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Fifty-four IC students finished a 24-
hour relay run along Lebanon’s coast in
October – exhausted but proud. As part
of their CAS program, the students (IB
II and 7th CPP programs) had joined
renowned Lebanese and International
desert runner Ali Wehbi in an effort to
raise awareness for the Brave Heart Fund
– an NGO dedicated to treating babies
born with Congenital Heart Disease
Runners could easily be spotted the next
day limping around the school. “It was
such a beautiful experience for them,” said
Riad Chirazi, Head of Activities, Com-
munity Service and Drama. “They will
never get such a chance like this again.”
The 240km run, dubbed “Run Ali Run”,
started in the northern coastal town of
Tripoli and ended in the southern city
of Tyre (Wehbi began his run from the
northern tip of Lebanon, in Al Arida,
but because of regional safety issues, IC
students joined him in Tripoli).
The recipient of the 2007 “Lebanese
Order of Merit” medal from the Leba-
nese President, Wehbi is the only Arab
to have completed the grueling “Four
Deserts Challenge”.
Wehbi and IC joined forces when he and
Chirazi, decided to raise awareness for
the Brave Heart Fund by doing some-
thing “unusual”.
And it certainly was unusual to see stu-
dents running on dark roads at night. “It
was a bit scary because you really couldn’t
see where you were running,” said Sarah
Siblini, 17. “There were stray dogs as we
ran but the police scared them off by
honking their horns.”
Every safety precaution was taken,
including an accompanying bus which
picked up students trailing behind, a
police escort, and “an open line with the
Red Cross,” said Chirazi. “Everyone was
on alert.”
Organized by Fadi Ghazzaoui, Direc-
tor of the Beirut Music and Art Festival,
“Run Ali Run” was only one of the activi-
IC students run
the coast of Lebanon
10
SPRING
2012