BEIRUT: 28,000 runners will descend on Beirut Sunday for one of the biggest events in the Lebanese sporting calendar.

Lebanese hopes rest on the broad shoulders of Hussein Awada who is attempting to break the Lebanese course record of 2:23:58 and his personal record of 2:20:24, a record he set at the Berlin Marathon. Hussein is also trying to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012. Lebanese eyes will also be on Assia Yassine who is the youngest ever woman to the run the course at just 19 years of age.

The race will start in Horsh Beirut eventually moving north toward Antelias. The runners will then turn around and make their way back to the finishing line at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure center.

Races of 10 kilometers, 5 kilometers and 3 kilometers will also take place, while Lebanon’s politicians will join for a 3 kilometer race to promote unity.

The Elite Field this year is a collection of some of the finest athletes in the world who will strive to break the course records that stand at 2:12:47 and 2:36:46. The field includes athletes from Italy, Russia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco and Jordan as well as Lebanese champions.

Al-Felhi Abdel-Hakim from Morocco is one of the favorites for the race with a personal best time of 2:15:23, while Abebe Dagne Mekurya of Ethiopia has a personal best just 29 seconds slower.

Mekurya’s compatriot Etaferahu Tarekegn Getahun heads the women’s field with Irina Kozubovskaya likely to compete closely for the gold also.

The BMA Elite Youth Athletes will also be running a 3-kilometer race with some of the runners as young as 12 and 13 years old.

This year’s event sees the Beirut Marathon Association striving to qualify for the prestigious IAAF Bronze label for 2012. The IAAF road labels are a collection of 60 races around the globe that represent the highest of international competition in road races with gold, silver and bronze labels.

Sam Wallace Jones, senior manager of IAAF Label Road Races, is here to witness the application and is happy with what he has seen so far.

 “The Beirut Marathon embodies all of the principles that we should aspire to. It is an event that had been introduced, nurtured and grown through all of the difficulties that have faced Lebanon over the years. It offers an opportunity for all Lebanese, whatever their origins or beliefs to come together to practice sport, to get to know one another outside any sectarian considerations,” said Jones.