IAU President Nadeem Khan used his participation in the World Athletics Global Running Conference in Copenhagen to highlight the growing connections between road running, mass participation and ultrarunning.
The conference, held in Copenhagen alongside the World Athletics Road Running Championships, brought together representatives from across the international running community to exchange ideas and explore the future development of the sport.
Nadeem moderated the session “From Corporate and Social Responsibility to High Performance”, which featured Sabah Rabiah Al Kuwari, Senior Director at Ooredoo Qatar and a representative of the Doha Marathon.
The session provided an opportunity to consider the relationship between corporate and social responsibility and the development of high-performance sport, while the wider conference offered a global perspective on the changing running landscape.
For Nadeem, the Copenhagen meeting also provided an opportunity to engage with race directors and other members of the international running community on the development of ultrarunning. Discussions included the different approaches to road running in various parts of the world and potential opportunities for future IAU championship hosts.
Following the conference in Copenhagen, Nadeem travelled to Ames, A Coruña, Spain, for the 2026 IAU & WMA 100km World Championships.
The Copenhagen-to-Ames journey reflected the international nature of Nadeem’s role as IAU President, linking wider discussions about the development of running with the organisation’s major championship programme.
