Zaid Ait Malek

Articles

• Moroccan Immigrant Rises to Become Top Spanish Trail Runner
  31 October 2022, by Prince

  Zaid Ait Malek, originally from Imilchil in the Moroccan Atlas, arrived in Spain from Tangier in 2006, hidden in a truck. Today, he is one of the best trail runners in Spain.
  Zaid Ait Malek and his cousin remained hidden in a truck for the five hours it took to cross the ferry. Without papers, he spent 12 years in Almeria and Baena before being naturalized Spanish in 2018. He had settled in Córdoba, where he learned Spanish and met members of the local athletics club, Media Legua Baena. (…)

• Moroccan-Born Spanish Athlete Triumphs in Greece’s Mount Olympus Marathon
  4 July 2019, by Kamal

  A Moroccan athlete residing in Spain won the "Olympus" marathon, which took place on the slopes of Mount Olympus, in Greece, on June 29, 2019. Zaid Ait Malek won the men’s Skyrunning event in 4 hours 31 minutes and 47 seconds, beating the Bulgarian Kiril Nikolov by five minutes.
  The 35-year-old athlete of Moroccan origin represented Spain in this sporting event, after receiving Spanish nationality in November 2018, by royal decree. He had illegally entered the Iberian territory, hiding (…)

• Undocumented to World-Class: Moroccan Trail Runner’s Inspiring Journey in Spain
  9 January 2021, by Espagnol

  Arriving in Spain under a truck with his cousin, Zaid Ait Malek was "undocumented" in Almeria for a long time. He faced difficult situations for more than 4 years before making a name for himself in athletics. He is now one of the best trail runners in the world. To immortalize his exploits, director Joaquin Clares is filming a short film on the painful journey of the Moroccan, now naturalized Spanish.
  "I did it." This is the sentence uttered by the athlete at the end of the documentary. (…)