Hirat Run Race, 2007. “The biggest sports event in Hirat”.

There was excitement, thrill, joy, happiness and above all a feeling of solidarity in a region. This catalyst of change was brought about by the vision of Mr. Ehsan Bayat, Chairman of Bayat Foundation. When many were skeptical about it he was strong in his belief and the dream he had.

The dream was to organize a race in Hirat where people would run to Say No to DRUGS and YES to Peace and Unity, show the entire world that even in a tough situation, the Afghan people can get together and show their spirit of resilience and will power. The true Afghan spirit.

The Hirat Run Race was organized on the July 13th and received tremendous response from the people of Hirat. The race had participants from all age groups from 10 year old to 52 year old. There was a spirit of participation and involvement which brought tremendous applause from over 10,000 spectators who had lined up to watch over 600 participants run.

This was the first time in Hirat that an event like this magnitude had been organized and the participants came not only from Hirat but also from nearby towns. All of them ran and were wearing T-Shits, Caps and shorts given by Bayat Foundation and Afghan Wireless.

The first prize winner for Af.50,000 was Rookai. Nazir 21 gave a very close challenge to Rookai. Nazir won Af25,000 cash for his second place while Jawed, 23 won the 3rd prize for Af 10,000.

The spirit of fraternity and solidarity was so strong that the participants danced the national dance together at the end of the race in the stadium. Many participants remarked “This is the first time in the history of Hirat that an event like this has happened”. The race helped bring people together and was a welcome change in a region.

Similar races have been organized in other regions in the past three months and the regional winners will then participate in the final race to be held in Kabul sometime in August. This would be the final test of strength which will have people participating from all over Afghanistan.