Syria Today | Syrian expat runs NYC marathon

Syrian expat runs NYC marathon

Sami Jabri, 48, was born in Damascus and now lives in New York. Last year he became the first Syrian to compete in the New York City Marathon. He was back at the start line again last month – along with 44,177 other runners – to compete in this year’s event. Syria Today sat down with Jabri to find out just what makes a man want to run 42km.

What got you interested in the New York marathon?

After quitting smoking in 2004 I began running, first in the gym and then outdoors in Central Park. This drew my attention to races organised by the New York Road Runners and I became a frequent participant. Each race varied in distance from 5 to 13 miles [8 to 20.8km].

What was your training schedule for the marathon?

I kept a regular running pattern of 3 miles [4.8km] a day, four days a week between December 2008 and May 2009. In mid-May, the schedule became more rigorous; I ran 5 miles [8km] daily, five times a week, 10 miles [16km] each Saturday, and took part in bi-weekly races that included four half marathons. I also did my regular workout at the gym.

How did you find this year’s event?

The weather during the race was windy and cold at the start and humid by the end. But watching 2 million New Yorkers cheer you on makes you forget the pain and you enjoy running in the streets of New York City.

Where did you finish and in what time?

I crossed the finish line in a time of four hours, 46 minutes and 23 seconds. That was better than last year when I finished in five hours, 25 minutes and 11 seconds, despite participating with two broken toes in this year’s event.

Do you have plans to compete in any other marathons?

I will run in the NYC Marathon next year and then I plan to run a marathon on every continent. I hope to run in Sydney in 2011, Cape Town in 2012, Paris in 2013 and Tokyo in 2014.