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Ban doesn’t stop two women from running the inaugural Iran Marathon

The "I Run Iran" Marathon was the nation's first marathon to welcome international runners on April 9 and two women unofficially ran despite a race ban.

Iran Marathon Women

Iran hosted its first-ever marathon open to international runners, the “I Run Iran” Marathon, on Saturday but women were not allowed to compete. Despite the ban, two women unofficially completed the event, according to Bahar Shoghi, an Agence France-Presse reporter based in Iran’s capital city, Tehran.

Women were not allowed to compete because of a ban from the local region’s authorities. The race began in Shiraz, the nation’s fifth most populous city.

There were approximately 250 male runners who took part in Iran’s first marathon open to international applicants as locals filled the streets to cheer on the runners. Four Canadians were originally listed on the entry list but it’s unclear whether they ran the race or not.

“Unfortunately, women are not allowed to run this first limited edition,” race founder Sebastian Straten told The Telegraph before the race. “There are many [Iranian] women who like to run and we hope in the next edition we get the permission for women to run the marathon.”

According to the race website, organizers intended to create “new horizons” with the first annual running of the event, which encouraged women, children and men to line the streets to support the marathoners.

As can be seen below, the event got plenty of local media coverage:

Runners from Sweden, Britain, Germany and 32 other countries took part in the “I Run Iran” Marathon, which finished in Persepolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site north of Shiraz, on April 9.

RELATED: Iran to host first marathon open to international runners.

The event was organized by Iran Silk Road, a nationwide travel agency, founded by a Dutch traveller, that organizes city tours and trips. The “I Run Iran” Marathon took place on the third day of the four-day tour as runners from around the world experienced the local culture and landmarks.

The women’s marathon was only introduced at the Olympics in 1984 when Los Angeles hosted the Summer Games, which take place every four years. American Joan Benoit Samuelson won the inaugural Olympic women’s marathon in Los Angeles.

Preliminary results of Saturday’s race can be found below:

1. Farzollah Rostami (Iran) – 2:43
2. Mahmud Faraji (Iran) – 2:48
3. Abdulrahman Mirzayi (Iran) – 2:56

RELATED: Half-marathon changes its name after video of roadside hecklers goes viral.

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