Tehran Between a Marathon Challenge and the Regime’s Military Parade

On Friday, Tehran faced two starkly different images of women’s presence in public space: on one side of the city, women took part in a 10-kilometer race without covering their heads with a headscarf, while in a march organized by Iranian authorities, thousands of women in hijab appeared among participants of a pro-regime event where weapons were also on display.

The 10-kilometer race took place in Velayat Park, with separate categories for women and men. According to the official program, the women’s race started at 05:30 and the men’s at 07:00. Published footage showed some of the participants running without a headscarf and in sportswear, including long-sleeved shirts and sports trousers.

The marathon went ahead despite the cancellation a few days earlier of the “Mahan Run” in Kerman, after authorities refused a permit following objections from the city’s religious seminary over mixed participation and concerns about “religious values”.

Meanwhile, in central Tehran, the “Jan-Fada-ye Iran” event took place, organized in support of the Islamic Republic. According to state media, around 313,000 people took part. Military equipment, drones and organized Basij units were on display at the march.

Published footage from the event also showed a woman in full chador, with a child behind her, next to a machine gun.

According to Euronews, Iranian authorities have also opened a court case against the organizers of the Tehran marathon, accusing them of disrespecting legal and religious standards.

In Iran, wearing the hijab in public spaces is mandatory by law. Yet four years after the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, images of women appearing publicly without a headscarf have become more common.

Friday’s two events took place at a moment of high political and security tension in Iran, offering different pictures of how women appear in the country’s public life.