They run 100 kilometres - from pyramid to pyramid

It is three years ago since the "100 km Pharaonic Race" from Fayoum to Sakkara was called into beeing. For that the participants - long distance specialists as single runners or as a team from all over the world - are running a historical course that so to speak is "interlard" with the pyramids south of Cairo. The roots of the race are going back to the rulership of Pharaoh Taharqa (ca. 690 - 664 B.C.). Because it was him who gave his soldiers the command to exercise in nearly the identically distance. And as an incentive for his troops from time to time he also organized races. Documented is this historical competition by a stone inscription discovered by Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa in 1977. A sensation. Sensational also the hieroglyphyc scripts about the results back then: the fastest soldier needed just eight hours for these hundred kilometres. A time which would be even today a world class standing. How the "3rd Pharaonic Race" went on and turned out was watched for us by the German journalist Ingrid Wecker from the city of Münster. She not only decided recently to stay over the winter months near us on the West Bank but is also curious about everything what happens in the country.

After given the go-ahead in front of the Hawara pyramid of Amenemhet III. (ca.1842 - 1797 B.C.) the course led the participants first across a desert area to the Meidum pyramid of King Huni (ca. 2637 - 2613 B.C.). Later on their way through some villages in the Nile Valley the runners had to pass the collapsed El Lisht pyramids of Amenemhet I. (ca. 1991 - 1962 B.C.) and his son Senwosret I. (ca. 1971 - 1926 B.C.). Uphill they then had to fight themselves up to the magnificent plateau of Dahshur. There they could admire the bend pyramid and the red pyramid, both built during the reign of King Snofru (ca. 2613 - 2589 B.C.). From this plateau most of the participants may have directed a wistful look towards the north, towards the finishing line in front of the famous step pyramid in Sakkara, the first pyramid and the first stone construction by that size worldwide anyway. Also this monument - planned and constructed by the genious architect and doctor Imhotep for King Djoser (ca. 2668 - 2649 B.C.) - is located on top of a plateau. Therefore the long gradient at the end of the race pushed the runners to the limit. Because they had to gather all their strength probable the one and the other may have missed a look to the wellknown antiquities.

A chance unfortunately was given away

The idea of the team of the organizer Event Sport to revive this historical race in fact really is great. At the same time a great chance to use a sports competition as a tool for more understanding among nations and people. And not to forget the wonderful background: the glorious and magnificent history the country has to offer. All the runners were more then impressed, in particular those who visited Egypt for the first time. For those of the participants who were interested in the culture the organizers on two days before the race added to the sportive programm a comprehensive sightseeing tour to the historical highlights of Cairo and its surrounding. Trips that fulfilled everybodies ambitions.

But inspite of all the enthusiasm about the sports and and the culture the participants found out many points to criticise. One of the main complains was that the Egyptians who are living in the villages where the course led through in no way have been informed about the event in advance. They didn't know anything about the race and its background. That caused a lot of astonishment, curiousity but also lack of understanding and sometimes even annoyance for the people when the runners and their gleaming with metal retinue of vehicles were crossing the landscape. In fact a chance was given away. Because with more of information and envolvement of the people in the event the race could have become a highlight - also for the people living directly at the course. Surely Egyptians are as crazy in sports events as any other nation. In addition the people in the partly very poor areas of the course would have been certainly very happy to do and experience something different.

The results

The 31year old Egyptian Mahmoud Dehaise (picture right) was the fastest: he needed eight hours and 34 minutes for the hundred kilometres. This year the winner also of the first Pharaonic Race beat his own course record by about one Minute. From the beginning of the race he took the leading position in the group of the 13 single runners and finally was nearly one hour faster than the second, the 21year old Oliver Lechtenfeld from Germany (pictures right middle and above left with the poster). For Lechtenfeld the competition in Egypt was his second 100 km race. As the third - with another 30 minutes distance to the winner - finished the 43 year old British man Howard White. The oldest participant, the 62 year old Adriano Leidi from Italy, reached the finishing line after a running time of nearly ten hours.

Beside the singles nine teams with five runners each took part. This teams were "sharing" the hundred kilometres. In this category there was an Egyptian-German victory: Mohamed El-Hamamy, Mohamed El-Morsy, Ali Hammad, Mahmoud Taha and the German runner Gertraude Harder reached the Sakkara pyramid in a total time of six hours and 52 minutes. More than one hour longer needed the second team, a mixed group with the three Germans Martin Habig, Dieter Grosch and Richard Fehrenbacher, the British man Martin Lumb and the Egyptian Maged Mahrous. Another German team reached the third place. Franz-Leopold Allnoch, Thomas Jaeger, Robert Koelm, Gerhard Schwarzbach and Jutta Lux needed eight hours and 24 minutes.

Ingrid Wecker