While many celebrated UAE National Day by enjoying a long weekend, Nico de Corato had something else in mind.
The 38-year-old Italian did the opposite of what an average person would define as “fun” on the nation’s 44th birthday, completing a 100 kilometre desert run to commemorate the rich heritage of the UAE.
Starting from The Meydan Hotel and Racecourse at noon on December 1, Corato covered the entire 100km in 20 hours, 10 minutes with his arrival at Bab Al Shams Desert Resort the following day at 08:10 completing his journey.
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According to Corato, there was never a point at which he considered quitting, but the final stretch was by far the most challenging portion.
“The last 10 kilometres. They were endless,” he said. “Seventeen hours and 40 minutes to complete the first 90km. I was elated. Better than expected. But then a never-ending file of lights – off due to the hour of the day – separated me from the end.
“Sometimes I stopped for a few minutes leaning on a palm tree or a rock to rest my legs and back, even just for a few seconds. I was not cramping, but my back was hurting everywhere.
“When the end is in sight, you always try to run, but my mind was not letting me as I was not sure how far I really was.
“I had no points of reference. I didn’t know how far I was. But suddenly a car driven by Willem Du Plooy, sports & leisure manager at Meydan, who had come looking for me, arrived and screamed, ‘You almost made it, don’t give up!’”
Desert time with friends.. https://t.co/ao8aXcGKls
— Nico de Corato (@dubayblog) December 6, 2015
Hardly a professional athlete, Corato is a social media consultant and professional speaker by trade, but his background as a heli rescue diver and martial arts practitioner explains his love for adventure and pushing the limits.
In fact, Corato is already considering his next feat.
“We are thinking about something more extreme, even before we did this, and we already have some ideas for the next National Day,” he said.
“But for now, two weeks of well-deserved rest.”
