Dubai
As the season’s first Dubai Desert Road Run is set to kick off on September 23, novices and professional runners alike are on their marks and ready to roll.
Dean O’Grady, organiser of the popular event which features two distances 3km and 10km, told XPRESS, “It is always great to see participation from novice runners in the early part of their journey progress when they come back to run in one of our races again later in the season.”
He said, “As a community event, we love to encourage new runners to participate and we try to create an environment that is suited to that — our races are fairly small compared to the huge participation of the Dubai Marathon - with around 500 participants. At the same time, our races are on private roads, with ambulance back up, so we provide a significant element of safety for those taking their first steps in running.”
Best runners
However, he added that the Dubai Desert Road Run isn’t just for novice runners. “We have some of the best local runners participate from children in the 3km up to adults in the 10km.”
First launched in February 2012, the Dubai Desert Road Run is held several times a year, appealing to all elements of the running community — from first time social runners to some of the best UAE-based athletes, added O’Grady.
Both the 3km and 10km distances are run on private roads over a safe, traffic free course. The start and finish for each Dubai Desert Road Run is at ‘the village’ in The Sevens Stadium.
The organiser said all participants of the Dubai Desert Road Run are given event medals. Those that finish competitively in the first three slots of their respective age groups also receive trophies.
The minimum age for entry is six in the 3km run and 14 in the 10km race. The runs attract runners of all abilities, as a result of which some even walk for a length of the distance. Parents that wish to push their babies in strollers are also allowed to participate.
Subsequent runs of the season will be held this December 16, followed by February 17, April 14 and June 16 next year.
