Despite the political situation in
Benefiting from a warm and sunny November weather, AUB students joined causes and efforts and woke up early to participate in the marathon. Many students had to study for midterms or quizzes or prepare papers but gave up there Sunday morning for a healthy run in the streets of
The UNESCO club at AUB prepared for this event since October and gave it all the time needed. A stand was put on West Hall for registration and a special discount of thirty three percent was made for students. Following the distribution of flyers and posting huge posters all over campus, around one hundred students and faculty registered with the UNESCO club. What was significant this year that many international students were so enthusiastic in participating and signed up in good numbers. The UNESCO club decided to run for tolerance, peace and love since the 16th of November was the World Day for Tolerance. For this reason, tens of t-shirts with the cause, UNESCO club logo and AUB logo were given out for the students who registered with the club. About thirty students gathered up on the marathon day at 9:00 am on the women’s dorms gate and walked together to the start line on
Other clubs and individuals had similar efforts and assembled each others to participate effectively in the marathon too. The Lebanese Red Cross club at AUB gathered around thirty of its club members and ran with the youth department of the Lebanese Red Cross for the age program. The club members ran the ten kilometers marathon for discrimination against aids and spread awareness while roaming
The Office of Students’ Affairs took also a part in this event as Ms. Wadad El Husseiny, director of students activities, called upon all the office’s guides to prepare a cheerleading station at the Main Gate to cheer all the marathon participants that passed by Bliss Street.
Sana Nassar, an UNESCO club member, wished that “next year all the clubs and individuals at AUB unite their efforts together in preparing for the marathon and run for the same cause, a cause that can unite all the students.”
Overall, the BIM event was a successful on AUB bases and national bases. The long marathon day went smoothly and safely as thousands of participants ran in the forty two kilometers race as well as in the five kilometers race too. Despite the slightly deteriorating quality of preparation by the BIM association compared to the past years; all the participants got medals for their participation and left it as a souvenir for the years to come.
