It's all in the family

A WISE old saying suggests that the family that plays together stays together ... but the Saliba family reckons you can be just as happy ... running!

Every day the family from Saar step out for a long distance jaunt in preparation for one of the world's most gruelling marathons.

Next month Carla Saliba, 29, her parents Fouad, 64, and Myrna, 53, will head to the US to meet their youngest daughter Gaylee, 24, and together the family will compete in the 26 notoriously hilly kilometres of the Boston Marathon.

Carla, an architect and head of operations at Optimum Design and Planning, explained: "We were inspired to run by our mother, our family running guru. She began her running career after being diagnosed with osteoporosis. In no time, she went from a five minute warm-up jog before her exercise sessions - to help improve her bone density - to competitive running and marathoning."

Despite battling osteoporosis, Myrna, a company president, is also a certified running coach and has devised training and fitness plans for the family.

Motivated by his wife, Fouad, a company general manager, also started running.

The third family member to start long-distance running was Gaylee, a systems engineer who lives in Boston.

"Gaylee got the running bug witnessing my mum training and finishing her first Boston marathon," said Carla. "My eldest sister, Adeline, is not into running but is always present for our big races. She is our photographer, our cheerleader and our race co-ordinator on a race day."

The family are taking part to raise funds for the American Liver Foundation's Run for Research Team and in honour of Dominic Lauranzano, a 13-year-old who has battled liver disease since birth.

"Other than spreading the word about the charity, I'm hoping we will encourage others to take up a cause of their own and find ways to help others less fortunate," explained Carla.

"My parents taught us that the essence of any community lifestyle is not just working, partying and socialising, but sharing what we own and truly caring for the less fortunate both health wise and social wise.

"I recently hosted a charity event in Bahrain and on that ne night alone I managed to raise BD1,074. This really wouldn't have been possible without the support of all my friends who showed up and some who made personal contributions. I am so grateful to everyone for their support."

Between them the family have competed in numerous marathons and raised large sums for charity and are always on hand to support one another. Carla and Gaylee ran the Boston Marathon last year, and their parents showed their support by running the last 10km of the course with them.

The dedicated family has also caught the attention of the press.

When the whole family including Adeline ran a half marathon in Florida in 2006, they were the spotlight of the six o'clock news.

"It was a very sweet memory," said Carla. "We were so proud of Adeline, she did not walk once; she went slow but steady and finished the distance. We have yet to convince her to train and run a full marathon with us!"

Carla said she has mixed feelings about the upcoming challenge. "When I think of last year's marathon highlights and the great sense of accomplishment I felt crossing the finish line, I get really excited, but when I think of the hills all along the course and the bad weather conditions we faced last year, I get slightly nervous," she said.

But she said that running for a good cause spurs her on, adding: "When things were tough during last year's race, I thought of Dominic and told myself, 'what is my pain compared to Dominic's pain?

"What are four, five or 10 hours of endurance relative to all he has endured since he was born?' I raced to help Dominic and patients like him. He in turn helped me mentally finish the race. I am not sure I would have crossed the finish line last year without him on my mind."

Should you wish to sponsor Carla and the Saliba family visit https://www.active.com/donate/liverteam08/carla