More than 1,000 young residents took part in Friday's "Downtown Cairo-Geneva Run" which was organized by the governorate, Swiss embassy, and the Cairo Runners group.

Cairo Governor Atef Abdel Hamid and the Swiss Ambassador in Cairo Markus Laitner joined them in the run, which which started at 7:45 AM.

The run covered a 4 kilometre route between Abdeen palace and the Swiss Embassy's Swiss Arts Council in Garden City, passing through historic downtown streets and Tahrir square along the way.

Preparations for the event took three seasons, according to Cairo Runners' Facebook page.

The run was modeled on an annual tradition in Geneva, usually held on 11 December to commemorate the city's defeat of a surprise attack in 1602.

On the Cairo Governorate Media center's Facebook page, Governor Hamid expressed delight with the turnout of the city's youth, adding that the event is a message to the world to visit Egypt, as it is "safe and stable country."

Cairo Runners is the largest running community in Egypt and an early advocate of healthier lifestyles for Cairenes. The group takes to the streets every Friday morning, choosing a new route each week.

Since their start in 2012, the group's weekly runs have drawn around 3,000 participants, while runners in 2016's half marathon exceeded 7,000.

Cairo-Geneva Run

Cairo-Geneva Run