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'd 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
Starting Point - Dubai's Museum of the Future
The Dubai Run 2022 has two routes to choose from, the 5km route and the 10km route. Both route starts at Sheikh Zayed Road near the Museum of the Future but are divided into two separate roads. The 5km route is on the side of the road heading to Abu Dhabi (left on photo) while the 10km route is on the other side of the road heading to Sharjah (right on photo).
Interested in visiting Dubai's Museum of the Future? Read my POST!
Run Proper
The call time started at 5 AM and unfortunately, we understood it wrong. The actual run started at only 6:30 AM for everyone. Kris Fade is one of the hosts and they kept us all awake, warmed up, and entertained as we waited fo the gun to start.
After almost an hour of waiting, the run finally started as the runners ran passing by the Burj Khalifa.
The 5-km route took the ramp to Financial Center Road and then turned right towards Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard. Meanwhile, the 10-km route continues on Sheikh Zayed Road and makes a U-Turn before the Dubai Canal bridge. The 10-km route continued on Sheikh Zayed Road and took the ramp towards Financial Center Road then turned left towards Al Mustaqbal Street and commenced near Dubai World Trade Center.
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, colors, and running capabilities, was an experience that made me a proud UAE resident once again. Events like this remind 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 10-km and I finally discovered the benefit of a running buddy. The thought of a running buddy where you 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 run 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 joining again next year!
Thank you Dubai for this opportunity and a massive thank you to the organizers too!
