Dubai: Hundreds of residents sweat it out at The Mai Dubai City Half Marathon

From experienced runners to newbies, hundreds of people turned out on Sunday morning at the Mai Dubai Half Marathon, which was flagged off from the Dubai International Financial Center as part of the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC).

“This was my first run, and I am so excited that I finished it,” said Diana Campos, who had finished the 10K. “I wanted to finish in under an hour and my watch says 59 minutes. I am just keeping my finger crossed that the official run timings are the same.”

The Costa Rican national began running just four months ago, and is delighted about the changes it has brought about in her life. “I eat healthy and sleep early,” she said. “This is the fittest I have been in my life, and I am so happy about it.” For her, the DFC has been a great motivator. “Yesterday I did a 2km open sea swim as I am also training for a triathlon,” she said. “Today I did this run. I love the fitness challenge and how it is motivating me to do a little bit better every day.”

The DFC kicked off on Saturday, October 29 for its sixth edition in what organisers are hoping will be the biggest event ever. “Covid taught people the importance of being fit and healthy. So far, the numbers have been very encouraging. We are hoping to top last year’s participation numbers,” said Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, while speaking to Khaleej Times at the launch of the DFC.

South African national Liesl ran the 5K to support her husband Alan, who is training for a long marathon in their hometown. “I am a fairly new runner so for me it was an achievement that I was able to finish,” said Liesl. “I am training for a 90-kilometre marathon in South Africa in June 2023,” said Alan. “This run was just practice for it. It was a bit hot, and I had some issues because of an Achilles injury but I am glad I participated.”

For seasoned runner Mohammed Anshah, the run was special as he clocked his personal best time of 1 hour and 52 minutes while doing the half marathon. “A little before the summer, I had clocked 1 hour 56 minutes while running at the kite beach – but this was my personal best,” he said. “When you are at a run like this, the energy and vibe is very different to when you are running solo. So, towards the end I really pushed myself.”

He commended the race organisers for their work. “Everything was perfectly organised; the traffic, the starting and ending points, the route, everything was really good,” he said. “I think the most amusing thing I saw today was two people who were doing the 5km discussing a recipe while running. I also marvelled at how the DFC had inspired so many people to get out of their homes and on to the jogging tracks.”

The Indian national starting running in 2017 when he noticed the benefits of running through a colleague. “When I first started, there were days when running even 500m was a great achievement,” he said. “Now I alternate my running style every day. I do long runs, interval runs and easy runs so that I can improve myself. My next goal is to run the Dubai Marathon.”

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