Wafaa and Anya’s Erbil Marathon Experiences
On October 31, 100 young women from our Iraq program participated in the Erbil International Marathon event, running a range of distances from 2km to the full marathon. Over the past year, they've been training together - pushing through dozens of running sessions across Sinjar, Duhok, and Erbil, building up to 30km+ long runs, learning proper form and technique and practicing their race-day nutrition strategies. They've supported each other through every early morning or after-school training session.
On the day, Anya from Sinjar took third place in the marathon women's category, while Wafaa from Erbil came in fifth. Here are some of their stories.
WAFAA’S JOURNEY
Marathon day was truly special for me this year. It was the second marathon I’ve participated in, and one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had. At the start, I felt strange emotions — like wanting to give up and doubting myself. But the moment I heard the starting whistle, I ran, telling myself I could finish. I never imagined I would win. After a few kilometers, I felt tired and faced some difficulties, but I kept going. Everything about the marathon was wonderful — running among hundreds of people, and most of all, the encouragement from different people cheering me on to reach the finish line. The moment I crossed it and saw my friends and mentors celebrating was indescribable. I felt immense pride in earning fifth place, and even greater joy knowing I succeeded despite facing unexplained discrimination. I learned that determination is truly the key to success.
What was the most powerful moment of crowd or runner support that kept you going when you felt the most tired?
Honestly, the moment I felt my body couldn't go on anymore, but the encouragement from the girls and my friends was like a burst of new energy. I felt like every step after that would get easier.
What was your absolute lowest mental moment, and what specific mantra or thought did you use to immediately pull yourself out of it?
The worst moment was when I thought I might not be able to continue. I told myself, "I didn't come here to stop, I came here to keep going." I refocused on myself, on my goal, not on the pain. And that little sentence was the reason I kept going until the end.
What challenges did you face while running in the street during the Erbil Marathon as an adolescent girl participating in the event, and how did you feel seeing far fewer women than men?
The most important advice is not to pay attention to what society says. Running made me understand that every hardship in life has a happy ending, and every pain is temporary, but the pride in the achievement remains. The most important thing is to believe in yourself.
As young women, what is the single most important piece of life advice you took away from finishing this challenging race?
Honestly, the biggest challenge was people's stares. Not everyone is used to seeing a girl running in the street with such enthusiasm. But I told myself: I have to be a role model, not just for myself, but for other girls too. When I saw that the number of participating girls was small, I felt a greater responsibility — not just running for myself, but running for every girl who was still hesitant to participate.
Check out Wafaa’s post-race interview on Iraq’s Rudaw network here.
ANYA’S STORY
The marathon experience was the first of its kind for me and was full of challenge and determination. Despite the fatigue, I discovered my true strength, and my confidence grew with every step. My dream since I was in Sinjar was to participate in a marathon and achieve a position, and thank God, I managed to get third place after long effort and training. The moment I reached the finish line was a moment of indescribable pride because I realized that true strength comes from persistence and not giving up. The marathon was more than just a race; it was a lesson in patience, determination, and teamwork, especially with the girls encouraging each other. When I returned home, I found all my family had come to see me at the door when we arrived from Erbil, and there were about 14 people from my family, and they celebrated me, and this was the most important moment, and I forgot all my fatigue. Also, I found my mother and father full of pride and joy; they hugged me and congratulated me on the victory, and their happiness was more precious than any position. And I felt that all the fatigue was worth it.
What was the most powerful moment of crowd or runner support that kept you going when you felt the most tired?
The most powerful moment of support that kept me going came when I saw Ms. Insherah with the team from a distance during the race. The moment my eyes caught them, I suddenly felt a strong boost of confidence, and her presence and encouragement gave me unexpected strength to keep pushing forward even though I was extremely tired. But my absolute lowest mental moment was during the final lap of the race. In that moment, I told myself, “Stop, you can choose not to finish this distance. I felt the exhaustion pulling me toward giving up. But suddenly, I remembered all our training sessions with Free to Run, and I told myself, “I am running on behalf of every teammate who didn't get the chance that I got, and representing Free to Run, and I am one of the girls from Sinjar, I am strong. There is only a little distance left. I must finish so that every one of the teams from Free to Run will be proud and share this joy with me, and the organization’s name appears at the end, and so I can prove this to myself.” With that thought, I gathered all my strength and continued running until I reached the finish line with pride.
As young women, what is the single most important piece of life advice you took away from finishing this challenging race?
I realized that just as a young man can develop himself, a girl can also develop herself, and I see myself as a leader. If I were not, I could not have run among a large group of young men. I thought this way during the race, and this was how I felt.
As young women, what is the single most important piece of life advice you took away from finishing this challenging race?
At the time this race ended, I realized that I had gained many experiences and lessons. I said many times that we put limits on ourselves and think they stop us, but they are only thoughts. I learned from this run that the road is like life: sometimes we go up, sometimes we go down, but if we continue, it makes a difference. I want to give advice to all girls: for example, I can say, do not be afraid of a slow start; the real fear is stopping before discovering the truth of our strength.