Dubai: From hosting her own radio talk show to being an interior designer and motivational speaker, life has come a full circle for Liesa Euton. Now, the race director of the highly popular annual Dubai Women’s Run, Euton doubles up as the VIP/Protocol and International Relations director with the UAE Athletics Federation, overseeing an event that promises to empower women and give them an opportunity to showcase hidden talents.
This year’s Run, to be held at Skydive Dubai on November 4, promises to raise the stakes even higher with an array of international runners participating, including Stella Tamrazyan and Lilit Harutyunyan (Armenia); Ali Taher Bibiro (Chad); Kristina Maki and Simona Vrzalova (Czech Republic); Marie Elaine Saholinirina (Madagascar); Biljana Cvijanovic and Ana Risticevic (Serbia); Dina Lebo Phalula (South Africa) and Stella Chesang and Mercyline Chelangat (Uganda). Euton is pleased about this development, and a few more aspects that have put this Run as a precursor for women’s sport in the region:
Gulf News: Could you speak a bit on the novelty of the Dubai Women’s Run? How has this event been important in the history of UAE athletics, and for the region?
Liesa Euton: The Dubai Women’s Run, as it is now known, is perhaps the first such initiative in the Middle East, and is indeed a torchbearer of the spirit of the Arab woman, not only in sports, but an indication of what Arab women can achieve.
Our aim is to create a nation of active women; from dancing in the living room to celebrating gold, we want to make sport and fitness an everyday part of life for women and girls. The Run has been important to the region because depending on the country, women in Muslim parts of the world have varying experiences — they face different obstacles in trying to participate in sports. Even so, these female athletes have a few things in common. All of them must try to navigate the complexity of their identities. Individually, girls and women make decisions for themselves based on their values, obligations, expectations, affinity to sport and whatever else it is that makes them who they are.
What sort of positives can you list out for participants in this Run?
It’s good for your joints. Moving is what lubricates your joints. It’s an effective exercise for fat loss. Running is the most popular, easy and effective way to do aerobic training. It’s something that allows you to start slow and, when you’re ready, gradually push towards higher and higher intensities and longer distances.
It’s protective against muscle and bone loss. Running, and other weight-bearing exercises, can also preserve muscle mass and improve bone density.
It’s good for your heart. A study of female runners in the New England Journal of Medicine found that being a regular runner created a “substantial increase in HDL [good] cholesterol”. The study also stressed the importance of aerobic exercise in lowering LDL [bad] cholesterol.
Running helps you age better. Running is associated with reduced disability in later life, and a notable survival advantage. On a simpler note, running is a great way to reduce stress. Who doesn’t need that!
It’s social. Running provides the average person more opportunity for competition than a lot of other sports. You can do fund-raising runs. There are running groups you can join or go with a friend. And this is a great way to catch up without consuming calories or spending money. Women can push their children in strollers or chase them while they are on their bikes. Having an active life is great for your health and your soul.
What sort of progress has this Run made in five years? And why?
More and more women are getting involved with the Run annually. When we started seven years ago, we had approximately 600 women. This figure has been increasing each year since then. And now it is not just runners from the UAE, we have had ladies who are now travelling from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Serbia, Spain along with more and more professional women athletes seeking permission from us to participate in this Run. This year, we are expecting more than 5,000 women to be part of the Run. In addition, we have been getting more and more companies showing involvement by wanting to participate as team, keeping health and wellness for their staff as core benefits.
How do you think this Run has contributed in the empowerment of women in the UAE and the region, in general?
Empowering women through motion is what we like to call it at the UAE Athletics Federation. We want to empower women through physical exercise, such as walking, jogging and running in order to achieve exceptional personal goals. Our mission is to empower women through physical and emotional fitness, while providing a charitable opportunity to support the Al Jalila Foundation.
We believe in women who recognise their limitless potential and help themselves and others pursue their dreams. We use the power of exercise and education to empower women of all ages to celebrate their bodies, honour their voices, recognise their talents, ignite their personal power and begin the ripple effect to extend to the community we live in, and beyond.
As the race director of this event, I am sure you have ambitions for this Run. Where would you like to see this Run in the next 10 years?
I want to get to the level of our sister run, the Dubai Marathon that the president of the UAE Athletics Federation, Ahmad Al Kamali, started 17 years ago. The Dubai Marathon, now known as the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, started off with just 50 people. Today we have more than 37,000 people of various walks of life coming together to celebrate fitness, wellness and life. This is my goal and dream for our Women’s Run as well — that women come from everywhere to enjoy a run that is just for them.
