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Inspirational Shaikha Al Shaiba, who is known for her continuous courageous sporting efforts despite losing an arm as a child, recently raised the Bahraini flag high as she proudly completed the 42.195km Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris.
The French event is regarded as one of the biggest and most prestigious international marathons in the world and attracts an array of athletes from across the globe.
Sunday’s marathon, established in 1977, offers competitors a challenging journey whilst admiring the capital’s landmarks and stunning sights.
Around 145 nationalities and 57,000 runners participated, starting off from the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, moving along Les Champs Elysées and then running past the City of Light towards the Place de la Concorde.
From the Rue de Rivoli the field of runners ventured through the Place de la Bastille and after the Bois de Vincennes, views of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower appeared before the final stretch.
Al Shaiba, 35, who has become a renowned public figure and role model in the kingdom for her remarkable achievements from competing in the adrenaline-pumping Spartan Super Race Bahrain to completing the gruelling Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain, took on the mighty marathon with determination.
Her aim was to raise awareness and motivate other athletes, be it disabled or not, to never give up on chasing their dreams. “I compete to raise awareness that no matter what challenges your life takes you through, it’s not the end of the world, whether its physical or mental,” said Al Shaiba, a coordinator of event management at Bacpo, who lives in Hamad Town.
“I reached Paris on Friday and was joined by four other Bahraini athletes, two women and two men. I thought it was about time to start challenging myself outside the kingdom. It was a great experience and I loved the positive vibes.”
Al Shaiba finished the race in 6 hours and 24 minutes and added: “I definitely felt the pain, tiredness and weakness after completing 33km but my aim was to, no matter what, get to that finish line because I can’t, NOT finish the race.”
Al Shaiba was only able to train for two months in the lead up to the marathon as she had a bicycle accident in September of last year in which she fractured her pelvis, tore a ligament in her wrist and suffered a tiny hairline fracture on her elbow and so forth.
She trained under coach Jassim Al Bastaki for at least an hour and 30 minutes on weekdays and up to four hours on the weekends.
Shaikha returned to the island yesterday sharing the motivational message with her family, friends and fans that you should always ‘love yourself, be proud of what you have and enjoy life’. While she hasn’t decided yet what is next up for her, the para-athlete is considering a trekking challenge in Nepal to reach the Mount Everest Base Camp.
Follow Shaikha’s progress on Instagram @courage.on.a.run
