By Nesrine Benyaiche, Algeria

Foreword

The Algiers Urban Trail is more than a race—it is a living dialogue between city, memory, and community. In this interview, Algerian writer Nesrine Benyaiche sits down with Youcef Benbessi, president of the League of Ski and Mountain Sports for the Wilaya of Algiers, to unpack the vision and values behind this cultural-sporting event. From honouring history to reclaiming public space through collective joy, the conversation reveals how sport, culture, and civic spirit intersect to reimagine the capital.

On a hot June afternoon, Algiers transformed into a stage where 3,000 runners moved through its streets, tunnels, and staircases in a collective act of memory and belonging. The Algiers Urban Trail was more than a race, it turned the city itself into a cultural canvas, where sport, heritage, and creativity converged. Beyond the sweat and rhythm, it hinted at something larger: how culture and movement can generate value, build visibility, and weave communities together.

Following the heat and rhythm of the 27 June 2025 edition of the Algiers Urban Trail, I sat down with Youcef Benbessi, president of the League of Ski and Mountain Sports for the Wilaya of Algiers, to talk about the vision, challenges, and emotions behind one of the city’s most remarkable cultural-sporting events.

Participants at the Algiers Urban Trail, 2025

1. The Algiers Urban Trail is more than a sporting event; it’s a cultural and civic gesture. What vision or values guide your work when organizing this trail?
   Youcef Benbessi: Our vision comes from mountain sports, where interaction with the environment is essential. We wanted to bring that same spirit into the heart of the city, a way of discovering Algiers through movement. The trail is about connection: to the streets, to heritage, to each other.
2. Why did you choose to map the race through key historical and cultural landmarks? What do you hope participants feel or remember as they move through these spaces?
   YB: We started by organizing urban hikes, inspired by mountain trails. From there, we designed an urban course that would allow runners to discover Algiers in all its richness, its palaces, its streets, its staircases. The course was studied carefully so that there were moments to rest and moments to dance, with artists placed along the way to create memories. We wanted people to see their city differently.
3. This year’s slogan was “عيش العاصمة بروح جديدة – Live the capital with a new spirit.” What does this phrase mean in the context of the trail and how does the event reflect it in action?
   YB: Usually, people come to Algiers for work or tourism. But here, they experience it in a completely different way through sports, culture, and joy. It’s about rediscovering the city with fresh eyes and a renewed spirit.
4. With over 3,000 participants and 18 km across 1,000 stairs, the trail is physically demanding yet deeply emotional. One unforgettable image was Si Abdelkader Benguella, 92 years old, proudly wearing bib number one as the oldest runner. Have you witnessed other moments like this, where people connected with the city in moving ways?
   YB: Si Abdelkader is a former moudjahid and a remarkable athlete. In 1955, during the colonial period, he ran a half marathon in Algiers barefoot. He learned to run as a youth when carrying letters from Hussein Dey to Kouba for the moudjahideen (freedom fighters). We honored him during a press conference by sharing his life story. There were also moving moments of solidarity families handing water to runners, women ululating from balconies, children fetching bottles from their homes to wet the participants to cool them down. This is the Mediterranean and African solidarity spirit of Algiers.
5. Could you share some statistics with us?
   YB: One-third of participants were women, all with electronic bibs. We had 800 volunteers from different associations ensuring security, guidance, and road marking. Two participants with reduced mobility completed the entire course in wheelchairs provided by the association Dzair Bénévole. We also worked with the National Association of Radio Amateurs for communication support. Participation was truly diverse Algerians from all regions, members of the diaspora, and runners from 15 countries. The mix included both professional athletes and amateurs.
6. What role do you see for sport in telling national stories, reclaiming memory, and even healing collective trauma, especially for young Algerians?
   Sport has always been part of our history even during the liberation movement, it played a role in resilience, unity, and connection. It was a way to gather, to stay strong, and to keep hope alive. Today, it helps people rediscover their cities and themselves. It’s therapeutic, it motivates, it builds pride and belonging. This is not unique to Algeria across Africa, sport has been a space for reclaiming identity, telling national stories, and healing from collective trauma. From football fields to running trails, African nations have long used sport to inspire solidarity, celebrate culture, and show the world their strength and creativity.
7. The presence of musicians and artists along the route brought a powerful cultural layer to the trail. How do you view the relationship between sport and cultural expression in Algeria?
   YB: It was all carefully studied. Placing music and art along the way transforms the trail into a cultural journey, not just a race. It makes the experience richer for runners and spectators alike.
8. How would you describe the commitment of ordinary Algerians, volunteers, neighbours, institutions in helping make this event a success? What does that say about civic engagement today?
   YB: The solidarity was incredible. From ministries to local residents, everyone played a role in ways both big and small. Institutions opened doors, facilitated permits, and offered resources without hesitation. Local businesses donated supplies. Women leaned over their balconies to throw water bottles to runners, turning their own homes into part of the race infrastructure. Neighbours gathered in the streets to clap, cheer, and encourage strangers as if they were family. This kind of spontaneous cooperation is civic engagement at its most authentic people recognising that the success of a public event belongs to all of us, not just the organisers. It proved that Algiers is capable of coming together across neighbourhoods, social backgrounds, and age groups when there is a shared sense of pride. It wasn’t only about sport; it was about reclaiming public space as a place for connection, joy, and collective achievement.
9. Such a large-scale event in Algiers must require significant coordination. How did government support help make it possible, whether logistically, politically, or financially?
   YB: This event was under the high patronage of the Wali of Algiers Mr. Muhamed Rabhi, his support was instrumental. The wilaya provided financial and human resources, as well as coordination across all departments security, hygiene, civil protection, cleaning teams. The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Culture both supported with animation and logistics. This kind of public investment is more than logistical support; it creates the foundation on which events of this scale can exist and grow, Without this backing, organizing an event of 3,000 runners in the heart of Algiers would have been impossible.
10. How do you imagine the Algiers Urban Trail evolving in the next few years? Are there any dreams or directions you hope to pursue regionally, artistically, or socially?
    YB: Our main goal is to make it an international event that people anticipate each year a celebration of culture and sport. I imagine ending with concerts, artisan markets, and cultural showcases, so people come not just to run but to experience the spirit of Algiers. Economically, it could become a driver of local development, much like major music or cultural festivals around the world. It can boost tourism by attracting both regional and international visitors who will stay in local hotels, eat at neighbourhood restaurants, and explore the city’s historical sites. It can create seasonal jobs, from event organization to guiding tours, and offer sustainable income streams for artisans and small businesses. If nurtured, it could become an annual highlight on the African and Mediterranean cultural calendar, positioning Algiers as both a sports and cultural hub. In another reality where such events have consistent support, it could have already been a major contributor to Algeria’s creative economy and a source of pride recognized far beyond our borders.
11. Finally, in a country like Algeria, rich in history yet still negotiating its narrative, what does it mean to reclaim public space through joy, effort, and movement?
    YB: I think It’s about reclaiming not negotiating. With all our history from colonialism to the black decade we are a resilient people. this event shows the real Algeria: safe, welcoming, and full of potential. And this is not just our story; it’s the story of many African nations. Across the continent, we share the scars of colonialism and the weight of narratives that often paint us in a negative light. Sport becomes a way to push back against that, to reveal our real essence: joy, strength, unity, and creativity. When we run through Algiers, we are also running through history, reclaiming it with movement, with effort, with pride.
    

That day, the Algiers urban trail revealed how a single event can activate heritage spaces, create shared joy, and ripple into local economies. It showed that cultural-sporting moments, when nurtured, can shape how cities are experienced, how communities connect, and how nations project themselves outward; it’s an act of retelling our narrative on our own terms. For Algiers, and for Africa, such moments are not just celebrations; they are investments in memory, visibility, and the shared economies of the future.

The closing ceremony of the Algiers Urban Trail 2025

Editor’s Note

Nesrine Benyaiche, Content Creator, Writer & Feminist Activist, Algeria

Nesrine Benyaiche is an Algerian writer, content creator, and feminist activist whose work explores identity, womanhood, ecology, and the everyday politics of life in North Africa. She is also engaged in cultural and civic initiatives that link feminist thought to questions of youth participation, ecology and public spaces. Through this interview, she brings to light how the Algiers Urban Trail is not just a sporting challenge but a cultural and civic celebration, one that reclaims public space, honours history, and imagines new possibilities for inclusion, solidarity, and pride.