The TriFactory announced the launch of the Pyramids Half Marathon in a press conference at the Marriott Hotel on January 22. The actual marathon running event will take place at the Great Pyramids of Giza on February 22 and will have three distances: 6K, 10K and 21K.
H.E. Ashraf Sobhy, the minister of youth and sports who attended the press conference expressed the importance of the marathon in terms of tourism and encouraging healthy habits within society.
“A place like the Pyramids encourages people from all over the world to come and run just for this marathon,” said Founder and CEO of The TriFactory, Ayman Hakky.
The Race Towards Tourism
As Egypt relies heavily on tourism for income, such an event is going to bring athletes from across the world. “Having an event of this magnitude in Egypt makes it easier for more athletes to participate. You don’t have to travel abroad to participate in such events,” Mahmoud Abdelhakim, Co-founder of The Trifactory told 925Egypt.
Because this is not the first Pyramids Half Marathon organized by The TriFactory, the Chief Operating Officer, Seif Fawzy said that the winner of last year’s race is an American ex-Olympian living in Dubai who came in specifically for the event. “This shows the gravity of the event and how a lot of people are really attracted to it,” he added.
“The event already does [encourage tourism]. Last year we had 77 nations participating and this is a huge number for a first time event. A lot of these participants came from abroad just to take part,” said Fawzy.
The Race Towards Health And Sports
It’s important to understand that this event is not only about tourism but also about encouraging youth to embrace sports. Running is considered a relatively easy sport that can be “open to everyone with a pair of shoes”, as Fawzy puts it.
A running event is one that can get people into sports, that’s why “we organize a lot of running events and this is our main one,” he said.
Abdelhakim explained that this marathon is held once a year but other marathons such as the Gouna Marathon, Aswan Marathon and Magdi Yacoub Marathon have previously taken place too. They need not be on the same scale; however, they play a similar role in encouraging young adults to invest time in sports and in their health.
“We are basically bringing an international event home to our young generations. And our events are focused on quality; quality of production and quality of the event itself,” said Abdelhakim.
“There is unbeatable scenery, clear roads, it 100% pedestrianized, it is super safe and super fun… It would encourage youth from all over the country and all over the world to participate,” said Fawzy.
