In its efforts to prepare participating employees for the upcoming Marathon, Dubai Holding Running Club, one of the Company’s Wellness Programme initiatives, launched a 3-month long series of training sessions with an extensive focus on tips and techniques relevant to running long distances with specific timings.

Since last October, the sessions were attended by a diverse number of employees representing multiple nationalities, both genders and different fitness levels across the Group, including Jumeirah Group, TECOM Group, Dubai Properties, Dubai Asset Management, Arab Media Group (AMG), Dubai Retail and Dubai Holding’s Corporate Office. The final morning training session was conducted at Dubai Sports City today and was designed as a rehearsal for the big day where the employees will either the run the Marathon (42KM) or the (10KM) category based on their fitness levels.

A number of the participating employees shared their testimonials about their prepation for the upcoming Marathon:

Jamal Salem, Emirati, 39, Information Security Projects Manager, Dubai Holding Corporate Office, said: “Since I joined Dubai Holding, I’ve been an active employee in terms of participating in the different fitness events and wellness activations of the company. This year marks my 4^th year participating in the 10KM. To get ready for the race and break my previous record of 50 minutes, I regularly attended the morning training sessions of the Dubai Holding Running Club. Previously, I have participated in Dubai Holding SkyRun and Spartan Race.

Rosalie Lalic, Phillipina, 40, Executive Assitant, TECOM Group, said:: “ I will be running the Marathon (42KM) for the second time this Friday. The first time around, I completed the Marathon within 5 hours and 30 minutes and I am coming back this year to challenge myself to break my own record and improve my performance. I’ve committed for a year-long training to be prepared for this moment.”

Laura Bickerton, UK, 36, Legal Advisor, Dubai Properties, commented: “I’ve been working with Dubai Properties for about 3 years now. I did the 10KM category last year, and I’ve been actively participating in the Dubai Holding Running Club for the past few months to try and improve my performance. I am looking forward to breaking my record this Friday.”

Rodolphe Pialat, French, 38, Director of Food & Beverage- Al Qasr, Jumeirah Group, said: “This is my first time to be running the Marathon (42KM) in Dubai. I’ve previously ran two Marathons – in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I feel participating in such sporting events helps to clear my mind and change my work and family routine. Focusing on sports is the best way to enhance both physical and mental health.”

Walid Ibrahim, Emirati, 47, Director of Operations, Dubai Asset Management, said: “This is my first participation in the Marathon. I will run the 10KM as I have started training recently and I want to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Besides being an Employee at Dubai Holding, I take the pride to be part of #MyCity_MyRace campaign and run with other Emirati participants in the race.”

Claudelle Landers, Indian, 48, Leasing Executive, TECOM Group, commented: “I started participating in the Dubai Marathon 5 years ago. The first 3 years, I ran the 4KM only and in the 4^th year I decided to challenge myself and run the 10KM. It was my first time to train and I ended up finishing the 10KM category in 2 hours and was physically exhausted.  Last year, I improved my performance and finished the 10KM in 1 hour and 35 minutes. This year, I am aiming to finish the race in less than an hour.”

Majd Zidan, Syrian, 34, Zone Services Department Manager, TECOM Group, said: “I’ve been participating in the Dubai Marathon since 2015, and I can’t wait for this Friday. The training today was impressive, and we’ve learned new techniques and got some fruitful tips that will help.”

Dubai Holding has been supported by J-Club at Jumeirah Beach Hotel to share diet and fitness tips with employees as part of their training programme.

Jamie Moore,  Head of Training and Wellness at J-Club, advises runners to load up on carbohydrates before the big race which will ensure they can draw on energy, particularly in the latter stages – and warns them not to embark on any high-intensity training in the next few days. “The last week before the run is considered down time so each participant should be on relaxation. Drink between three to four litres of water every day to stay hydrated. Green juices are also very beneficial as they are high in fibre which will help strengthen your muscles.”

Dubai Marathon is the biggest mass-participation sports event in Dubai, with the number of participants reaching more than 30,000. Dubai Holding is one of the founding sponsors of the race as part of a wider wellness programme which aims to improve the wellbeing of its employees and local communities by actively encouraging them to take part in major fitness events.

In 2011, Dubai Holding introduced the UAE National Prize Category as part of its ongoing commitment to community wellness and fostering Emirati pride.  The top three male and female Emirati winners are rewarded for their success in the 10km, 42km and Wheelchair race with an overall prize fund of 86,000 AED.  This year, the company launched its #MyCity_MyRace campaign to encourage more Emiratis from different fitness levels to participate and is expecting to see record numbers at the race on Friday.

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