The Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Luciano Portolano was among tens of thousands of participants who ran and walked the streets of Beirut in the 2014 Beirut Marathon, held on Sunday November 9, 2014.

211 military and civilian staff from UNIFIL ran the race alongside more than 37,000 participants from 95 countries at the event. The marathon’s theme – Peace, Love, Run – was reflected in the enthusiasm of the participants, volunteers and well-wishers that sunny morning.

Major -General Portolano ran the 10KM Fun Run and took the opportunity to speak with the people as he ran with them. “It was very nice to run with people from all over Lebanon and other countries,” he said.

He expressed the importance of UNIFIL’s participation in the event. “Meeting a lot of people was great and everyone recognized UNIFIL as a great institution working in this country,” he said. “But I have to say, we are here at the invitation of the Lebanese government and we are working for the Lebanese people”.