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MORE than 200 runners and enthusiasts put their best foot forward to take part in the Seef Mall half marathon challenge, reports Mai Al Khatib.
It was more than a stroll for Bahraini Maawli Tawer who broke the 21.1km (13.11 miles) course record by clocking a time almost five minutes faster than the previous best.
The event, organised by the Bahrain Road Runners (BRR) and held under the patronage of Bahrain Athletics Association president Shaikh Talal bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, was flagged-off outside Seef Mall on a route heading towards Manama, Busaiteen-Muharraq and then back to the shopping centre's parking lot.
BRR chairman Khalifa Nayem said: "I think this was one of our best races. We broke the record in the number of participants taking part as well as recording the quickest finish time to date.
"Maawli Tawer ended the race in one hour 14 minutes and 11 seconds when our previous marathon ended in one hour 19 minutes.
"We also wanted to make this a family event so we organised a race for juniors. We encouraged the parents to walk with their children so it was more of a 3km walkathon for some.
"Overall it was a great event. The weather was ideal, the route was good and we received a lot of support from our sponsors, traffic police and the Ministry of Health.
"The American Mission Hospital also provided great assistance and we had a physiotherapy clinic available for contestants after the race."
Runner-up Redha Hussain finished in 1:20:48 only seven minutes behind of Tawer. Idris Mohammed took third place in 1:21:25 and also took home the winner's trophy in the men's 40-44 category.
Lorna Bradford was the fastest woman clocking 1:32.56 with Glenis Driscoll taking second-placed in 1:33:46. Driscoll also won the ladies 40-and-above class. Third among the ladies was Melissa Hastensgard in 1:45:58.
Among the other category winners, Brett Jones won the men's 45-49, John Myatt in the men's 50-54, Ali Anbar in the men's 55-59, and Rob Grey in the men's 60-and-above.
The three kilometre junior race held for nine-to-15 years-old was won by Emad Mustafa in 12 minutes 22 seconds, just a second ahead of runner-up Carter Bradford. Nabeel Mohammed was third in 13:25.
As for the junior girls, Chloe Walls took first place with a registered time of 13:32 minutes and sisters Sabine and Celine Abou Abbas came second and third, respectively. Sabine finished in 14:25 while Celine came home in 18:29.
Shaikh Talal Al Khalifa, a Seef Mall representative and Shaikh Ebrahim bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the honorary president of BRR awarded the winners of each category with trophies and cash prizes.
