Today marks the launch of the second edition of “The Pyramids Half Marathon”, under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and supervised by the Egyptian Athletic Federation. The marathon is sponsored by Tatweer Misr and HSBC Bank in collaboration with Ahl Masr Hospital.
The Pyramids Half Marathon witnessed the participation of 4000 athletes from 77 countries around the world. H.E Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Seif Allah Shaheen, President of the Egyptian Athletic Federation were amongst the attendees, as well as ambassadors from the United States of America, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. In addition to diplomats of the German, Italian, and British embassies and number of significant public figures.
During the last period, Egypt has managed to organize multiple regional and international championships and sports events such as The Pyramids Half Marathon. This has reflected Egypt’s competences to host key events, and will send a message to the whole world about Egypt’s stable economic, touristic sectors and above all its safety.
For the second time in a row, the Pyramids Half Marathon comes in light of the country’s efforts to enhance the tourism sector and promote Egypt as one of the world’s best countries in terms of tourism, along with raising awareness about the prominence of sports and its positive impact on Egyptians.
Besides, this marathon aims to revive the Pyramids area glory paving the way for the Grand Egyptian Museum inauguration this year, which will be the largest platform displaying Pharaonic heritage in Egypt.
Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports expressed his pleasure at the large number of participants in “The Pyramids Half Marathon” in an image that stresses on the vital role of sports within society in terms of building a healthy mind and body, and in a message that conveys the Egyptian ability to organize major events with its administrative and logistical capabilities, in addition to its distinct antiquities and tourist attractions.
The Minister of Youth and Sports pointed out the Ministry’s vision in spreading sports within the society, making it an essential element as one of the main axes of the Ministry’s strategy. The Minister further stated that one of the factors contributing to the ministry’s vision is implementing these athletic marathons all over Egypt with the vast number of youth participation. Dr. Shobhi further offered his thanks and appreciation to everyone who participated in “The Pyramids Half Marathon”, executing it in the best form.
Ayman Hakki, founder and CEO of The TriFactory stated, “We are proud to organize one of the biggest sports events in Egypt supporting the tourism sector and boosting Egypt’s positioning internationally under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. This has been achieved owing to the international athletic gathering at the marathon, where every participant had the opportunity to live a unique experience amidst one of the Seven Wonders of the World."
Hakki further elaborated, “The Pyramids Half Marathon witnessed the participation of 192 participants from the United States of America, 137 from France, 80 from Malaysia, 79 from the United Kingdom, 48 from Japan and 44 from Canada. Fortunately, 40% of the participation are women, which is the largest female participation in the sports scene in Egypt.”
Dr. Ahmed Shalaby, President and CEO of Tatweer Misr said, “We are delighted that Tatweer Misr is the strategic partner of such a prominent event, where important and different elements such as sports, tourism, antiquities and health intersect. Our interest in promoting activities related to sports in addition to education and art was the main motivation behind our decision to sponsor “Pyramids Half Marathon’’ this year.
Dr. Shalaby further praised the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities as they played a great role in supporting & empowering the event. Moreover, he expressed his optimism about the merge of the Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities into one ministry as he thinks that this a very important step that is expected to pave the way for the flourishment of the tourism & the growth of the Egyptian economy overall. He also pointed out that selecting the pyramids as a venue to hold the Marathon, highly contributes to promoting Egypt as a unique touristic destination.
It's worth mentioning that, Tatweer Misr hosted a boot camp for a number of marathoners at the “BaseCamp” in their Project IL Monte Galala’s , where they prepared for the marathon by carrying out several workouts and entertainment activities in cooperation with a number of acclaimed fitness & lifestyle coaches/specialists.
The TriFactory’s flagship Half Marathon event features three exciting distances: 21K, 10K, and 6K and brand new race-courses. The Half Marathon will enable racers to run on 100% paved roads, perfectly suitable for pedestrians during the course of the race. In addition to using - My Laps timing - the same technology used at the Olympic Games.
