Smalley's Beirut run for refugees

Rachel Smalley trains with coach Gaz Brown from Get Running. Photo / Jo Currie

Radio host seeks four more Kiwis to join team as part of Forgotten Millions campaign.

Rachel Smalley is set to return to the Middle East this year as she continues to spread awareness and raise money for the growing refugee crisis in the region - and you now have the opportunity to join her.

The Newstalk ZB radio host will be running the Beirut Marathon in November with a team of Kiwis as part of World Vision's Forgotten Millions campaign.

There are at present 12 people on the Get Running "Beirut" team, with space for 16, and Smalley is encouraging four people to come forward and make the most of this "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".

In the days leading up to the marathon - which will take runners through the streets of the Lebanese capital - the Kiwi team will visit refugee camps on the border to meet some of the people they are raising money for.

Smalley said this would be a "confronting" experience for all involved. "Some of the families and the children have experienced huge trauma and their stories of survival are upsetting."

In three years working with World Vision, Smalley has met Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraqi Kurdistan.

"It's not easy. Some of their stories of what they've seen and what they've fled are horrifying," she said.

Having already run two half-marathons, but never a full one, she has no idea what to expect.

But what better place to find out than Beirut, Smalley said, one of her favourite cities on earth.

New Zealand's response to the Forgotten Millions campaign this year was "truly incredible", she said, "but there are still millions of people who need help".

She is also hosting a Forgotten Millions gala dinner at the SkyCity Grand in October as a fundraiser for the marathon. Tickets, which cost $295, are now on sale.

If you are interested in running the Beirut Marathon, email gaz@getrunning.co.nz, or visit getrunning.co.nz.