It was a beautiful Friday morning when 136 runners, representing 33 different countries, stood at the start line at Dirab Golf Club to begin their half marathon race. All had one goal in common - to run. Each with a different cause and motivation to run. Eyes on the prize, a medal after completing the 21km, at 8:15 a.m. the whistle blew and the race began. There were 102 half marathon finishers, runners and walkers, with 34 people completing either 7km or 10.6km.

Saudi Nawar Alotaibi was straight into the lead, and after one lap he was so far ahead that it seemed he was guaranteed a victory. However, Nicola Russo, from Italy, fought hard on the second lap and managed to narrow the gap with the leader considerably. In the end, after 21 long kilometers, the finish was very close, with Alotaibi (1:26:41) sprinting and just managing to hold off Russo (1:26:42) to win by a solitary second.

Following these two, Bengt Lofgren from Sweden, Joshua Wennrich (United States) and Jean-Pierre Berthiaux (France) matched each other stride for stride throughout much of the race, with Lofgren prevailing in the final kilometers and coming home in a highly respectable 1:30:00, Wennrich just holding off Berthiaux for 4th place.

The women's race wasn't as closely fought as the men’s, nevertheless it was an exciting spectacle. Claudine Roghi (NZ/France) was in the lead throughout the run, demonstrating what good shape she is in heading in to the second half of the season. Claudine won first place in 1:40:17, followed by Marie-Pierre Arminjon from France, in 1:44'11 for second place. Jeanita Artz (South Africa) racing for the first time in Riyadh, managed to clinch third place, coming home looking strong in 1:47:49.

The beauty of this event is that everybody runs at their own pace, regardless of age, athletic ability, experience, gender or nationality. No one is judged. First time half marathon runners' goal is usually to finish, rather than achieve a specific finishing time. Runners who run subsequent half marathons or who are more consistent runners usually find that their time improves as they train more and gain more race experience.

This is one of the best and easiest ways to counter balance our sedentary lifestyles and kick in some physical activity, pumping up our heart rates, during the winter months in Riyadh. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, a mild morning breeze with a soft sun, and the scenery of Dirab golf course makes for a very pleasant setting.