Marc Harb: Biking Across Lebanon

In November of 2022, IC Alumnus Marc Harb made his way back to Lebanon with one goal in mind: to give back to his community through riding his bike across the entirety of Lebanon– from the North to the South. In a partnership with Live Love Beirut, an organization aimed at community building and reconstruction and social welfare projects in Lebanon, Harb raised money through his extensive journey across the Lebanese Mountain Trail.

Harb began his journey in the village of Aandit, and finished over a span of about a week in the village of Marjayoun. The journey was long, arduous and incredibly exhausting, but the experience was worth it. In this feature, Harb tells us the story behind his passion for cycling, his incredible journey, and heartwarmingly reminds us of the significance of exploring the world and building meaningful relationships to create our diverse communities.

Harb is Lebanese-American, and has worked and lived all over the world. He was born in the US, raised in Lebanon, and returned back to America during his university years. Currently, he has recently moved to Germany with his wife and is planning out his future with cycling.

Harb’s love for sports and adventure started early in his life. He played football when he was at IC, and fondly remembered the football field at IC Beirut. “I was really into team sports”, he states. “Everywhere I went, I did some competitive sport”. The list is expansive: soccer, running, triathlon, cycling, mountain biking, and skiing. In particular, the love of cycling came about during his time in graduate school in France.

Harb started cycling in 2013. “It was the first time in my life besides skiing where I found an individual sport that allows me to travel freely wherever I want with my own two legs. A bit faster than walking but slower than a car”, he laughs. “It allowed me to access mountains that weren’t accessible by car”, he adds on. The community of cyclists in France was also a big component for Harb’s love of the sport.

Shortly after starting cycling in France, Harb began to be motivated to get even better at biking. “I increased my fitness, went on bigger trips, more technical trips. Bigger uphills and more steeper downhills”, he clarifies. This period of time of growth and training gave him the base he needed to really take biking to the next level.

Harb returned to Lebanon for some time, and then went to Dubai– where cycling also was a pretty big deal.

“Rope biking at the time”, he mentions. He spent the years of 2015-2022 in the UAE. Once again, Harb found a small mountain biking community and together they started working on building bike trails across the region.

“We cleaned up camel trails, and we turned them into mountain bike trails”, Harb explains. It was an impressive feat that also gave way to having a space for the cycling community to go on rides, trails, and expand their group. “We started racing in Dubai. That’s when I really started investing in sports. Getting a coach, working on my diet. It’s not an easy sport. It takes a lot of endurance, a lot of effort”. The strength that comes with biking is something Harb firmly believes in. “Something happens, you get back up and you keep going”, he says adamantly.

The motivation that came with biking didn’t stop at Dubai. After creating a strong foundation in the sport, Harb began to travel all over the world to join races, discover new trails, and simply just bike. Harb has been to trails and races in Canada, Madeira, Portugal, Changhai, Thailand, Lebanon, Germany, and he plans to expand this list. Harb’s international cycling feats are the reason he believes so strongly in learning about the world around us, and building a community.

“Everywhere I go, I met people along the way who started inviting me over to go on their trails. You see how this community grows and grows and grows”, Harb explains. “And these people have become lifelong friends. I always invite them over in our home”, he adds on. “It just expands your community and you learn more about different cultures and different landscapes”, Harb also mentions. And he’s right– being around people of all different backgrounds and seeing different cities is significant to the growth of a person. In today’s growing world, being connected to different communities is a necessity for success and collaboration in business, education, politics, and all other major components on the day-to-day.

Even though Harb has traveled all over the world, Lebanon holds a very special place in his heart. In terms of his sports background, Harb had done a lot of skiing, but cycling was still up in the works. “I wanted to do my training in Lebanon. When I got there, I had this idea”, he says. Harb came across a book about trails from his parents, and decided to go for a bike ride. He was looking online for rugged trails and single track trails in Lebanon, and came across the 471 km Lebanese Mountain Trail. The trail was built by hikers in Lebanon, and starts from the northern border of Syria, and ends at the south of Lebanon. After his research, Harb was determined to make something of it.

While he was planning out his bike ride, Harb got the idea to make a bigger campaign out of it to help out the community in Lebanon for a good cause. “My parents and old roommates suggested to me, why don’t you do this as a fundraiser?” Harb says. He loved the idea, and he got the opportunity to get in touch with Live Love Beirut who offered him a platform. They suggested a custom page for his fundraising. “Within a day, the site was set up, and I embarked on my journey”. Harb’s intention with the fundraiser was to give back to multiple outlets that Live Love Beirut would be donating to– some included schools, surgeries, rebuilding homes, and providing food and nutrition. His journey was supported wholeheartedly by people all over Lebanon, and all over the world, and he raised about 5,500– all of which was donated. “Ex colleagues, mountain bikers along the way, friends of friends– I was mind blown about how many people donated. I got very emotional and still do!”

Harb’s bike journey across the trail was an incredibly rewarding experience, but was also intense and difficult. “When you’re going on a self guided tour across any rugged land, you are depending on your own navigation skills and google earth to find your way across the trail” he tells me. Throughout the ride, he had to pay attention to signs and landmarks, and communicate with the Lebanese Mountain Trail guides to arrange guest housing for night stays during the weeklong trek.

The difficulty of the journey and the risks did give Harb a good story to share, and once again reaffirmed his belief for community and hospitality. During his bike ride, Harb had missed a sign to the next village he was trying to get to. He found himself isolated in the middle of a valley by a town called Qemmamine. It was going to get dark, and he had no way to figure out where to go and where he would be staying for that day. “I started yelling! You end up following the sound until you get to the person shouting back and realize okay, now there’s human beings around. I kept shouting until I got closer to this voice, and a kid popped out of nowhere”.

The child told Harb that he would not be able to make it to his destination that evening as it was over an hour away, and insisted he wait for his uncle to come home so he could help him out with the situation. The child brought Harb back to his home, and they offered him such genuine hospitality. He walked into a small little room with a barbecue stove, and the family of this child offered him tea and water. Eventually, the uncle made it back home, and insisted that Harb would be spending the night there and sleep in his bed while he slept by the fire. After a long day of cycling and surviving just off of snack bars, Harb was starving as well and the family prepared a whole meal for him. He was so grateful and emotional in regards to such kindness he was being shown.

“This is the part that blew my mind and showed me how hospitable Lebanese people are”, Harb tells me.

Encounters like this on his bike journey warmed Harb’s heart. He recalls people like this particular family along the way– a population of people who would help him. It reinforces the need for community and making new connections through new experiences. “In the north of Lebanon, the poverty level is really high”, Harb noticed. With his observation and experience, he explains that learning about all types of people and new places within your own country is necessary. “Make an effort to see your country. In some places, we are more privileged and comfortable. So it’s always good to see what’s out there and see what we can do to help.”

Harb’s journey took him 7 days, with barely any sleep, and a lot of time carrying both his bags and bike on his back. But he finished it, and is absolutely so grateful for the experience. He even recommends those who aren’t cyclists to go on foot on the trail. In his words, “That’s when you see everything in slow motion.”

“The most important thing are the people you meet along the way”. Harb’s reflection on his journey entails a combination of pursuing passions and sports, learning about the world, and really having great encounters with people and really expanding on the concept of community. “Once you find a community, it brings out so much joy. An escape from the real world. That’s the beauty of sports.” As a Lebanses who’s been around the world, Harb hopes to see the concept of community he’s been grateful to encounter could exist in more spaces in Lebanon. “It’s kind of missing in Lebanon. A sense of community outside your circle of friends driven by a certain passion. There are communities but they’re very closed. Kids don’t know about them”, he adds.

“Focus on the things that you love to do. Focus on sports–it makes you forget about the mess. It allows you to open up your eyes and mind to a world beyond social media beyond what you see on a daily basis. Try new things, be curious. Don’t limit yourself to the Lebanses culture only. It’s a beautiful culture, but also keep your eyes and ears open to other people and other cultures. Different ethnic groups and other levels in society. Even if it’s this small, it makes a big influence and change.”

For his future with cycling, Harb hopes to continue with races and biking all kinds of trails. He may want to collaborate with the Lebanese Mountain Trail for group hikes. His trek in Lebanon has inspired him to pursue similar efforts in the long run. He also wants to continue working on supporting campaigns with Live Love Beirut and consider the community in his efforts. “My next project is to take this idea and implement it into every big project that I do in my life. Trip, race, whatever it is.” he says. Harb has some race ideas for this summer, and he wants to raise money with them. All of it will be donated–nothing goes to his pocket. He hopes to share his ideas with his followers and friends all over the world.

To this day, Harb is still friends with his IC friends of the last 30 years. He recalls the good education provided to him, and how he navigated his way through his years at IC. Harb suggests that for students today, an emphasis on community building, arts, and sports is necessary. “That’s where character is built in these communities, sports, teamwork, individual challenges, races”, he explains. “Tell the kids to have goals. Have passions”, he continues. “Set them when you are young. Even in Lebanon you can set goals for yourself. Don’t limit yourself. And always maintain good health. Eat well, stay healthy. Move a lot. Put yourself in challenging situations that you need your brain and body to get out of”. Lastly he adds, “Learn multiple languages! Learn at least 4 languages. Maybe 5 even. English, Arabic, French, German, and Spanish.”

“I’m an adventurer at heart but also I’m a professional, I’m a business man so it’s not all fun and games. You have to work hard to play hard”, Harb emphasizes. Regardless of this, he is dedicated to his goals towards sports and cycling. He wants to go to Norway and do more cycling around Europe. He is considering biking all the way from Germany to Portugal. The US mountain biking scene also has his eye, and he wants to bike across the states. New Zealand, Asia, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal are all a must. He fell in love with Africa and there’s a Kenyan race he is anticipating. He wants to pursue Youtube challenges and documentaries with his passions, and it seems like he will be doing more amazing things for us to keep up with.

Harb is truly inspirational, and we are so proud to call him an IC alumnus. He’s already doing big things, but he is ready to keep going and we can’t wait to see what all he does next. He says it himself: “there’s a lot more to do and I have a whole life ahead!”