numbers but in the sense of regulations and explaining to local authorities what a marathon is. Iran doesn’t really have too much in terms of marathon history so that was difficult but we explained that this run was for friendship and that there was nothing to be afraid of.

    “In the end we were totally overwhelmed by the reaction. There were so many people in the streets, cheering on these runners. It was such a receptive crowd and they seemed so happy and proud to see some international people running in their country. There were more than 150 competitors from 30 different nations and the runners loved the experience. We want to take that on to a bigger scale with Tehran.”

    A bigger city inevitably brings more bureaucracy and potential obstacles but Straten and his I run Iran team were persistent in their persuasion, underlining the positive image of Iran that could be projected and the positive lifestyle changes that could be imbued.

    “Convincing the authorities to close down the streets in Tehran is really something quite special, which shows how supportive they are. If Shiraz was anything to go by, the public are extremely good at crowd control and blocking the streets for runners. It’s on a Friday which should mean less traffic so less disruption and pollution too.

    “We made it clear that this is all about sport and has nothing to do with politics. It’s important to stress that we are not being asked by the Iranian government to show Iran from the bright side. We are independent people whose passion is for organising something special to show the country in a different way to how mass media tends to portray it.

    FIRST IRAN MARATHON

    • When: Friday April 7, 2017
    • Distance: 42km (also 21km & 10km races)
    • Start: Azadi Square
    • Finish: Azadi Stadium

    “With Iran Silk Road I’ve been working on organising tours and events in Iran for 10 years and this is always the initial barrier – these prejudices. We want to show Iran from the inside not from the outside perspective that everybody already knows. The only way to really show people is to take them there and have them look around with their own eyes. It gives a lot of satisfaction to see 99 per cent of first-time travellers to Iran bring home a different idea of Iran to the one they arrived with.”

    Conditions for the race in April are expected to be favourable, though Straten admits there are concerns about air pollution, a long-time problem in Tehran which saw schools close last year after a thick layer of smog enveloped the city.

    “We’re hoping it is dry and 25 degrees, which it often is at this time of year,” Straten says. “It could rain a little bit, but it’s not very likely. Another aim of the Tehran Marathon is to draw attention to clean air.

    “Obviously, we want to have clean air for our runners, but I also think the local people in Tehran really deserve to live in a climate with clean air. Reducing the traffic for the marathon should reduce smoke levels, and this is something that should be a target for the future too.”

    Another target is encouraging a more healthy lifestyle among Iranians, who Straten expects will make up at least 25 percent of the field on the start line of the Tehran Marathon.

    Iranian runners at the 2017 Dubai Marathon.

    Iranian runners at the 2017 Dubai Marathon.

    “In Shiraz I’d say half the runners were Iranian but this year, it is difficult to predict. Iranians are into surprises, they are not into planning so probably people will decide a couple of days before the marathon to run. We also have a half marathon and 10k this time. It could realistically be half the field again and that would be something to celebrate.

    “I think they will come from all over the country to Tehran for this event because it is something special, it’s never been done before and they really would like to show what they can do. I think many foreigners will run for fun but many Iranians will run in a competitive way.

    “Iran has a population of around 80 million people, with 70 per cent or so under the age of 30. It’s a very young population and we want to show them how much fun it is to run. The marathon can inspire a big crowd of young Iranians to run for exercise and sport. We want to develop the sort of running culture which exists in many other countries.”

    Iran is tiptoeing back into the global arena and a mass participation event that brings together tourists and locals alike appears a tremendously positive step towards greater international integration.

    The acceptance of Iran as a destination for tourism and sporting events will, like the development of a running culture, take time and most certainly require patience. It is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

    International runners have until the end of February to register for the 1st Tehran International Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K. For info visit the official website www.iruniran.com

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