Running for the Palestinian cause in Chicago
Chicago, United States – Palestinian-American Rashad Darwish was producing a show called Runners Ultimate Network when he noticed how many people were running in marathons as teams for different charities.
Darwish had competed in numerous marathons throughout his life and it was at the Iron Man Triathlon in 2009 when an idea came to him.
“I realised crossing the finish line was not enough,” Darwish told Al Jazeera. “I thought to myself, the time has come to finish with a purpose.”
“Rush”, as he is nicknamed by friends, started thinking about entering the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, one of the nation’s most prestigious races – but this time, as part of a team and for a cause.
“I always wanted to do something for Palestine to help the Palestinians and to help Americans better understand our cause,” Rush said. “In 2009, I had attended a fundraiser for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund [PCRF] and it hit me that I should organise a team, and we would run to raise funds for Palestinian children through the PCRF.”
Since 2009, Team Palestine has raised more than $400,000 for the PCRF.
As Rush and his team prepared for the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, growing clashes across the occupied West Bank between Israeli forces, settlers, and Palestinians have heightened tensions.
Source: www.aljazeera.com