Annual Peace Race 2007, The whole country Unanimously said “No to Drugs” and “Yes to Peace and Unity”.

The Annual Peace Run 2007, Kabul indicated a tremendous evolution in the society when people from all over the country joined hands to cheer the participants of the race.

This catalyst of change was brought about by the vision of one person 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 races in all major regions where people would run to Say NO to Drugs and YES to Peace and Unity and 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. All the regional races were planned to be organized over a period of 5 months and to conclude the biggest of all events Annual Peace Race was organized in Kabul- the capital city to show the country stands united.

The Annual Peace Run 2007 was a culmination of all the regional run races in all major regions including Kandahar, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif, Takhar/Kunduz Hirat and khost which lead to the grand event in Kabul on August 24, 2007.

The Kandahar Race was the first to be organized on the 8th of April and received tremendous response from the people of Kandahar. Followed by Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif, Takhar/Kunduz, Hirat and Khost on July 27.

On August 24, the city of Kabul witnessed the show off of national solidarity and commitment towards a bright and healthy Afghanistan by the people from all over the country.

The pre-event activities included a campaign on Ariana Television and radio and within the city different mediums like posters, outdoors and local radios to excite people to register and participate. All Afghan Wireless network shops were used in major cities and towns to register people for the races.

Many brands like, Kinley water, Lu Biscuits, KAM Air, Kabul Bank, Olympic Association of Afghanistan joined hands with Bayat Foundation and Afghan Wireless by supporting the cause with their products and  cash prizes or cash support.

The Bayat Foundation’s helicopters dropped the leaflets promoting the race cause and added to the cheers by the crowd who had gathered across the road in thousands. Every kilometer on the route was marked by a water stall where water, glucose and biscuits were available to be given to the runners and the crowd which would cheer the runners with small flags of the race cause in their hands.

The Annual Peace Run in Kabul for males was 15 Kilometers while for females it was concluded at 4 Kilometers.

The female race was won by Ms. Mahbooba who got cash prize of Af. 50,000 from organizers along with a laptop and cash vouchers from sponsors. She was closely followed by Beheshta who got Af. 25000 cash from Bayat Foundation and AWCC while a Laptop and cash vouchers from other sponsors.  Beheshta was followed by Khatera who won Af. 10,000 with a Laptop and cash vouchers from other sponsors.

In the male segment, the Race was won by Ahmad Nawab who came from Baghlan to participate in the race. He got cash prize of Af. 50,000 from organizers along with a laptop and cash vouchers from sponsors. Ahmad faced a very close chase by Abdul Rauf of Nigarhar province who placed second with his prize being cash Af. 50,000 from organizers along with a laptop and cash vouchers from sponsors. Ghulam Shariq from Kabul city positioned 3rd in the male segment with prizes to him Cash Af 10,000 from organizers and a laptop with cash vouchers from sponsors.

In addition, there were two special prizes for the youngest and the eldest runner.
The eldest participant was 67 year old Abdul Wahid while the youngest was 12 year old Lida who came with her elder sister to participate from Kargha, a beautiful lake area near Kabul.

The race was followed by a lavish concert inside Ghazi stadium Kabul where in addition to the participants over 2000 people including the invitees and people from different segments enjoyed Walid Soroor’s songs with national spirit and entertainment.

The spirit of fraternity and solidarity was so strong that the participants danced the national dance together waiving national flags.

The Annual Peace Run in Kabul for sure has given an impression to the world that the youngsters of Afghanistan love the country and want to live in a healthy environment.
About The Bayat Foundation
Helping to rebuild Afghanistan, the Bayat Foundation is dedicated to providing essential services to the people of Afghanistan. Projects focusing on education, health, empowerment of women, human basic needs and preservation of the rich cultural heritage of Afghanistan are central to the Foundation's activities. These activities improve people’s health and gives them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. The foundation is led by Ehsan & Fatema Bayat.  Additional information about the Bayat Foundation and its programs and services is available at www.bayatfoundation.org.