Last year and in 2017 we had wonderful community based runs and a generous spirit pervading all aspects of the 24 hours. And during these runs we emphasised with really good effect how things we take for granted, like the right to movement and adequate living space, are not enjoyed by most Palestinians because of the siege of Gaza or occupation of the West Bank.
This year we want to extend this further to explore a dominant theme for Palestinians – separation: from home and homeland, from family and loved ones, from participating as a free person in civic life.
This year we would like to try to decrease this separation and consequent isolation all be it in a small way. This year we especially want to have an inclusive run. This means including all of our community locally as well as reaching to Palestinians 00s of miles away.
So we will be making contact with local groups not involved before and we want to encourage disabled people to take part too. We will be setting aside a couple of time slots where we will make a particular effort to ensure you have the support you need; and, if we can, we will help at other times too.
If you are disabled, we will work with you to see how we can help. Please get in touch
And we will be encouraging runners to reach out and ‘buddy up’ with runners in Nablus and Bethlehem, as well as our long term partners in Khan Younis in Gaza, where there will be simultaneous runs.
In addition we have plans for a climbing wall and an imitation checkpoint to give a flavour of the life Palestinians lead every day.
And of course there will be more poetry, a photo exhibition, lanterns at dusk and lots of music.