Sharjah's first ever female-only obstacle race proves big hit with hundreds of participants

Sport360 staff 17:01 24/12/2017
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • 'Challenge Accepted' was held on Saturday at Sharjah.

    In a healthy mix of rivalry and fun, over 400 participants took part in Sharjah’s first-ever female-only obstacle race titled ‘Challenge Accepted’ on Saturday.

    Organised by the Sharjah Girl’s Guide (SGG), the race was held at its Al Bdai’e headquarters.

    Contestants were put through a series of obstacles where they had to navigate through water, ice and sand along with some balancing tasks.

    The race was divided into two categories with contestants in the age group of 7-12 navigating a 3km course while those aged 13-23 were put through a 4km course.

    In a keenly contested race in the junior category, Amna Fouad Annohi emerged as the winner with Shamma Abdelrahim Al Bastaki and Maha Abdelaziz Ahmad finishing in second and third place respectively.

    Fatima Al Ali took top honours in the senior category ahead of Sheikha Salem Al Dahmani and Alanood Al Ali.

    The top finishers in the two races were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals along with Apple watches and some special offers from the Sharjah Ladies Club.

    While the event saw some competitive healthy rivalry on the race track, those that came on to cheer the contestants were welcomed to an array of open-air activities including bouncy castles, inflatable maze challenges, a live escape game and team-building exercises.

    The young contestants were put through a series of obstacles.

    The young contestants were put through a series of obstacles.

    “We are extremely proud of everyone who took part in our Challenge Accepted obstacle race, the winners, the runners up and every other competitor. We were delighted with the turnout and hope to see similar initiatives from children’s and youth organisations taking place in Sharjah in the future. We planned for this activity to have a strong element of fun, to encourage them to get involved in fitness activities. What we really want to see as an outcome of this event is more people adopting a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Shaikha Abdulaziz Al Shamsi, Manager of SGG.

    Al Shamsi added that hosting the very first obstacle race in Sharjah exclusively for females comes as part of SGG’s vision to involve the community in new initiatives: “We were keen to introduce prospective members to the organisation, especially since we will start accepting membership applications for our new ‘Senior Guides’ category (ages 16-18) from the beginning of the upcoming year.

    ‘Challenge Accepted’ was sponsored by Sharjah Municipality, Sharjah Ladies Club, Sharjah Co-op, Barakat Quality Plus and Virgin Megastore. The activity was the latest community initiative from SGG, which gave birth to the guiding movement in the UAE through its establishment in 1973.

    SGG aims to inspire and nurture future generations to become progressive global citizens by providing a platform for girls to develop to their fullest potential. The organisation operates under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.

    Recommended