62 August 2014 www.womanthismonth.com The Bahrain Road Runners has come a long way since the 1970s, when members comprised a handful of running enthusiasts from the expatriate community. As the passion for running and competing catches on, membership is now predominantly Bahraini and women are an overwhelming majority. “There was a time when I won a lot of medals, simply because I was the only woman participating,” recalls Duniya Elias, two-time ultra marathoner and one of the earliest female runners. Duniya had been a smoker for 20 years when she vowed to quit and run her first marathon before turning 40. “Anyone with determination can do it. Age is just a number,” believes the 44-year-old, who recently finished an ultra marathon in South Africa and will be competing at the Full Ironman in Germany this August. Hessa Al Khalifa made history in May when she completed the Full Ironman in Lanzarote in Spain, one of the toughest routes in the world. Hessa completed the event in less than 17 hours, becoming the first GCC woman to achieve this feat. “The cycling event really set me back on timing. The headwind was so strong that my bike just wouldn’t move forward. But I kept going and in the last 15 minutes, I ran really fast to be in time for the finish. Luckily, I made it just four minutes before midnight,” says the 23-year-old. Interestingly, Hessa’s mother, who was waiting for her at the finishing line, compared the experience to giving birth. “My mother said the 16 hours she waited for me to cross the finish line were more painful and anxiety-ridden than her labour when I was born,” she laughs. Hessa’s story shows the support Bahraini by SIMI KAMBOJ lifestyle | community Pathway to Glory Women have not only outstripped men at running events here, they’ve raised the Kingdom’s profile by competing at the high international levels. Meet the passionate female fraternity of Bahrain Road Runners.
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