Dima and Lama Hattab

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Lama Hattab 2012

Dima and Lama Hattab ( Arabic ديما حطاب, DMG Dīmā Ḥaṭṭāb andلما حطاب / Lamā Ḥaṭṭāb ; born on December 31, 1980 in Amman , Jordan ) are Jordanian twin sisters who have specialized in ultra-marathons as athletes . You are the first female runners from Jordan to ever run a marathon and the first women runners from the Middle East to take part in the Moroccan Marathon des Sables . Due to their sporting achievements and their commitment, the Hattab sisters are considered role models for women in the Middle East and are among the most famous Jordanians.

Athletic career

The twin sisters Dima and Lama Hattab began their running careers at the age of 18. Initially, they focused on middle-distance running, where they participated in school competitions. After a coach change to Siham Neamat, who persuaded them to the long distances, they switched to the marathon distances. Their special sporting talents became apparent after a short time when they took part in the ultramarathon at the Dead Sea in 1999 . In the half marathon competition, Lama took 3rd place and Dima 4th place.

In 2000 they took part again in the same race, with Lama winning the title in the marathon distance and Dima the title in the ultramarathon (50 km). In the same year they took part in the Desert Cup, an annual run over a distance of 168 km. Among the female participants, the sisters hand in hand reached 9th place.

Just one year later, in 2001, Dima and Lama Hattab took part in the Marathon des Sables , a 250 km long and six day run in the Sahara desert of Morocco . It is important that everyone who takes part in the race has to carry their personal equipment, necessary utensils and food on their backs during the race. In the years that followed, the twin sisters took part not only in races in the region, but also in long-distance runs around the world. In autumn 2003 they started together in the Berlin Marathon , in 2006 on the 216 km long La Tranzaq ( France ).

In 2006 they took part in the 217 km Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley . In preparation for this race, they also traveled to Germany to get to know other participants and to prepare for the race.

In April 2007, L'Orient Le Jour reported that Dima and Lama Hattab had been training intensively since February 2007 to climb several peaks above 5000 m, including Kilimanjaro , Aconcagua in the Andes, Denali in Alaska, Cho Oyu in Tibet and Mount Everest . The preparations for this took place in Alaska. Her goal was "determined to change attitudes in the Middle East, where there are doubts about the ability of women to endure as much physical exertion as men."

Sporting commitment

During a marathon race in 2000, Dima and Lama Hattab met the German doctor Holger Finkernagel, who ran the World Humanitarian Marathon and Ultramarathon Foundation (WHMF), an organization that organizes endurance races around the world and whose proceeds go to charitable causes. This encounter gave rise to the idea for the Jebel Ishrin marathon in Wadi Rum , Jordan , which the twin sisters first organized in 2002. The name of the race refers to the Jebel Umm Al Ishrin , a mountain with 20 domes in the rock and sand desert.

The twin sisters are particularly committed to humanitarian projects and have combined their sporting activities with supporting various NGOs. In 2005 they initiated a campaign together with the Lebanese extreme runner Ali Wehbi and with the NGO Hope for Children in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt to support research centers devoted to child cancer patients. During the 255 km run through the Sahara in Morocco, the Marathon de Sables, they asked sponsors for a dollar for every meter run for a good cause, reported the Jordanian daily Al Rai.

Profession and work

Dima and Lama grew up and went to school in Tabarbour, a suburb to the north of Amman. Both Lama and Dima have a bachelor's degree in information technology and a certificate as marathon trainer from WHMF.

Lama Hattab also has a master's degree in conflict resolution management. She has been working for the non - profit NGO Generations for Peace in Amman since March 2009 and has been Head of Programs since 2014. In 2018 she founded the #HerStepsCount initiative , with which she wants to strengthen the role of women in peace-building and conflict-avoiding actions.

Prior to 2009, she worked for the Jordan Olympic Committee, Extreme Jordan , World Humanitarian Marathon and Ultra Marathon Foundation, as well as for the Jordanian International Police Training Center Security Division .

Dima Hattab since their lives marriage in the United States . She previously worked for FIFA before and during the 2016 U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Lubna Khader: Dima and Lama Hattab Jordanian marathoners without peer. In: unlimitedtwin.blogspot.com. Dima and Lama Hattab, January 26, 2003, accessed February 8, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Top runners Hilda Kibet from Kenya and Dima Hattab and Lama Hattab from Jordan siegener-zeitung.de
  3. ^ Will Sanchez: Lama Hattab the Program Director for 'Generations for Peace' guest-stars. In: youtube.com. October 20, 2017, accessed February 8, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Famous Jordanians. worldatlas.com/
  5. ↑ WHMF. Retrieved February 6, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Jebel Umm Al Ishrin. Lonely Planet, accessed February 6, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Her Steps Count: Promoting Women in Peacebuilding. Retrieved February 11, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Staff: Lama Hattab. In: generationsforpeace.org. Retrieved February 8, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Lama Hattab. In: Generations For Peace. Retrieved February 8, 2020 .
  10. ↑ GlobalGiving (Ed.): Https://www.globalgiving.org/pfil/32639/projdoc.pdf .