Healthcare | Tuesday 21 April, 2015 7:38 am |

Nahdi Medical Company, the largest retail pharmacy chain in the Middle East and North Africa, in its continued commitment to enhance the health and wellness of the community, and as the official health partner of the 12th Jeddah Marathon, has carried out its “Run for Hope” campaign through social media and on-ground training, to help prepare runners for the annual sports event, one of the largest in the Kingdom.

As the health partner of the Jeddah Marathon for the next three years, Nahdi’s aim is to educate current and future marathon runners on the importance of proper nutrition and physical preparation and rehabilitation, with the help of professional sports trainers and dietitians that have partnered with them this year. Nahdi’s sponsorship of the Jeddah Marathon further highlights its commitment of spreading hope throughout the Saudi community by promoting health and wellness and providing quality care and convenience.

Eng. Yasser Joharji, CEO at Nahdi, said: “We are very proud to be part of the Jeddah Marathon this year and are honored to continue to sponsor this prestigious event for the next coming years. It is our duty as a preferred partner of choice in the medical community, to constantly contribute to the promotion and education of health awareness and prevention, whether through our stores or community activities we partake in.”

Eng. Hosam Alqurashi, Vice President of Marketing and External Affairs at Nahdi added: “It has been a long journey to prepare for this marathon, but it has surely been an exciting one to say the least. We have witnessed great endurance and achievements from the marathon runners running under our name, and are happy to have helped them get ready for this day, whether it was through physical training or the provision of nutritional advice. Not only did we help train them for this day, but we have also aided in educating them on how to live a more balanced and active lifestyle, which is something we strive to do throughout the whole community.”

Nahdi sponsored over 200 people who took part in this year’s marathon, where they supported and trained them for three months, providing them with nutritional kits detailing what to consume before, during and after the race with the help of a sports dietitian, Dr. Maha Ghorab, as well as on-the-ground physical training led by Khaled Yamani, the Executive Director of the Jeddah Marathon Club. The “Run for Hope” runners include, Nahdi and SEDCO Holding employees, the Jeddah Marathon Club, the Jeddah Activity Group, school students and various other members of the community.

Ali Alahdal, one of the runners who participated in this year’s marathon under Nahdi’s “Run for Hope” campaign, said: “I cannot begin to describe the benefit that I got from training with the team that Nahdi put together, from the tips we received on eating properly, to the training we got ahead of the race.”

“I am very grateful and thankful to Nahdi for providing me with this great opportunity, and I look forward to running with them in next year’s marathon,” he added.

The annual Jeddah Marathon is one of the largest sporting events taking place in the Kingdom, with local participation from various regions around the nation, as well as international participation from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Kenya, France, and even the United States. In addition, the marathon will host Saudi champions, who have taken part in many local and international marathons in the past.

Nahdi firmly pursues the concept of a “community-centric” pharmacy under the company’s strategy of the “community as the focus of our attention,” in order to highlight its role as an educational and cognitive entity that aims to improve the community, with the pharmacy holding a vital role within an integrated healthcare system.