Hafida Izem
Encyclopedia
Hafida Izem is a Moroccan
marathon
runner. She represented her country at the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Based in Italy, she mainly competes in road races in the country, having won marathons in Bari
, Treviso
and Naples
.
Her first international selection came at the 2001 Universiade
, where she was 17th over 5000 metres
. She won the Bari Marathon the following year. She opened her 2003 with a win at the Mare Monti half marathon
and she improved her marathon best to 2:36.18 hours at the Rome City Marathon
, coming fourth. She won the 2003 Prato Marathon in September.
She ran a half marathon best to claim the title at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon
in February, winning in a time of 1:10:39 hours. In March, Izem became the inaugural women's winner of the 2004 Treviso Marathon
, and just one week later she ran at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, taking 65th place. She set a course record at the Vivicittà Firenze Half Marathon the following month. A marathon best of 2:36:02 came at the Neapolis Marathon in Naples and she gained selection to represent Morocco the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics
. She was 27th in the Olympic marathon race in Greece.
Izem had a period of illness in 2005 but returned in 2006 to set a career best time of 2:31:30 hours at the Frankfurt Marathon
, taking third place on the podium. She was fifth at the Roma-Ostia race in 2007, but took the top honours at the Citti di Pistoia Half Marathon a month later. She also ran a best for the 20 km (1:09:36) that month, coming fifth at the 20 van Alphen. She won the half marathon race at the 2011 edition of the Casablanca Marathon.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
runner. She represented her country at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Based in Italy, she mainly competes in road races in the country, having won marathons in Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
and Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Her first international selection came at the 2001 Universiade
Athletics at the 2001 Summer Universiade
At the 2001 Summer Universiade, the athletics events were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country, China, took the most gold medals and the most medals overall . The United States were a close...
, where she was 17th over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
. She won the Bari Marathon the following year. She opened her 2003 with a win at the Mare Monti half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
and she improved her marathon best to 2:36.18 hours at the Rome City Marathon
Rome City Marathon
The Rome Marathon is an annual marathon competition hosted by the city of Rome, Italy on a Sunday of March.The competition has also doubled as the Italian Marathon championships on two occasions; in 1983 and 1986. The race date was shifted from the traditional March schedule to 1 January in 2000...
, coming fourth. She won the 2003 Prato Marathon in September.
She ran a half marathon best to claim the title at the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon
Roma-Ostia Half Marathon
The Roma-Ostia Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in late February in Rome, Italy. The course begins in the EUR district of the city and follows a direct south-easterly route to the finish point near the beaches of Ostia...
in February, winning in a time of 1:10:39 hours. In March, Izem became the inaugural women's winner of the 2004 Treviso Marathon
Treviso Marathon
The Treviso Marathon is an annual road running event which is held in March in the area around the Province of Treviso in Italy....
, and just one week later she ran at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 19-20 March 2004 in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
, taking 65th place. She set a course record at the Vivicittà Firenze Half Marathon the following month. A marathon best of 2:36:02 came at the Neapolis Marathon in Naples and she gained selection to represent Morocco the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
. She was 27th in the Olympic marathon race in Greece.
Izem had a period of illness in 2005 but returned in 2006 to set a career best time of 2:31:30 hours at the Frankfurt Marathon
Frankfurt Marathon
Frankfurt Marathon is an annual marathon held in Frankfurt, Germany in the month of October. The race, currently sponsored by BMW, is Germany's oldest city marathon.- List of winners :Key:- External links :***...
, taking third place on the podium. She was fifth at the Roma-Ostia race in 2007, but took the top honours at the Citti di Pistoia Half Marathon a month later. She also ran a best for the 20 km (1:09:36) that month, coming fifth at the 20 van Alphen. She won the half marathon race at the 2011 edition of the Casablanca Marathon.