UAE: Key roads closed from midnight till 1pm on December 17 in Abu Dhabi
Up to 20,000 participants join 2022 Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon
Numerous key roads will be closed from midnight till 1pm on Saturday to pave the way for the 2022 Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon as up to 20,000 athletes, including some of the world's top long-distance runners, will take to the streets of Abu Dhabi.
To avoid being delayed in traffic, motorists are advised to be aware of the route, by following the map provided by the Intergrated Transport Centre (ITC) Abu Dhabi.
The 42.2-kilometer marathon kicked off at 6 am from King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street (closed till 9 am on December 17) by the Adnoc headquarters tower.
The UAE's Al Fursan aerobatics team will also perform dazzling aerial displays during the opening ceremony. Overehead the crew will paint the sky with green, white, black, and red smoke trails.
The athletes will thereafter pass through Bateen Street before proceeding to Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street (shut from 5am till 9am).
The marathon will cover monuments like as Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Wahat Al Karama at the 20-kilometer mark (closed till 9.30am), and will then proceed through Zayed Sports City (between 8am to 9.50am).
Athletes will be on the Sultan bin Zayed First Street (also known as "Muroor Road") between the 25km and 35km length, which will be blocked in two phases, from 6.10am to 11am and, again, from 6.15am till noon.
The marathon briefly passes through an intersection portion of Zayed the First Street (also known as Electra Street) and spans a distance of 42.2 kilometers.
A relay marathon — two runners each ccover 21.1 km — also form part of the event, as well as the 10-km, 5-km and 2.5-km categories.