Zeinab Rezaie trains for the IRONMAN World Championship in Utah this October while raising money for Afghan women and seeking asylum for herself.
For Zeinab Rezaie, the world looked very different just 2 years ago. In February 2020, she became the first Afghan woman to complete an IRONMAN by crossing the finish line of the 70.3 Dubai race.
Women’s rights had been steadily increasing in Afghanistan throughout the U.S. occupation, and Rezaie felt optimism that the trend would continue.
Then American forces withdrew in August 2021. The Taliban seized control of the Afghan government, and Rezaie fled to the U.S.
Now, in just a few months, Rezaie will once again make history by becoming the first Afghan woman to compete in the IRONMAN World Championships in St. George, Utah, this October.
Instead of running for women’s right to be athletes, Rezaie now runs for their right to go to school — or just walk outside without a man.
“It’s the 21st century, but the women and girls of a whole nation cannot go to school or do sports,” she said. “And it’s because of a terrorist group that’s ruling the country.”
A Radical Regression in Afghanistan
Even before the U.S. withdrawal, Rezaie and other Afghan women started running with help from NGOs.
Back in 2017, Rezaie, along with three other Afghan women, trained for endurance competitions with the help of two nonprofits, She Can Tri and Free to Run. The latter offered critical support for their training in Kabul, Afghanistan, including lengthy car rides to the few places that permitted them to exercise.
If the women tried to run in the street, they would literally face a risk of stoning.
Yet the nonprofits were making progress. Free to Run continued to grow and find new opportunities for Afghan women, including Rezaie.
Then, in August 2021, everything changed.
The U.S. began its withdrawal after 20 years of occupation, and Afghanistan descended into chaos. The Taliban immediately returned to power, erasing2 decades of social progress for women.
Women weren’t just prohibited from running. Now, they could no longer go to school or even walk outside without a male escort.
As for Rezaie — she barely escaped.
She spent the past year in an accelerated Master’s program at a Colorado university. Her husband spent most of those 12 months stuck in a refugee camp. Her brother is still there today.
No longer able to support women as athletes, Rezaie shifted priorities. She now raises money for a secret school for women.
From Beginner to Bid for IRONMAN World Championship
New Life in Colorado, but Hardships Remain
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