Gulf Bank hails success of inaugural ‘Gulf Bank 642 Marathon’ – Kuwait lender reaffirms its commitment to healthy lifestyle and fitness

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Participants seen in action during the event
Participants seen in action during the event

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 24: Gulf Bank hails the success of the inaugural Gulf Bank 642 Marathon, the first accredited international marathon road race ever to be held in Kuwait. The Bank also congratulates the winner in each race category, and extends its appreciation to those who participated and volunteered to make the event a success.

Along with our partner, Pro-Vision Sports Management, we are happy to officially announce the winners (male and female) and their timings for each of the five race categories as:

■ Full Marathon (42-km): Yeha Elsayed (2:47:06) and Hannah Glendinning (3:47:17)

■ Half Marathon (21-km): Maali Babikir (1:13:45) and Samantha Hegarty (1:43:13)

■ Souq Run for regular runners (10- km): Fawaz Farhan (0:34:43) and Renata Hoppova (0:43:49)

■ Family Fun Run for beginners (5- km): Naif Rabea Shalan (0:19:27) and Irene Gibson (0:24:31)

■ Special Run for special needs (5- km): Faraj Sultan The race, which was held on Nov 14, welcomed 2,400 participants from 74 countries, and the participants were 64 percent male and 36 percent female.

There were several teams of walkers and runners, from various organizations and backgrounds. The route was along the Gulf Road and took in many of Kuwait’s famous local landmarks, including Seif Palace, Kuwait Towers, the National Library, the new Central Bank of Kuwait building, Souq Mubarakiya, and the Gulf Bank headquarters office. The Bank was pleased that three of the race categories were accredited by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF Athletics).

AIMS is a member based organization of more than 380 of the world’s leading distance races from over 100 countries. IAAF Athletics is the world governing body for the sport of track and field athletics. Once a course is AIMS certified, only then is IAAF able to recognize any world records which might take place on the course. Three categories (10-km, 21- km, and 42-km distances) of the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon were AIMS certified. These races now appear in the international calendar of races and serve as qualifying races for other events. The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon is the only full road race marathon to be held in Kuwait and is called 642 in reference to the number of muscles in the human body.

Gulf Bank sponsored the race to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and to encourage people in Kuwait to include regular exercise and physical activity as part of their daily life. The marathon has held on World Diabetes Day (WDD) to help raise awareness of the growing problem of diabetes in Kuwait, and how exercise and fitness can play an important role in combating this major health issue. In the lead up to the event, the Bank and its partners held a social media competition where people shared their fitness journey in preparation for the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon.

Two winners were selected and their prizes included a personalized health and fitness transformation program which included: 4 nutritional consultations by Dasman Diabetes Institute; 16 personal training sessions by Circuit+ Gym; food supply by Quest; culinary classes and food supply by Saveco; and full training gear from Extreme Sports. On race day, all our partners were also on site for the event in the Souq Sharq pavilion area, where there were many other vendors and activities. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon in 2016! To find out more about the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon, visit the dedicated website at: www.gulfbank642marathon.com or its Instagram account GulfBank 642.

This news has been read 8217 times!

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