Three Bahraini runners who had to train at 4am due to the country’s rising temperatures successfully completed the Vienna City Marathon on April 17. Shaikh Ibrahim bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Ghanim Al Zallaqi and Ali Janahi are dedicated members of Bahrain Road Runners (BRR).
They trained hard for two months prior to the event, which attracted 30,000 entrants from 70 countries. It paid off as Shaikh Ibrahim bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, who is the BRR president, completed a half marathon course in two hours and 45 minutes and Al Zallaqi in one hour, 54 minutes and 36 seconds.
Janahi, who did the full marathon, completed his first international event in four hours, 22 minutes and 47 seconds. The Vienna City International Marathon is dubbed as one of the oldest and prestigious races in the world, attracting the cream of athletes and marathon runners from all over the world, including Ethiopian legend Haile Gebre Selassie, who is hailed as the greatest long-distance runner of all times.
At 62, Shaikh Ibrahim was the oldest in the group and has been running a half marathon every year since 1993. He has competed in Berlin, Lisbon, Athens and now Vienna and intends to run next year as well.
The veteran runner expressed his delight, described the Bahraini presence in the global event as reflecting the Kingdom’s landmark achievements under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander.