She wakes up very early and puts on her sports kit and trainers, then rushes off to go running with the group of which she is a member. Aya Mohamed, 25, runs every Friday with ‘Cairo Runners', a group that aims to change people's lifestyle and improve their health by running or doing other sports. Ibrahim Safwat, an engineer and the founder of Cairo Runners, came up with this idea. Although most people run in gyms or on the track at sports clubs, Safwat believes that many streets are very beautiful and are very good places for running in the open and inhaling unpolluted air. He created a Facebook page and a Twitter account to be the link between himself and the runners, announcing the venue of each week's run, which always changes, although the time -" 7am on Friday " - never changes. Friday seemed to him the perfect choice, as it is the off day for most companies and authorities in Egypt. The people are therefore free and the streets aren't crowded on Friday mornings. “We chose Friday mornings for our runs, when there is little traffic, less pollution and no harassment, making it safe for the runners," said Mohamed Seif, a communications engineer and the media manager of Cairo Runners. “The first run, held in Zamalek, was only 4km long. We tacked on another 1km every week, until we reached 22km -" a half marathon. We run somewhere different every week, to make it more interesting," he explains. The runs are free, but the half marathon requires a small fee that goes to charity. Seif says that about 70 men and women, aged between 18 to 35, showed up for the first run, some of them experienced runners and others not. About 50 of them are now permanent members of the group. “The spirit of the runners is very good, as they feel that they are running for the sake of their health, besides socialising and making new friends. All the members of Cairo Runners are passionate about this idea and we're like one big family," he told the Egyptian Mail. Cairo Runners has teams that organise all the runs, choosing an appropriate area of town with reasonable pavements, to make it easier and more fun for the runners. There is also another team for organising the events on the Facebook page. Seif stresses that they always try to make people feel happy and comfortable, for example by providing them with water during the runs. They also organise a place to go afterwards, where they can have breakfast together and strengthen their friendships, making everyone happier. “I remember one man on our first-ever run. Even though he was young, he couldn't go the whole distance, while a lot of much older people were far fitter than him and took the whole run in their stride. “The reason for this was that he was a heavy smoker. After realising how unfit and unhealthy he was, he cut down on the number of cigarettes he smoked. He's now in better shape and completes every run. We are all very happy that he has changed his lifestyle for the better. “Our regular runners try never to miss any of the runs and are always there on time. It's great to feel you're helping people change the way they think and live," he commented. If you want to join the runners, you can visit their Facebook page, 'Cairo Runners'.
