Runners flock to ‘Causes in Colours Race’ in solidarity

AMMAN — Issa Billeh, a father who took part in the “Causes in Colours Race” on Friday, said he participated to teach his children about the humanitarian causes supported by the event and raise a generation that cares about such  causes. 

“I talked to my children before the event about the causes we are running for and I explained to them the importance of supporting for example  breast cancer, which my mother suffered from in the past,” Billeh, the father of four told The Jordan Times. 

The “Causes in Colours Race” is an annual charity race that aims to support autism, breast cancer and climate change through raising awareness and allocating 20 per cent of the event’s proceeds to support research centres specialised in these issues.

The runners were showered with coloured powders, symbolising the colours of the Jordanian flag at various stations along the run which each represent one of the humanitarian aims promoted by the race.

“Kids copy everything their parents do,” Billeh explained, adding “so my wife and I tend to teach them morals and healthy habits like running by doing them ourselves so it encourages the children to imitate us and acquire good habits.”

The father said that, although he has been running for six years with Runners across Jordan (RAJ), the organiser of the event, this was his first time running with his family. 

He described the event as “exceptional” and said that he enjoyed a family day at an event which he had never seen before in Jordan. 

Amer Omari, the CEO of RAJ expressed his pride in the event’s success, noting that individuals and families enjoyed their time without any problem being reported.

The event was attended by 1,500 people, he said, adding that there are very few family-friendly activities in Jordan. 

The participants were asked to record a short and creative video while running, in which they would support one of the causes, then post it on the event’s Facebook page. Creativity was considered as the winning criteria rather than the runners’ speed. 

 “Many people who registered to race at the three and five km races, participated in the 10 km race and shared videos to support the causes not only on Facebook, but also on Snapchat and Instagram,” Omari stated. 

The number of winners, who were awarded during the musical night that followed the race, jumped from three to 12, as more sponsors joined in the last hours of the event, the CEO said. 

The race is the “first of its kind internationally” and the organisers are aiming to expand it to become an annual international race, he concluded.