The Secret Marathon: Empowering Women and Girls in Afghanistan through Sport - Softcover

Martin Parnell's third book takes the reader on an inspirational journey into a country once known for political chaos and female oppression, but now striving for women’s rights and equality for all.

“The children were stoning us, the people said bad words like ’prostitutes, why don’t you stay at home? You are destroying Islam.’” —Zainab, Afghanistan's first female marathon runner

In 2016, Martin Parnell went on a journey that many believed was madness: running a marathon in Afghanistan in a quest to fight for women’s rights and gender equality. Of course, this was not the first time he had been called crazy. In 2010 he had run 250 marathons in one year and in 2013 he had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 21 hours. These two endeavours raised $1.3-million for the humanitarian organization Right To Play and had given the gift of hope to over 27,000 children around the world.

It was while recovering from a life-threatening and rare blood clot on his brain that Martin had read about Zainab, the first woman to run a marathon in Afghanistan. He was so inspired by her story that he decided that if he was able to recover from his illness he would ask to run with her at the next “Marathon of Afghanistan” in support of rights for girls and women.

In The Secret Marathon, readers will be transported to a country of beauty, hardship and complexity, sharing in the despair, resilience and friendliness of the Afghan people as they strive for freedom and equality for themselves and their fellow citizens.

Martin Parnell started his "Quests for Kids" initiative in 2010 after a 25-year career in the mining industry. Over the next five years he completed 10 "Quests." These included running 250 marathons in one year, setting five Guinness World Records and summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in 21 hours. By the end of 2014, over $1.3-million had been raised for the humanitarian organization Right To Play and 27,000 children had been given the gift of hope. Martin is a professional speaker and the author of Running to the Edge (RMB, 2016) and Marathon Quest - Revised & Updated (RMB, 2017). Martin Parnell lives in Cochrane, Alberta.