Race Against Osama
It was January 2011. I arrived at my office on a cold, rainy morning, took off my coat, and turned on my computer. My attention was immediately drawn to an email from the company’s community service team with the subject line “Participating in Race Dead Sea to Red SeaDead2Red-“I opened it right away, and it was an announcement about the formation of two teams for that race. The first team would include the strongest and fastest runners, capable of competing for the top spots, while the second would include second-tier runners who would be selected. I was chosen, and my dream of running that special race came true. I was on the second team. We finished the race near the back of the pack, but that’s okay—I ran about twenty-five kilometers, and no one knew that I was Run running despite the pain and discomfort, because all I had ever wanted was to participate in this race.
That year, I set a goal for myself to improve my running, My goal was to compete as part of the first team in next year’s race. I started running more regularly, set a schedule, and followed it to the letter regardless of any difficulties or obstacles. My condition improved and returned to completely normal, by the grace of God, and my test results and X-rays confirmed this.
The following year, the company organized fitness and speed tests to select just one team to participate in the Dead Sea to Red Sea race. After a period of preparation and training, a 10-kilometer race served as the deciding factor in selecting the team members. I finished sixth and was chosen to join the team, most of whose members were foreigners with extensive experience in running. Our team faced tremendous difficulties in that year’s race. Four team members were injured one after another during the first 100 kilometers, so the remaining six team members had to run the remaining 140 kilometers. We finished in fifth place.
A New Phase
I quit the company, and with that resignation, I lost the opportunity to train with the team members, so I had to go back to running on my own—but only once or twice a month at most—until I happened to come across a group running in the Sports City and realized they were members of the “Run for Jordan” team. Run JordanSo I joined them and started running twice a week, and I also started participating in local races with them.
I learned a lot about running from the members of this team. From some of them, I learned endurance and speed drills; from others, I learned what to wear when going out for a run in both summer and winter; and from still others, I learned how to choose the right running shoes. However, I continued to participate in 10-kilometer races held in Jordan.
In December 2016, I was scheduled to run a 10-kilometer race in Aqaba. A few days before the race, I was discussing running and races with one of my runner friends named Ezzeldin, who convinced me to switch from the 10-kilometer race to a half marathon. It’s true that I had run the Dead Sea to Red Sea race, and it’s true that the total distance I covered in that race sometimes exceeded 30 kilometers, but it was intermittent and broken up into small segments. and I had never run twenty-one kilometers continuously before. I hesitated a little, then decided I would participate in the half-marathon regardless of my time; my goal was simply to finish and reach the finish line.
I participated in the race and completed the entire course in one hour and fifty-eight minutes. For those who don’t know, finishing the race in under two hours is considered a very good achievement for beginners. This boosted my self-confidence, and after that I didn’t participate in any race shorter than a half-marathon. Every time I entered a new race, my challenge was to finish it in a better time than my previous races.
In 2017, I found a group on Facebook Running Amman...They used to, and still do, go running as a group three times a week. I joined one of their runs and ran five kilometers with them. I enjoyed the experience and started joining the group’s runs whenever I had the chance.
Long Distances
During one of the half-marathons held in 2018 in the Wadi Rum desert—after I had finished an extremely challenging race, given that the entire course was run on desert sand, which makes running more difficult due to the high resistance— I met a young woman named Alaa. Alaa is an outstanding runner—strong, fast, and a champion of ultra- Marathon Over the course of several local and international 100-kilometer races, I told her about my desire to run longer distances and that my goal at the time was to run 30 kilometers, so we started running together at dawn, and every time, Alaa would offer me advice and information that significantly improved my performance. She also gave me a running backpack designed primarily to carry water during long-distance runs to help me stay hydrated.
After completing the 30-kilometer distance several times, we began preparing for our next goal: the 42-kilometer marathon. Our goal was to participate in the Beirut Marathon at the end of 2019,
In September 2019, I began preparing for my trip to Beirut by running more regularly, and I took part in a new challenge being held for the first time in Jordan: climbing to the top of Jordan’s tallest tower, the Rotana Tower, which consists of forty-two floors and includes about nine hundred and fifty steps. I placed fifth with a time of seven minutes and thirty seconds. I also participated once again in the Dead Sea to Red Sea race with a group Running AmmanThis was the third time I’d taken part in this experience, and it stood out from the previous ones because it was even more exciting and spectacular. It gave me a different kind of experience than before; in fact, it felt like the first time in terms of fun, excitement, and fierce competition. We started at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Dead Sea and finished at noon on Friday in the city of Aqaba, The final preparations included participating in the Amman Half Marathon one week later as a warm-up for the trip. As my departure for Beirut approached and after I had packed most of what I needed for the trip, the race was canceled. I think it’s easy to imagine how one might feel in such a situation—it’s a feeling of disappointment, or rather, frustration.
I spoke to Alaa and told her about the rumors regarding the race’s cancellation. She reassured me and said, “Don’t worry—there are plenty of races. What do you think of the Malta Marathon? It’s taking place in about three months.” So our next goal became participating in the Malta Marathon in March 2020, and it just so happened that a group Running Amman She will be participating as part of a team of more than twenty runners.
The Marathon
The days passed and race day arrived. My goal was to finish the marathon distance without worrying about the time, so I didn’t bring a cell phone or a sports watch with me to the race. I didn’t want to know the time; I just wanted to enjoy the race and finish the entire distance. I knew from my previous half-marathon races and from advice from friends that I shouldn’t get carried away with a fast start—a mistake that many people make, even those with experience.
The race began, and the organizers had introduced runners carrying colorful balloons displaying the time they would finish the race—they’re called pacers or “rabbits.” After covering fifteen kilometers, I felt I had plenty of energy left, and just a few steps ahead of me was the pacer who would finish the race in three and a half hours, so I decided to follow him. It would be great to finish the first marathon of my life in that time. After running a few kilometers with him, I began to feel that I could no longer keep up with him.
Just a few minutes into the 30th kilometer, the pacer who would finish the race in three hours and forty-five minutes passed me. I followed him, telling myself that this was the time I would finish the race in, but my resolve faltered severely at the 35th kilometer, and I began to feel that I could no longer keep running. A few more minutes passed, and the pacer carrying the “4-hour” balloon ran past me, but I couldn’t keep up with him, so I let him pass without a second thought—I was even forced to walk. I was at the 38th kilometer, I’d run a few steps and walk even more. A young man and woman running at a steady pace passed me; they took my hand and urged me to run. Even the spectators started cheering me on to run as well. And who do you think passed me at that very moment? Yes, it was him—the rabbit with the balloon displaying the time of four hours and fifteen minutes. I ran sluggishly until I caught a glimpse of the finish line in the distance. That sight was what gave me my energy back, even if only a little bit, so I kept running and running until I finished the race in four hours and fifteen minutes.
Today, when I post about my runs on my social media pages—whether I'm running alone or with a group— Running AmmanI’ve received many messages from friends who want to start running but are afraid to either take the first step or run with me because I run long distances, But I always reply that if they join me, I’ll run with them at a pace they can maintain and at a speed that suits them, to help them get started with their fitness routine and offer advice to help them stick with running.
In closing, I’d like to say that each of us has ambitions, desires, and goals—all of which can be achieved. Through sheer determination alone, running has become an essential part of my life and a priority that outweighs even going out with friends and spending time with loved ones. Running is now my outlet and refuge after a workday—whether it was a happy one or a tough one, rainy or sunny—and I remain determined to continue with this sport, achieve new milestones, and participate in other local and international races.
Read the first part of Osama's story about running Willpower in the Womb of Pain
