KUWAIT: The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon at the starting line.

KUWAIT: The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon, one of the biggest social and sporting events in Kuwait, launched on Saturday with more than 7,000 participants at the starting line, from 93 nationalities, and with 350 organizing volunteers on the exciting sports and family day.

In celebration of the widespread success of this year's Gulf Bank 642 Marathon, Gulf Bank organized an awards ceremony honoring the top three winners from each race category. The ceremony took place at Al-Shaheed Park in the presence of Gulf Bank CEO, Tony Daher, and the Director General of the Public Authority for Sport, Dr Humoud Flaiteh Al-Shimmari, along with representatives of the Ministry of Interior and marathon sponsors.

Gulf Bank CEO, Tony Daher, with the marathon's organizers.

This year, the participants kicked off in small groups in order to maintain social distancing and to ensure everyone's safety. The marathon started at 7:30 am at Souq Sharq Bridge with an atmosphere filled with positive energy, excitement and beautiful weather. It was the perfect time for our participants to run through the landmarks of Kuwait till they reached the finish line at Souq Sharq Mall on the Arabian Gulf, which is next to the Grand Mosque of Kuwait and Mubarakiya, depending on the distance category, runners continued on their respective running paths, jogging past a variety of Kuwait's beautiful landmarks, from the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center to the Kuwait Towers, before crossing the finish line.

The marathon and routes were designed this way in order to motivate the participants to have a fun family day, even if they do not exercise regularly. The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon was launched for the seventh year in a row to promote societal sustainability in Kuwait. For the seventh year in a row, the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon was held in partnership with Suffix Sports Management. The race consisted of four categories that were open to runners of all abilities, including: the 5K Family Fun Walk/Run, the 10K Souq Run, the 21K Half Marathon, and the 42K Full Marathon.

Gulf Bank staff in a group photo.

The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon is distinguished by its Bronze Label from World Athletics, which is given to only 128 marathons globally. The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon is the only marathon in Kuwait that has the Bronze accreditation. The marathon is also recognized by The AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings, which is a global age group marathon ranking system.

Gulf Bank employees also participated in the day's fun, with Gulf Bank employees taking part in the marathon. Groups from other local companies also enjoyed their day outside of the office working on their health and fitness together.  Commentating on this year's Gulf Bank 642 Marathon, Ahmad Al Amir, Deputy General Manager for Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank, stated: "We are happy that life is going back to normal, and what makes us even happier is our ability to organize The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon and accept participants again.

We want to keep our commitment of promoting social sustainability and motivating people to have a healthy and enjoyable family day out in Kuwait. On this occasion, we would like to thank all those who participated in making this year's Gulf Bank 642 Marathon an unforgettable experience. We would like to extend a special thanks to the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Kuwait Municipality, Public Authority for Sport, and all our volunteers."

Gulf Bank's vision is to be the leading Kuwaiti Bank of the Future. The Bank is constantly engaging and empowering its employees as part of an inclusive and diversified workplace in recognition of every employee's role in delivering customer excellence and serving the community at large. With its extensive network of branches and innovative digital services, Gulf Bank is able to give its customers the choice of how and where to conduct their banking transactions, all while ensuring a simple and seamless banking experience.

Gulf Bank is committed to maintaining a robust sustainability program at the community, economic, and environmental levels through sustainability initiatives that are strategically selected to benefit both the country and the Bank. The Bank also supports Kuwait Vision 2035 "New Kuwait" and works with various relevant parties to achieve it. For more information regarding the Gulf Bank 642 Marathon, and to view the marathon winners' names, please visit www.gulfbank642marathon.com or check out the Instagram account @GulfBank642.