#TeamAfghanistan latest: Bicycles and marathons and mountains, oh my!
#TeamAfghanistan latest: Bicycles and marathons and mountains, oh my!
October 15, 2019
It has been a busy month for She Can Tri in Afghanistan!
Zahra and Zeinab finally got road bikes thanks to a volunteer from the United States. Because Afghanistan does not have proper postal system getting good equipment is exceedingly difficult so sometimes manual labor is needed. The volunteer purchased the bicycles in Dubai and flew with them to Kabul.
When the volunteer landed at the Kabul airport there were no vans allowed in certain areas of the city because of security surrounding the recent elections. Luckily, one bicycle box fit in the backseat of a car; the other was hanging out of the trunk. The vehicle miraculously got the bicycles through the many checkpoints in the capital city with no questions asked.
From Kabul, She Can Tri took the bicycles to Bamyan for our first in-country training camp allowing Zahra and Zeinab to get in some valuable saddle time before winter comes.
As usual in Afghanistan, the trip had a few bumps in the road. The women’s flights from Kabul to Bamyan on the only domestic carrier in the country got cancelled and it is too dangerous to travel by road. Thanks to some teamwork between our volunteer and our operational partner, Free to Run, the women were able to get out on a humanitarian flight.
The morning of the humanitarian flight as Zeinab was walking out of her university dormitory she was met by screams in the hallway. There was a rocket attack nearby. She managed to make it to her driver, and as the sirens went off they sped away to the airport.
The trouble did not stop in Kabul. After cycling for several days in Bamyan the women were ready to race in the Marathon of Afghanistan. The starting line was about two hours away from their hotel and the morning of the race their driver had a flat tire.
The driver changed the tire and purchased a new one before they even got on the road. When they arrived at the start line they were already warmed up.
In the end, despite a cancelled flight, a rocket attack and a flat tire, the women were able to conquer some serious goals. They got in hours of cycling in the beautiful mountains of Bamyan and ran a full marathon.
Ironically, these are the types of hurdles the women deal with every day. These issues are completely normal in the war-torn country, but Zahra and Zeinab hope their story of perseverance will encourage others to push boundaries on and off the playing field.
Apart from training in Bamyan, the women shared some stories about their trainings with dozens of young women who run with Free to Run and volunteered to hand out the finisher certificates at the mini marathon for children 10 and under.
Frontline Children, in coordination with Marathon of Afghanistan, sponsored the kids’ race.
After 10 months of training, Zahra and Zeinab are well on their way to compete at IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai in early 2020. As long as they finish the race they will secure a spot in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
The finish line for these Afghan women is not just about proving something to themselves. They are proving to their country that women can accomplish amazing things when they put their mind to it. These brave women will be racing for equality.
If this story inspires you please consider making a donation or if you would like to join the movement please contact us about becoming one of our fundraising athletes.