Coronavirus in UAE: Dubai couple to take marathon to new heights

South African expat Collin Bradley Allin and his wife Hilda plan on doing a full marathon on Saturday, March 28, morning.

At a time when people are staying put in their homes and the entire human race is being put to the test, a Dubai couple has found a unique way to triumph over the odds.
South African expat Collin Bradley Allin and his wife Hilda plan on doing a full marathon on Saturday, March 28, morning.
One might wonder how with a lockdown in place. But the couple, both 41, will be taking it to new heights, quite literally by putting their endurance levels to the test on their 19-metre balcony at The Polo Residence in Meydan.
Collin said the idea behind the 'marathon' was to connect with people, stay busy and focus on other things at a time when planet earth is going through tough times with the coronavirus.
"I saw that a guy in Italy ran around his table in his kitchen and I thought we needed something to connect on something to focus on and something to be a bit more fun other than the virus," Collin told Khaleej Times on Friday.
"We have a nice-ish sized balcony and I thought I don't know if anyone has ever done one on a balcony before. So, I said, 'I'm going to do it'," he added.
The idea came to mind just a few days ago, revealed Collin. And he and his wife won't be alone in this endeavour with around 20 people from around the world set to join the couple. Three or four among them are from Dubai.
"I decided on Tuesday. I put a video on social media saying that I'm going to do it. And it had gone a bit viral and the communities got involved. I've got people around the world who are going to join me for some of the run. Some people are running 1km, some of them are running 10km, some doing 20km, there are one or two who might do the whole thing (42.2km) with me in other parts of the world," he said.
"There's probably, I'd say, 15 or 20 people that will do their own run in other parts of the world. There would be three of four from Dubai," added Collin, who is also a triathlete.
"There is no message. It is just connecting with people, staying busy, focusing on other things," he added.
Their 10-year-old daughter Geena will be the 'Race Director'.
"We have got our daughter involved. She broke her iPhone screen so she needs money for her new screen. So, we are paying her to be our 'Race Director'. It gives her something to do this week as well because the kids are stuck inside and it is difficult for them as well," Allin, who hails from Durban, said.
"We start at 6 tomorrow (Saturday) morning. I will do a live feed on my Facebook wall and then we will do live stories from Instagram as we go," said Allin, who relocated to Dubai three-and-half months ago after previously living here from 2014 to 2017.
james@khaleejtimes.com