A huge source of frustration for any runner is the lack of space, or a street with a parade of cars unwilling to budge, spewing out a host of gray clouds. The runner who does manage to snake through the Beirut traffic unharmed and reach the Corniche can breathe a sigh of relief once there: “Yes, I am still alive!” However, that sigh will be followed by an inhalation of a host of lethal chemicals. Nonetheless, for a growing community of devotees, running is a sport worth sweating for.