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The Gaza Marathon is a marathon race in the Gaza Strip organized by UNRWA to raise funds for the UNWRA Summer Games program for children in Gaza. In addition to the full marathon race (42.195 km, 26 miles 385 yards), there is also a half-marathon race and a race. Children run stages of between to in relays over the whole marathon course.〔 The event was held for the first time on May 5, 2011, attracting more than 1,500 participants.〔 In 2013 the marathon was scheduled for April 10, but was cancelled following a decision by Hamas, who rules the Gaza Strip, not to allow women to participate.〔 ==Course and conditions== The course spans the entire Gaza Strip, from Beit Hanoun near the border with Israel in the northeast to Rafah, near the Egyptian border in the south. From Beit Hanoun the course runs west toward the Mediterranean coast, and then follows the coastal road southwest, parallel to the coast, before turning inland to Rafah. The route passes battered towns, refugee camps, the fishing harbor, the ruins of Yasser Arafat's former presidential compound, and the shells of other buildings hit in Israeli air strikes.〔〔 The course is mostly flat but conditions in May tend to be very hot.〔 There are no road closures, and in addition to potholes, runners have to negotiate traffic, including donkey carts and vans.〔〔 The organizers work with the local security authorities, currently run by the Hamas government, to ensure the runners' safety and also have to consider local sensitivities regarding male and female athletes running side-by-side.〔 Following the inaugural race in 2011, UNWRA spokesman Chris Gunness said, "The Israeli authorities have kept many things out of Gaza but we are trying to make sure that the one thing that can get through the blockade is fun. The marathon definitely achieved that not just for the competitors but for the thousands and thousands of onlookers who applauded every runner."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gaza Marathon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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