Charlotte McGarry Bags 10K Run Honours In Stage 2 Of Dubai Women’s Running Challenge
Charlotte McGarry of the UK bagged the top honours in the 10K Run of the second stage of Dubai Women’s Running Challenge, which took place at Palm Jumeirah on Saturday, while her compatriot Kahli Johnson topped the charts in the 5K Run and Oman’s Khlood Al Saadi was fastest in 2.5K Run.
Flagged off from in front of the Atlantis The Palm hotel, Charlotte McGarry crossed the finish line in 42 minutes and 13 seconds to finish ahead of Ukraine’s Olena Romanova (43:28) and Helen Boland (43:54) of Ireland in the overall rankings of the 10km run.
In the 5km Run, Kahli Johnson (21:40) was 13 seconds faster than compatriot Louise MacGregor (21:53), while Kitsy Smith (22:12) of the United States finished third.
Khlood Al Saadi, who finished behind Emirati Shamsa Salim in the opening stage of the Challenge at Dubai Safari Park on January 16, went one better this weekend, clocking the fastest time (11:27) in the 2.5km Run. The UK’s Maggie Parkin was second overall with a time of 12:17, while Emirati Noor Kuhail (12:23) finished third.
“This is my second Dubai Women’s Running Challenge,” said Sarah Jones, who took part in the 10km Run. “It was an amazing race. Strong headwinds but the atmosphere is really good, and really nice to see all the ladies out running, and running hard as well. So thank you to Dubai Sports Council.”
The next stage of the Challenge, which will be a night race starting at 9pm, takes place on Thursday, January 28 at Dubai Garden Glow. The Challenge will then wind up on February 6 at Al Seef, allowing participants to soak in the atmosphere in what is the cultural and historic district of Dubai.
Registration for the remaining two stages of the Dubai Women’s Running Challenge is open on the Hopasports website (Dubai Women Running Challenge | Series 3 of 4 | Dubai Garden Glow) and Merel Kleuver, a Dutch expat, is already looking forward to the remaining two stages.
“I am originally from the Netherland, but I have been living in Dubai for three years now,” she said. “I joined the Dubai Women’s Running Challenge, and I just love it. I hate running, but this race actually got me moving.”
UNIQUE MEDAL
To encourage and honour participants, Dubai Sports Council has designed a unique set of medals for the Dubai Women’s Running Challenge. The medal for each stage has been designed to represent the landscape of that particular stage and, when put together, the four medals will spell “Dubai”.
Danielle Mander, a UK expatriate, is looking forward to collecting all four medals.
“I have just complete the second race of Dubai Women’s Running Challenge,” she said. “Next week is the Garden Glow and then the week after in Al Seef, so that will be four races. We get one of these medals every week to make a nice four.”
The Dubai Women’s Running Challenge is one of a number of initiatives and events launched by Dubai Sports Council to promote sports and a physically active lifestyle among all segments of the community, especially among women and children. The Challenge is an opportunity for women of different age and nationalities, who are looking for such events to satiate their competitive urges.
The Challenge is also part of Dubai Sports Council’s strategic objective of empowering women, and promoting sports and physical activity among women through such competitions, which encourage women of all age and abilities to take part and also enjoy a wonderful new experience.
Women’s events and tournaments organized by Dubai Sports Council are becoming increasingly popular with women of different nationalities and age, allowing them to compete in an atmosphere of privacy and in confirmation with the customs and traditions of the region.
RESULTS
10km RUN
Age 18-39: 1-Charlotte McGarry (UK) 42:13; 2-Helen Boland (Ireland) 43:54; 3-Diana Gogitidze (Georgia) 45:02; 4-Natalia Kovshova (Ukraine) 46:18; 5-Barbara Fenaux (Belgium) 48:01.
Age 40-49: 1-Olena Romanova (Ukraine) 43:28; 2-Lisa Garrett (UK) 44:37; 3-Tatiana Savelyeva (Russia) 45:25; 4-Mary O’Leary (Ireland) 48:26; 5-Nadia Ziyadeh (USA) 51:52.
Age 50-59: 1-Sioned Taylor (UK) 46:50; 2-Sharon James 54:03; 3-Martine larroque (France) 01:10:37.
Age 60-99: Jane Clark (UK) 53:56.
Age 12-17: Anisa Bleoca (Romania) 58:35.
5km RUN
Age 18-99: 1-Kahli Johnson (UK) 21:40; 2-Louise MacGregor (UK) 21:53; 3-Kitsy Smith (USA) 22:12; 4-Analyn Fuglestad (Norway) 23:30; 5-Mona Renno (Lebanon) 23:36.
Age 12-17: 1-Mariana Vale (Portugal) 22:32; 2-Tia Watson (UK) 23:07.
2.5km RUN
Age 18-99: 1-Khlood Al Saadi (Oman) 11:27; 2-Noor Kuhail (UAE) 12:23; 3-Daniela Ticalo (Romania) 13:12; 4-Gina McDonagh (Ireland) 13:26; 5-Lidiia Zimina (Russia) 13:34.
Age 15-17: 1-Sadaf Abdullah Abdul Qadir (India) 26:58; 2-Maitha Salim (UAE) 27:00.
Age 10-14: 1-Emaan Muhammad (Pakistan) 16:56; 2-Muna Hasayen (Jordan) 17:53; 3-Huda Muhammad (Pakistan) 19:46; 4-Fatima Al Rahma (UAE) 22:04; 6-Fatma Al Falasi (UAE) 22:38.
Age 5-9: 1-Maggie Parkin (UK) 12:17; 2-Anna Fernandes (India) 13:10; 3-Kaitlyn Botha (UAE) 14:18; 4-Lucia Ferris Manrique (UK) 14:30; 5-Afraa Al Majar (UAE) 14:37.
