May El Khalil

Activist, Athlete, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Global soul, Idea generator, Parent, Public servant

Founder and President of the Beirut Marathon Association, May El Khalil was born and raised in the mountains of Lebanon in the small town of Alley. She moved to Nigeria upon her marriage to Faysal El Khalil where she became part of an international community, and where she established the Lebanese Ladies in Nigeria, a non-governmental organization dedicated to providing assistance to the underprivileged members of Nigerian society and to promoting educational development by way of grants and scholarships. Mrs. El Khalil moved back to Lebanon to find that the country she loved and longed for had changed and had become divided into religious cantons; blockades and militia checkpoints littered the once open roads. Neighbors of different religions who had lived side by side for generations, turned against each other, and massacres based on religious or political affiliation had become common. She held to her core belief that despite all differences, people should focus on what they had in common, and this can unite them. Upon her permanent return to Lebanon she strove to bring people together through her passion for running, and the idea of creating an international running event for Lebanon was born. After recovering from a nearly fatal accident, Mrs. El Khalil brought her dream to life by creating the Beirut Marathon Association in 2012, and having the first actual international Beirut Marathon in November of 2003. The event took on National proportions, and has grown exponentially ever since. The power of the Beirut Marathon to unite the nation became apparent in 2005 when Prime Minister Rafic Harriri was assassinated. Downtown Beirut, which was usually teaming with life, came to a standstill. Shops, cafes, and restaurants shut down and people who had invested in the newly rebuilt area were slowly losing their livelihood. The Beirut and over 60,000 people gathered for this unifying race. Ever since then, all of the Association races have taken place in the face of conflict and national disagreement to bring people together to concentrate on their similarities. May El Khalil is the driving force behind the Beirut Marathon Association's continued success. She has been working as acting General Manager for the Association for the past two years as well. Milestones in the life of the Beirut Marathon Association: 2003: Beirut International Marathon- Run Beirut Run. 6,000 participants- 49 Nationalities. 2005: 5 km- United We Run. 50, 000 participants BLOM Beirut International Marathon- 17,000 participants- 72 nationalities. 2006: Tripoli- Mina race - 22,000 participants Tyre International Half Marathon- 15,000 participants BLOM Beirut International Marathon- For Love of Lebanon. 22,000 participants. 64 nationalities. 2007: Zahle International Race-10,000 participants BLOM Beirut Marathon- 17,000 participants- 54 nationalities. 2008: Students run for Peace Mizyara International Race BLOM Beirut Marathon official cause cancer awareness “With their Strength we Run. 30,000 participants. 2009: Woman of the year award by the Brazil Lebanon Chamber of Commerce BLOM Beirut International Marathon- Time to Run. 32,000 participants-73 countries and attended by President Michel Sleiman, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. 2010: Damascus to Beirut: 111Km run with 11 international runners BLOM Beirut International Marathon. 28,000 participants- attended by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, H.E. Laila Solh, HRH Princes Ghida Talal, Princes Dina Mired, H.E. Ziyad Baroud, H.E. Ali Abdallah, H.E. Simon Abi Ramya. 2011: Bronze label Road Race classification by IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations) Power of Sport award- Lausanne Laureus sport for Good award Lebanese Ministry of youth and Sport award 2012: Grand Prix Series Regional races, in Sidon, Batroun, Aley Memorandum of Understanding with most Universities in Lebanon to activate the role of youth in society through sports events and volunteerism. BLOM Beirut International Marathon-33,500 participants from 68 countries- Attended by Lebanese First Lady, and ministers of Parliament. BLOM Beirut Telethon which raised 250,000 USD to help the victims of an explosion that rocked the Lebanese neighborhood of Ashrafyeh. In addition to her work at the Beirut Marathon Association, Mrs. El Khalil speaks at different Universities and organizations about perseverance, unity, and making the impossible happen

Adding value to humanity. Making a difference in my community. My family. Sports.

Sports has the power to change the world. As Nelson Mandela says, it has a language that goes through people's minds and hearts with no barriers.

My daughter, Zena el Khalil is a TED Fellow (2012). It is through her that I was introduced to the TED community and it was through TED Fellow Nassim Assefi that I was selected to be a speaker at TED Global 2013.

organizing fun parties!