Second Gaza Marathon goes ahead....

This must be one of the more unusual Marathons in the world in that the course is almost the length of the country. Last Thursday, some 2,200 school children and 300 adults ran a relay race traversing the Gaza Strip north to south to raise money for U.N. summer camps. The race, sponsored by the U.N. aid agency for Gaza refugees, was held in windy, wet and unusually cold weather. The children ran segments of one kilometer (0.6 miles), while some of the adults ran full marathons, said Adnan Abu Hassna, a spokesman for the U.N. agency.

It was Gaza's second marathon in two years (2011 event here). Last year's winner, Nader al-Masri, won again this year, but due to the bad weather crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 20 minutes, a full hour more than last year's result. Runners from France and the U.S. also participated. Abu Hassna said the race was an opportunity to highlight the difficulties of life in Gaza and raise money for the U.N. aid agency's summer camps. The aid agency provides services to hundreds of thousands of Gazans.