Kabul Afghanistan (Commonwealth Union)_In most countries, the ability to train and practice any sport is taken for granted. But not in Afghanistan. While the general arsenal carried by sportswomen are protein bars, water or energy drinks, Afghan women carry knuckle dusters and pepper spray. The conservative country frowns on women seen in public or out in the open, especially indulging in what are considered western practices (sport included). These women could be subjected to any form of violence, ranging from verbal abuse to extreme physical violence including being killed. The remedy: clandestine runs and carrying pepper spray or holding knuckle dusters in self-defense.
The women runners however are a determined bunch. Zainab Hussaini was the only woman to compete and complete Afghanistan’s first official marathon in 2015 and later, the first Afghan to complete an ultramarathon. The challenges were huge; imagine training for long distance marathons running in a small home garden? Running in the streets were banned and too dangerous even for the most brave-hearted but determination is the recipe for success. Hussaini’s guts pushed Afghanistan to glory, placing it on the prestigious list of countries competing in an ultramarathon.
The danger women face in Afghanistan is renowned but few would imagine how challenging it is for sportswomen to train for competition. Even children get in on the action by stoning runners and as Hussaini recalls, “We were called prostitutes and that we were destroying Islam.” Even when Hussaini finished her marathon which got her the Franco-German Award, the Governor of Bamiyan province stated that Hussaini had placed her life at risk and would probably have been killed for running in a mixed-gender marathon. There are instances, when people ride motorbikes or drive into the runners, with the intent to kill.
For the female Afghan runners, marathons are not just about discipline and endurance; it is about freedom. In 2017, nearly 200 female runners participated in the mixed-gender marathon held in the Bamiyan province. These are women who are fighting back against the harsh restrictions and blatant inequality they are faced with every single day. It’s about fighting to be treated as human, to have equal rights.
While the women wear full length pants, long sleeved shirts and the traditional headscarf while training or competing, the deep rooted bigotry is almost unfathomable for those on the outside. When a father threatens to break his daughter’s legs if he sees her running (and these are not idle threats) and disown her, how strong would a woman have to be to insist that she will defy the rules?
After the Taliban came into power, Afghanistan’s marathon which at its peak had 300 female runners, has been cancelled. Some of the runners including Hussaini have now fled the country, while there are organisations like Freedom to Run who work on clandestine training for those females who are brave enough to continue to have dreams of running. The Secret Marathon, a film released in 2019, documents the trials and tribulations of these women, but the story after 2019 is yet to be told and it’s a harrowing tale at that.
