07/06/2019
THANK YOU Delhi, India for making IAAF 24:1 GRAND!!
IAAF Press Release
Across 24 hours, six continents and 15 time zones, more than 15,000 runners took up the challenge of running one mile on Sunday (2) as part of the IAAF Run 24-1 worldwide campaign to celebrate Global Running Day.
In the second year of the project to inspire and motivate individuals and communities to participate in the world’s most accessible sport and to experience the joy of running, the celebration was extended from a single day to a week.
Lanzhou, host of last weekend’s IAAF Global Running Conference, provided the prelude to Sunday’s 24-hour relay around the world, followed by 22 cities and a host of global athletics stars, who served as city captains in their respective hometowns.
At dawn in the South Pacific, Fiji kicked off Sunday’s mile runs at the Seawall Walkway before handing the baton to Melbourne and the relay continued through Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, finishing at Atlanta’s Phoenix Park in the United States at the end of the day.
By then, more than 15,000 runners of all ages and abilities had completed a mile - from children to octogenerians, novices running their to Olympic champions, parents with prams and costumed characters - a 30 percent increase on the number of participants in last year’s inaugural event.
Eight Olympic gold medallists, five world champions and a smattering of world record-breakers provided inspiration as they provided a rare opportunity for recreational runners to compete alongside them.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe offered “a profound thanks to each and every one of you who supported Run 24:1”
“Some of the scenes I witnessed online throughout the day were spectacular. Let me thank all of you – the athletes, not just athletes from our own sport, but those that have come from other sports to support us.
“Let me thank our Member Federations whose support has been extraordinary. We could not have done it without you. And let me thank each and every one of you that has participated today. You have become a part of the sporting family, the Global running community. Stay with us, there is more to come.”
Seventeen new cities joined Run 24:1 this year, joining established hosts Melbourne, Beijing, Tokyo, New Delhi, Rabat, Havana and Sao Paulo.
Among the highlights of the day was a big turnout in New Delhi, where 3000 runners braved scorching temperatures in the high 30s C, bolstered by a strong showing from the Territorial Army, who used the event as a curtain raiser for the Territorial Army and Athletics Federation of India Run. Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat joined IAAF Council member and former Olympic sprinter Adille Sumariwalla to complete the run.
Delhi’s impressive effort was closely followed by debutant Mauritius, the island-state in the Indian Ocean, where 2800 participants were greeted at the finish line by a marching band and bagpipe music.
The youthful spirit of the Nairobi run, the city hosting the IAAF World U20 Championships next year, was another highlight, as a young group of runners ran in the tracks of the local giraffe population through Nairobi National Park led by legend Vivian Cheruiyot. Rabat, home of the IAAF Diamond League in Africa, and Yaoundé pushed Africa’s participation to 5,800 participants, just 200 short of Asia’s record 6,000 participants.
Younger generations were well-represented throughout the mile legs, an important feature given that research presented at the conference in Lanzhou indicated that increasingly sedentary lifestyles threaten the future health of our global community.
In a poignant and historically significant moment, the troubled city of Gaza hosted an international sporting event for the first time as Palestinians ran along the edge of the port.
“No words can describe our feelings,’’ city captain and leading middle distance runner Mahmood Spitan said afterwards.
“We are one of the 24 countries participating in this international event, that makes us very happy and proud. It really gave us a motivation to move forward and do more.”
The feel-good vibe continued in Istanbul, where the city that links Asia and Europe put on a pre-run live music show that included a choreographed warm up routine for the runners before they followed a course along the banks of the Bosphorus.
After journeying though Europe and Africa, the global relay continued to South America where Bogota took up the baton, before Sao Paulo’s runners defied inclement weather to participate.
In Central America, Havana produced a star-studded run for the second consecutive year, featuring five Olympic gold medallists – IAAF vice-president Alberto Juantorena, world high jump record-holder Javier Sotomayor, 1980 javelin Olympic champion Maria Caridad Colon, 1995 and 1997 800m world champion Ana Fidelia Quirot, 2008 Olympic champion hurdler Dayron Robles and legendary volleyball player Yumilka Ruiz with two Olympic titles.
Triple Olympic gold medallist Gail Devers led the final run in Atlanta, circling the track where she warmed up for two of her Olympic victories in 1996.
“We had participants of all ages learn the importance and joy of running,’’ she said. “Everyone did not come across the finish line first but we are all winners by our efforts.”
The next phase of the week-long celebration of running continues today, with more than 45 countries signed up to conduct a Kids’ Mile run in schools today as part of Global Running Day.
The week of running events concludes on Friday, where Coe will lead an Athletics Family Run in Monaco, the 24th city to organise a mile run as part of the campaign.
Scheduled just before the IAAF’s Council meeting this weekend, the Monaco run will have a strong representation of Council members, officials and staff, led by CEO Jon Ridgeon. It will also have a celebrity flavour with former F1 drivers Mika Hakkinen and Felipe Massa, and marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe among the runners.
IAAF World Athletics Club ADGPI - Indian Army Athletics Federation of India
