When American runner Rickey Gates launched the “Every Single Street” project in 2018, he had a personal goal in mind. Inspired by the story of a 2500-year-old tale of Pheidippides, an Athenian soldier who ran the span of the island to the Acropolis, Gates wanted his name to succeed on the annals of such an achievement. Little did the San Franciscan know then that he would find another adherent to his mission in a Dubai-based Lebanese mum.

Yasmine Salaam, also affectionately called the Pink Taxi Runner, ran the Dubai Marathon on January 7 with one purpose in mind. She meant to cover every street of Dubai and leave her mark on the city’s promenades. However, this personal glorification came at the cost of a severe struggle and show of perseverance.

Yasmine Salaam’s resilience at the Dubai Marathon

Yasmine Salaam was fatigued at the onset of the Dubai Marathon, and in the absence of a well-timed measure, she would not have achieved her goal. Using her X page, she revealed, “It was a tough run 15.5km instead of the intended 18km but I kept thinking of the energy of Dubai Marathon today, running not too far away from their course #everysinglestreet @HamdanMohammed through so many different neighborhoods”. With an exceptional mind-over-matter approach, Salaam was able to complete the entire course and earn the public’s encomiums.

Although Yasmine Salaam has been running all over the streets in Dubai, most people have yet to recognize her for her passion project. Therefore, when a national publication wrote a report about her, she was mildly surprised. Exclaiming, “Sometimes I make headlines” in a separate X post, the runner shared a snap of the newspaper page with her interview. As a Lebanon expat, she is trying her best to pay tribute to her new home nation with such a gesture.

A tribute in every step

Yasmine Salaam is the strongest believer in the Dubai Fitness Challenge promulgated in 2018. She undertook the challenge in a unique way, though. As a resident of Dubai for more than four decades, she felt that she needed to know more about her new domicile. In an interview with BOL News, she said, “During this project, I have learned everything about Dubai, how people work and live, how the city operates and services its people, how urban planning is done and civil engineering translates into an organized lifestyle for communities”.

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However, her mission is never-ending, as the RTA is continuing to construct more roads and streets for her to traverse. With the roadways of the city multiplying, her Dubai Marathon campaign has become another milestone in her long and arduous journey.

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