Rabat – On the bright Saturday morning of April 19th, Ifrane welcomed hundreds of runners, families, and volunteers for the 24th edition of the Fun Run, an event that has become much more than a race.
It stood as a celebration of shared purpose and community spirit, and this year, it also marked the 30th anniversary of Al Akhawayn University (AUI).
Organized by Hand in Hand, AUI’s humanitarian student club, the event brought together a cross-section of Moroccan society. Locals joined students, professors, alumni, and visitors from across the country.
The races, open to all and free of charge, offered three distances, 3 km, 5 km, and 10 km, to encourage participation from every age group.
But the day did not end at the finish line. Families gathered afterward for a children’s fair, a community gala, and a charity raffle, all designed to carry the spirit of the race into the evening.
What made the occasion stand out was not only the turnout but also the way the town itself mobilized. Local authorities, police, and health services stepped in to ensure every aspect of the event unfolded smoothly.
The opening ceremony brought together figures who helped shape AUI’s journey. Driss Misbah, Governor of the Ifrane province, stood alongside Amine Bensaid, AUI’s current president, and two of his predecessors, Driss Ouaouicha and Rachid Belmakhtar.
Moroccan sports legends Hicham El Guerrouj and Abdelkader El Mouaziz lent their presence to the event, while rising athlete Hicham Amghar drew loud cheers as he stepped up to the starting line.
The Fun Run served as a medium for Hand in Hand to channel funds toward concrete community projects. This year, the student-led initiative raised funds to renovate two schools in the Ifrane-Azrou region, create a community garden, restore a local mosque, and build a well in Tidili, near Marrakech, where water access remains a pressing issue.
“We want to do more than raise awareness. We want to change something,” said Hiba Amcharet, president of Hand in Hand and a computer science student at AUI.
Over the past three decades, AUI has been at the forefront of Ifrane’s growth. The university draws students from across the country and the globe. Its civic engagement, student projects, and research activities drive the local economy and promote ideas of collective development.
Each year of the Fun Run is another page to this living book. It draws people not only to run, but also to want to imagine a Morocco in which students lead and communities respond.
