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    Categories: 2018

Mountaineer Ara Khatchadourian Completes his Cross- Continent Run in Yerevan

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: www.agbu.org

PRESS RELEASE

Friday, 

Mountaineer Ara Khatchadourian Completes his Cross- Continent Run in Yerevan

Khatchadourian Becomes Goodwill Ambassador to Promote the First Yerevan Marathon

Eleven countries, 500 towns and cities, 4,550 kilometers and an empowering 
message from mountaineer Ara Khatchadourian: peace and inspiration for "young 
people from 5 to 105" to turn their dreams into reality. Khatchadourian himself 
fulfilled yet another dream, as he set out from Marseille on April 7 and 
reached Yerevan 105 days later, having run the equivalent of one marathon every 
day.

He arrived in Armenia via Georgia marking his first stop in the city of Gyumri, 
where he was greeted by provincial and city officials on July 18. Three days 
later, Khatchadourian - accompanied by around two dozen running enthusiasts, 
including members of the Arm Marathon Foundation, TriClub Yerevan and the 
French ambassador - ran the final six kilometers of his incredible journey, 
crossing the finish line in Yerevan. In the meantime, Deputy Minister of 
Diaspora Aramayis Grigoryan, media and a crowd of supporters gathered at 
Republic Square to give Khatchadourian a heartfelt welcome. The emotional 
welcome culminated with a dazzling performance on the traditional dhol by the 
Armenner Drumming Ensemble comprising students of the AGBU Children's Center in 
Nork. 

"Running is not only a physical achievement, but a human achievement. To run 
and cross borders with such universal principles is symbolic. We can be 
inspired by Ara, even if we don't run all the distance he did," French 
Ambassador Jonathan LacĂ´te said.

For Khatchadourian, this athletic challenge bears a higher meaning-promoting 
peace through sports and not only. "This is a run for peace for the whole 
world. Over the past century alone, 170 million people have died in wars and 
massacres. My grandmother went through the Armenian Genocide. My mom and dad 
experienced the Second World War. I grew up during war in Lebanon. The cycle 
has to stop," Khatchadourian said. "My principle is to transmit values other 
than violence and to tell people that, through work, it is possible to achieve 
goals together. I visit schools and tell students that if they have dreams, 
they can be realized - but it takes work. Without making an effort, it is 
impossible to achieve what you desire."

This achievement has propelled Khatchadourian into a new commitment: the Bridge 
for CSOs project's Goodwill Ambassador for the Arm Marathon Foundation which 
would host the first-ever Yerevan Marathon in October 2018. A capacity-building 
project for Armenian civil society, Bridge for CSOs-funded by the European 
Union and implemented by AGBU Armenia - has this time linked a diaspora sports 
talent to a local non-governmental organization to advance a major undertaking. 
In his new role, Khatchadourian will help promote Yerevan Marathon and continue 
to inspire sports enthusiasts to work together for the common good.

"We intend to bring together not only runners in Armenia, but Armenians all 
over the world. So, it is with great pride that we welcome a man who inspires 
so much with his example to represent us," executive director of the Arm 
Marathon Foundation Sona Nahapetyan said. "We aim to encourage health in 
society, not only through an annual marathon, but also with other running 
events throughout the year, also directing our revenue toward charitable 
projects. Running brings people together - people who have never met, who have 
nothing in common, suddenly unite and run together. Harnessing that kind of 
enthusiasm and inspiration for the sake of some common project creates a 
culture of public service."

Throughout his incredible run, Khatchadourian reached out and inspired many. He 
made visits along the way, including to a French school in Serbia, as well as 
to AGBU Plovdiv and AGBU Sofia communities. "Each country had its own beauty," 
he said. "I was received very well everywhere. In Greece, the soldiers greeted 
me at the border and the next day, they accompanied me until the Turkish 
frontier. I also had an excellent welcome in Gyumri, where a police car came to 
escort me all the way to Vartanants Square."

A consummate athlete driven to push himself to the limits, Lebanon-born Ara 
Khatchadourian moved to France in 1983 and at the age of 40, he began exploring 
mountaineering. His list of successful climbs includes Mt. Ararat, Mont Blanc, 
Kilimanjaro, and Mt. Everest, where he displayed the Armenian flag when he 
reached the summit in 2016. His long-time friend and supporter, Alain 
Boyadjian, of Marseille, made a poignant observation on his admirable past and 
current achievements, "Everest was a vertical climb while this run covered 
almost the same distance horizontally, thereby forming a cross." 

Khatchadourian refers to himself as a citizen of the world. But he does not 
have only himself in mind. "We are all citizens of the world. Being Armenian is 
secondary, being Christian is secondary, being born in Lebanon is secondary, 
living in France is secondary. But above all, in order to say that we are all 
equal, that we are all born on the same soil, we must say to each one of us - 
from wherever we may be - we are citizens of the world," he said. "France 
accepted me, Marseille adopted me, while Yerevan is the motherland. I wanted to 
run from the city of my adoption to the city of my roots."
 
Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest non-profit 
Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and 
promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and 
humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians 
around the world.
 
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit 
www.agbu.org.

Yeghisabet Arthur: