Dubai Fitness Challenge 2022 is almost over and just last weekend, Dubai celebrated the most awaited event which is the Dubai Run. An activity I missed last year, I promised myself I'll join this time and what a fun experience indeed! Let's have a quick look back at the Dubai Run 2022 and read my experience too!
Last year's participation in Dubai30x30: Dubai Bike Ride 2021
DUBAI RUN โ STARTING POINT:
The Dubai Run 2022 have two routes to choose from, the 5km route and the 10km route. Both route starts at Sheikh Zayed Road near Museum of the Future but are divided into two separate roads. The 5km route is on the side of the road heading Abu Dhabi (left on photo) while the 10km route is on the other side of the road heading Sharjah (right on photo).
Interested to visit Dubai's Museum of the Future? Read my POST!
DUBAI RUN โ RUN PROPER:
The actual run started at 6:30 AM, which a few like me... understood it differently. I thought we can start as early as we can so that we can finish early as well. Anyhow, as we wait, there are hosts on different side of the road and one is Kris Fade. The hosts kept all of us awake along with some warm up routines done by Fitness First while waiting for the run.
After almost an hour of waiting, the run finally started as the runners run towards the Burj Khalifa. The 5km route took a slightly different route by taking the ramp to Financial Center Road and then turned right towards Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard.
Meanwhile, the 10km route continues on Sheikh Zayed Road. Just before the Dubai Canal bridge, the route made a U-Turn and took the ramp towards Financial Center Road. Unlike the 5km route which turned right, the 10km route turned left towards Al Mustaqbal Street. The route then continued on for a few more kilometers up to behind Dubai World Trade Center vicinity.
DUBAI RUN 2022 EXPERIENCE:
Compared to my Dubai Bike Ride 2021 experience, my Dubai Run 2022 experience is a little more goal-oriented. Nevertheless, it was still fun. Seeing runners of different nationalities, ages, color, and running capabilities, it's an experience that made me a proud UAE resident once again. Events like this reminds me of how co-existence sits peacefully in this city which we all take pride in.
On running, I ran with my colleague Max who is a faster runner but slowed down to meet my pace. We ran the whole 10km and I finally discovered the benefit of a running buddy. The thought of a running buddy where you actually talk to your running buddy, felt like a silly idea. But true enough, running felt like second nature when you have one. My focus is on listening to Max and on keeping up with his pacing. I struggled a little bit at the last 2 kilometers but Max also pushed me up to the finish line. I haven't ran more than 7 kilometers yet this season so the remaining 2 kilometers is about 'mind over matter' for me.
Overall, I'm surprised and impressed with my pacing. 8 kilometers out of 10 were all under 8 minutes which is a first for me. Unfortunately, the last km pulled my timing and my overall pace down. It's because of the miscalculation of the 10km route of the event. Four of us colleagues all got a total distance of 9 kilometers only from the starting line up to the finish line. I hate not closing the 10km mark, so I added our walk towards the metro station, which of course is slower than my running pace.
Whether the distance was short or not, I still had fun running in Sheikh Zayed Road along with 193,000 people! Dubai Run 2022 was a nice once-in-a-year event and I'm definitely joining again next year! Thank you Dubai for this opportunity and a massive thank you to the organizers too!
