First Time Marathoner
Iqraa Information Page
Welcome to Iqraa: You have what it takes to run and educate!
Our mission: Iqraa (Read) is dedicated to running and fund-raising to support the education of Palestinian youth. Iqraa is an all-volunteer group.
Iqraa is a great venue to change your life by helping others. Join Iqraa and you can:
- Get fit by running
- Learn about Palestinian education projects
- Raise awareness about vital Palestinian needs
- Meet people who care about the world and act to improve it
About our partners: United Palestinian Appeal is a 501(C)3 charity founded in 1978. UPA works with local schools, orphanages, vocational training centers and universities in an effort to strengthen the Palestinian education system. Iqraa’s support of UPA will go to education projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. All donations to UPA are tax-deductible. Learn more about UPA at: http://helpupa.com/
- To donate on behalf of Iqraa or an Iqraa runner, go to the UPA website, select Contribute, and write “Iqraa” or the runner’s name in the Comments box.
The Marathon Charity Partners are a coalition of charity groups with marathon and half-marathon fund-raising programs. MCP provides coaching, training, informational seminars, and support for the Saturday training runs, as well as during the marathon and half-marathon race days.
How it works: As an Iqraa runner, you commit to running a marathon (Marine Corps Marathon) or half-marathon (Baltimore Running Festival) and to raise funds for the education of Palestinian children and young adults.
- MCP will provide the training (see training schedule on MCP home page)
- UPA will receive donations on your behalf and put them to work.
Two challenges: Your first challenge is to begin running. The MCP has proven its success since 2003 in training even first-time runners for the 26.2 mile challenge of the Marine Corps Marathon. MCP’s track record proves that if you can run 3 miles by May, you can successfully complete your race after 5 months of training. Key dates:
- For half-marathoners, the Baltimore Running Festival is October 11, 2008.
See: http://www.thebaltimoremarathon.com/site3.aspx
- For marathoners, the Marine Corps Marathon is October 26 in Washington DC.
See: http://www.marinemarathon.com/Marine_Corps_Marathon.htm
Your second challenge is fund-raising. Experience demonstrates that runners who learn about their cause and convey their commitment—to the run and to the cause—to their potential donors will meet their fund-raising goal. It takes work, but the reward is great.
Contact us: For questions about registration, and other things, please contact:
- Kirk Campbell at: kirkcruachan@yahoo.com or Tel# 301-466-9907
- Mai Abdul Raham at: maisalam40@hotmail.com
- Grace Said @ gsaid@comcast.com