Palestinian American Rush Darwish is leading a team of marathon runners this year in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a 26.2 mile race through the city of Chicago. It’s a growing American tradition. An American Arab has won the marathon four times and still holds the record for the fastest run
By Ray Hanania
covering Chicago
City Hall
(1976-1992)
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon kicked off this morning in Chicago with some 40,000 runners on a 26.2 mile route that takes them through many of Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods, from the north side to the south side to the west side.
The race this year will include a group of Palestinian marathon runners under the banner “Team Palestine” which is raising funds for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and organized by marathon runner and television producer Rashad “Rush” Darwish.
“Team Palestine” is carrying on a tradition of Arabs entering the Bank of Chicago Marathon started by Moroccan runner Khalid Khannounchi in 1997.
Kannouhci is the only Arab to win the Bank of American Chicago Marathon setting two records, so far. He is the first runner to win the Chicago Marathon four times (1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002), and he holds the Chicago Marathon record for finishing with the fastest time, 2:05:42 (1999). Click here for more info.
Don’t be surprised, Rush said, if one day another Arab wins the Chicago Marathon, but this time from Palestine.
Click here to read my feature story published at Al Jazeera English today in recognition of the efforts of these nearly 60 Palestinian American runners who are competing to showcase the cause of Palestine.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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