DURHAM, N.C. — A Durham man turned a deadly diagnosis into one of the most beloved races in the state. 

What You Need To Know

  • The 14th annual Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon took place March 17

  • The Veradigm Tobacco Road Full Marathon runs more than 20 miles on the American Tobacco Trail 

  • Over the past 12 years, the Tobacco Road Marathon has raised over $1.3 million for charities including American Red Cross, Hope For The Warriors and Triangle Rails To Trails Conservancy

  • In 2014, the Tobacco Road Marathon was named by Runner's World Magazine as one of the top nine best new marathons

Whether you see him out and about in the community or in the kitchen of the Iranian Cultural Arts Center, Kazem Yahyapour calls North Carolina his home. 

He came to the United States as an Iranian navy cadet in 1976. Just three weeks shy of finishing the exchange program in 1980, Yahyapour was deported when U.S.-Iranian relations deteriorated during the Iranian hostage crisis. But Yahyapour knew he wanted to come back. 

When he did get back the the U.S., he stayed. Yahyapour met his wife, had children and started the Aria Cultural Center for Iranian Culture. 

“You know, people are coming from all over the world emigrating to this country. You know, we have the Iranian you know, you always miss your own in our original country came from,” Yahyapour said. 

He knew the North Carolina Iranian community wanted a place to call their own, and that’s where the Aria Cultural Center comes in. 

“Sometime we want to have their own, you know, our own cuisine. So we cook it here and we have, you know, we can make that traditional, you know, kabob and juju kabob,” Yahyapour said. 

Community drives Yahyapour in everything he does. He also started the two major marathon races in the Triangle: the City of Oaks Marathon and the Tobacco Road Marathon. 

“Usually we have about between 35 to 40,000 people are coming,” Yahyapour said. 

At the age of 48, Yahyapour had a heart attack, five years younger than his father had been when heart disease killed him.

“You have a history of the heart disease, your family, your father died before the age of 60. Your brother died before the age of 55, all aunt and uncle. You need to do something about yourself,” Yahyapour said. 

This death scare encouraged Yahyapour to start running. Four months after his diagnosis he ran the Myrtle Beach Marathon and he was hooked. 

“With time of the 4 hours and 2 minutes. And I came home. I told my wife I want to run the Boston Marathon. She said, I thought, you crazy,” Yahyapour said. 

Yahyapour has now run more than 30 marathons, over 100 half marathons and has even run the Boston Marathon 10 years in a row. 

“If I can do it, you can do it. Don't stop. Pick up the running because that's good for your health, good cheer your family and it just give you all the happiness,” Yahyapour said.