The 2015-2016 UAE running season is our biggest and busiest yet. Not only are ever-popular annually organised events experiencing sellout and record attendance figures year after year, they still continue to make way for dozens of newer themed fun runs, endurance challenges and community initiatives that, on their own, are cultivating a new wave of social and health-conscious striders.
– Russia: Scandal exposes security agency’s links to sport
– #360view: IAAF incompetence stinks
– Russia: Kremlin spokesperson calls for proof
– Russia: Calls to ban federation following accusations
One person delighted to continue to bear witness to a hike in interest in running, is Steve Watson, events director of Abu Dhabi Striders, a club that has played a pivotal role in increasing the quantity and quality of running events in the capital, having started out in 1984.
“The running season in Abu Dhabi is off to a very strong start,” he said. “This year we’re sitting at 30-per-cent growth in running events we’ve hosted (compared to last year). Our recent ADCB Pink Run had 1100 runners, up from 730 the previous year, and our Half Marathon and 10K coming up this month sold out six weeks prior to race day with over 2200 signed up.
“We could have possibly taken that to 2500 if we had, had the merchandise available. All major Dubai events also look to be experiencing huge growth.”
Indeed, over in Dubai, it was announced earlier this week that registration for this Friday’s hotly-anticipated We Run DXB 10K race – a fun global series hosted by 18 cities across Europe, Latin America and Asia – had been closed at 15,000 runners, a far cry from last year’s 5,000.
Experts believe it is the fact that events like We Run DXB, and to name a few whacky new additions like The Color Run, NEO Run, and the zombie-themed Contagion Run, focus more on the experience of running in a fun, charged, allinclusive group atmosphere, rather than the finish-line outcome itself, that make them so popular.
Off-road and alternative terrain events are on the rise too, says Watson, “because they’re something unusual”. He added: “Wadi Bih takes you through the mountains and wadis in Oman, our Westin Kilomarathon lets you run on a golf course, and through sand, gravel, under lights – it’s unique. In fact, we’ve got some new events coming up in 2016 which will also be away from the tarmac.”
Coach Tom Woolf, who is behind Nike’s running activities in the region added: “Races and fun runs in general make people feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.”
And with that in mind, it is no wonder large-group run club meets are gaining traction, too. While Abu Dhabi Striders now offer double the amount of organised weekly runs on and off island as they did three years ago, they welcome Yas Marina Circuit’s several free weekly initiatives including TrainYAS, StartYAS, GoYAS, and the new #WalkWithMeUAE series, all spearheaded by insurance company Daman.
Nike meets six times a week in Dubai and recently introduced a club each in Abu Dhabi and Doha. Woolf said: “There’s more expansion across the region from Nike to really support the bottom of the pyramid – people that don’t normally get access to sport, people that don’t normally have a chance to receive high-quality coaching, and people that really genuinely care about their development at whatever level of the spectrum they are, in terms of sport.”
In Abu Dhabi, Watson credits the intervention of the corporate and public sector for increased awareness on the benefits of running.
“I have to say that the work that Daman and the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, alongside other entities, are doing to promote health and wellness is having a kick-on effect,” he said.
“A lot of companies are encouraging staff to take up fitness and have created corporate and social responsibility programmes. One example is Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, who’ve got hundreds of runners joining in our Half Marathon and 10K this month.
“If we look at who ran in 2013 in an Abu Dhabi Striders event there would be almost no Emiratis. Last year, we achieved 6.5 per cent participation, and this year the pie charts are suggesting it’s going to grow close to 10 per cent.”
