1 Mar 2012

GAZA / MARATHON

Thousands of runners embarked Thursday on the second-ever Gaza Marathon along the beach road of the coastal strip despite close to zero Celsius temperatures on the coldest day in years in Gaza and gale winds creating a sandstorm. The marathon was organised by UNRWA, the UN agency assisting the Palestine refugees to raise funds for the UNRWA Gaza Summer Games for 250,000 refugee children who live under very difficult circumstances. UNWRA

Posted at: March 1, 2012 2:56 pm

Duration: 02:17

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: GAZA / MARATHON
TRT: 2.17
SOURCE: UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 1 MARCH 2012, BEIT HANOUN, GAZA STRIP

SHOTLIST:

1. Med shot, runners warming up at the start of the Gaza Marathon 
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Gavin White, UNRWA staffer: 
"I have not run a full marathon but considering the symbolism of running the full length of the Gaza Strip I think that it's important that people are here,
people are showing some solidarity, working basically for kids and people in need."
3.Med shot, children warming up
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nadir Al Masri, Palestinian Olympic long distance runner:
"This is the second time I run the Gaza Marathon. We do it for the Gaza Summer Games. We hope that the Summer Games will provide happiness for the children of Gaza."
4. Various shots, kids warming up before race
5. Wide shot, start of the race
6. Wide shot, Nadir Al Masri at the beginning of the race
8. Wide shot, Kids running along remnant of Israeli wall south of Gaza City
9. Wide shot, foreign runners with Gazan kids
10.  Wide shot, Scott Anderson, Deputy Director of UNRWA Operations running
11. Wide shot, foreign runners with Gazan kids
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Spaniard runner: 
"I'm coming from Spain. We are thirteen more people. We were invited by UNRWA to come to this Marathon to help in the way we could the people in Gaza."
13. Wide shot, two international runners going uphill south of Gaza City
14. Gaza Marathon winner Nadir Al Masri, closest to camera on beach road
19. Med shot, women starting their two kilometer stretch
21. Various shots of international runners battling through sandstorm on beach road
22. Wide shot, Palestinian runner going through sandstorm on beach road
23. Wide shot, Palestinian Olympic 400 meters sprint event hopeful Bahaa al-Farra
crossing the finishing line in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip
after having run 10 kilometers
24. Wide shot, children crossing the finishing line in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip

STORYLINE:

Thousands of runners embarked today (1 March) on the second-ever Gaza Marathon along the beach road of the coastal strip despite close to zero Celsius temperatures on the coldest day in years in Gaza and gale winds creating a sandstorm.

The race started at 7AM in the northern town of Beit Hanoun and ended in Rafah in the south close to the border with Egypt.

The distance from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip happens to be about 42 km. 200 runners did the full Marathon.

Palestinian Olympic long distance runner Nader al-Masri won the race for the second time, finishing the distance in three hours and ten minutes.

The Gaza Marathon was organised by UNRWA, the UN agency assisting the Palestine refugees.

The purpose of the event is to raise funds for the UNRWA Gaza Summer Games, an annual month-long mass event that provides much needed recreation and stress relief for 250 000 refugee children who live under very difficult circumstances.

UNRWA has repeatedly called on Israel to lift the blockade for imports and exports and let Gaza show its potential.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nadir Al Masri, Palestinian Olympic long distance runner:
"This is the second time I run the Gaza Marathon. We do it for the Gaza Summer Games. We hope that the Summer Games will provide happiness for the children of Gaza."

The other Palestinian top athlete who took part in the race was Olympic hopeful Bahaa al-Farra who ran a 10 kilometer distance.

Farra will compete in the 400m sprint in the London Olympic Games in August. About 2700 people participated in the event, running various distances. Most of them were children running one kilometer relays along the route of the Marathon. Around 70 runners were foreigners.