Rain-soaked ACN runners survive Paris half marathon

Source: ACN

A team from Aid to the Church in Need braved the cold wind and rain yesterday (Sunday, 5th March) to complete a half marathon in Paris, raising money for suffering Christians in the Middle East. Taking part in the 'Fitbit Semi de Paris' was a group from the charity drawn from around the world - including Mexico, Spain, France and the UK.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, ACN UK National Director, led the charity's UK runners who included the charity's British Head of Press and Information John Pontifex and supporter Sebastian Cichocki, with ACN UK chaplain Father Dominic Robinson offering moral support after pulling out for health reasons.

They were joined by a team of ACN runners from France, with supporters and organisation led by Marc Fromager, the ACN National Director (France), and a group from Spain headed by National Director Javier Menendez Ros, who has completed more than a dozen marathons and half marathons.

Julieta Appendini, ACN National Director (Mexico), who has taken part in triathlons, also flew in to take part in the run.

The half marathon - 13.1 miles (21km) - completed by 38,326 people - took the runners on a round trip beginning and ending in the Bois de Vincennes, in south-east Paris. It included points of interest such as the Bastille, Hôtel de Ville, Bercy and the Quai d'Austerlitz.

All the national offices of ACN taking part in the run have been collecting sponsorship to help persecuted and other suffering Christians in the Middle East - where numbers of faithful have haemorrhaged with ongoing violence, intimidation and deepening poverty.

In France, the funds collected will go to help the reconstruction of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Cathedral in Homs, Syria, which was reduced to rubble following multiple bombardments.

Thanking UK sponsors who have so far raised more than £3,000, Neville Kyrke-Smith said after the race: "It was my one and only half marathon and a personal best."

Mr Kyrke-Smith, who completed the run in 2 hours 28 minutes, added: "The run was tiring at times and when I slowed down someone patted me on the shoulder and said 'La croix - the cross.'

"That really spurred me on and made me think of all those suffering Christians I have met in my visits to Lebanon and Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Thanks to everyone for their support and prayers."

The ACN international team were part of a group of 3,000 runners supporting the 'Courir pour les Chrétiens d'Orient' ('Run for the Christians of the Middle East') comprising three charities - Order of Malta Lebanon and SOS Chrétiens d'Orient as well as Aid to the Church in Need.

There is still time to support the ACN UK 'Fitbit de Paris' half marathon runners on the ACN UK website: www.acnuk.org/donate2.php or at: Just Giving www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Team-ACN1