Al Marmoom Set To Make History This December With World’s Longest Desert Ultramarathon

Dubai will make endurance history this December when it hosts the world’s longest desert ultramarathon in the spectacular Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.

Being held under the umbrella of Dubai Sports Council from December 11-15, the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon will be the ultimate measure of athletic endurance, testing physical strength and mental stamina as runners cross 270km of desert landscape in the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.

The prize value totals US $80,000 in cash, trophies and medals, making it the biggest purse in the world for an ultramarathon. All finishers will be awarded certificates and medals.

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“We are happy to support this event, which is the longest desert ultramarathon in the world,” said His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, at Wednesday’s press conference. “It will test the endurance of the athletes, but what excites us even more is that this is an environment-friendly event which will showcase the fascinating beauty of Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve across five days.

“We are also excited about the stories that will be coming out of the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon – tales of true grit and the indefatigable human spirit because conquering 270 kilometres of the unforgiving desert terrain demands nothing less.

“We will have the world’s best ultramarathon runners coming here for the event, and to make sure they have an unforgettable experience, the organisers are going that extra yard to provide the best tracking system, and the best onsite medical and emergency facilities for the participants.”

The Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon offers a choice of three distances: the world’s longest desert ultra-run of 270km that will take place across 5 days, as well as continuous 100km and 50km ultra runs. All three distances are self-sufficient, across mixed desert terrain.

Base camp will be situated beside the lakes in Al Marmoom and will include tents, medical assistance, water and basic refreshments. The routes will include regular check points where there will be water, time keeping, medical and race crew.

Event Director Ruth Dickinson said: “The Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve is a very special setting for the world’s ultimate race. Our aim is to offer the world’s elite ultra-running community and recreational ultra-runners the opportunity to experience this stunning landscape, whilst achieving a world first – the longest desert ultra-run.

“We will offer participants the highest standards of health and safety and we would like to thank our event partners who have been enthusiastic.”

Runners will be kept on track by the latest tracking technology supplied by SamTech Middle East. Personal devices will provide live tracking of each runner as well as timing technology. They will also provide a ‘panic’ button that will alert emergency services if there is a medical issue and where the runner can be located. This technology will also provide continuous tracking and timing for the race organisers, media and spectators and will be available to view on a variety of mediums, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, social and mainstream media.

The important task of keeping the runners hydrated will be met by Al Ain Water, who will provide all the water required for the runners, the race management team and crew.

Water will be distributed to the runners on a calculated rationed and regular basis to ensure hydration needs are met. Hydration stations will also be situated every 10kms on the routes.

International elite ultra-runners will take on the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon 270km route, which is divided into four segments: two 50kms runs, plus continuous 70km and 100km runs. The two additional ultra runs taking place at the same time will be over 100km and 50km distances.

Participants will follow specific routes and the course will be marked every 500 meters.

Race director, Danil Bornventure said: “Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon will take runners to the limit of human endurance, testing physical strength and mental stamina. Every runner has a personal goal, and our goal is to help them achieve it. The three distances of 270 km, 100 km and 50 km offer an opportunity for a range of abilities and experience to compete and participate.”

Dubai Municipality, the Venue Partner will host the event in Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, the largest of its kind in the Arab world. It stretches across 10 per cent of Dubai’s land, and is part of a conservation initiative to promote Dubai’s commitment to a sustainable environment, providing a balanced ecosystem for thousands of wild animals and migratory birds, and includes environmental, cultural and sports-related activities.

Eng. Alya Abdulrahim Alharmoudi, Director of Environment Department at Dubai Municipality, said: “International events like this Ultramarathon can work as an awareness tool due the high number of fans following such events and promote the site among the competitors and general public in order to show the great conservation efforts by Dubai Municipality and other related authorities working side-by-side to achieve the strategic plans of the Emirate of Dubai. Dubai Municipality always happy to collaborate with related authorities.”

Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon is open to ultra-runners over 18 years who provide a medical certificate attesting to their ability to participate in a race of this type as well as an ECG print-out dated less than 30days prior to the race.

The race includes male and female athletes with race rankings for Top 3 male and female runners for each distance and teams. There will be special recognition awards for Emirati male and female competitors and male and female veterans (over 50) as well as individual stage rankings.

Jeanette Mertz, an elite ultra-runner and Marathon des Sables 2018 competitor is looking forward to the very special experience of running in the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.

It’s such a prestigious event, a unique opportunity to explore the unspoiled spectacular desert reserve home to the Arabian Oryx, sandfoxes, mountain gazelles and other flagship species of the desert,” she said.

The UAE has a strong ultra-running community with UAE ultra-runners setting records, and they are delighted that a world record breaking ultra-run is being organised in Dubai.

Dr Khaled Al Suwaidi, Rahma Run-327km finisher and UAE ultra-running champion, is enthusiastic in his support for the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon.

“As an Emirati ultramarathon athlete, I truly believe that the beautiful landscape we have in the UAE is an ultramarathon runner’s paradise,” Al Suwaidi said. “We are blessed to be able to run in all types of terrain. Hosting the world’s longest desert ultra-run here in the UAE shows that the respective authorities are willing and capable of hosting such events and many more in the upcoming years.”

Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon will promote sustainability and conservation legacy. The start/ finish arch will be made of wood, as well as the uniquely designed trophies and medals. The base camp will be using solar power, and utilising sustainable services and waste management. The race management are working closely with Dubai Municipality to ensure the Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon is setting the highest possible environmental standards and to minimise the impact on the landscape and wildlife.

Registrations are open and can be done online: http://www.ultramarathon.ae/registration.html

For additional information, contact Ruth Dickinson, Event Director: [email protected] / 050 654 1961 / 04 333 9 222

Samir I. Abdul Hadi, Founder & CEO of SamTech Middle East:

“SamTech is providing state-of-the-art end to end technology to track & trace the runners in desert along with smart applications for the participants, organizers and the public. The system is capable of handling the SOS call from the runners in case of emergencies and escalate it on real time to the concerned authorities to react timely. Organizers will be notified immediately if the runners violate or deviates from the racing track.

“By using the smart applications, public users will be able to track Marathon runners in real time. They can simply download “Ultra Marathon” mobile app from the Google Play or App Store and start tracking their favourite runners in the field. Smart Applications will provide up to date information about the runners including their location on the track, distance covered and current position in the race. Users will also be notified about the winning runners on completion.”

Eng. Alya Abdulrahim Al Harmoudi – Director of Environment Department, Dubai Municipality

“Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve (AMDCR) is becoming the main host and destination to the majority of the environment friendly activities like marathons, horse racing, cycling, bird and animal watching to keep people in touch with nature without harming the natural beauty of the desert. The reserve extended to cover 950k2 which represents 23% of the total area of Dubai as the largest unfenced Reserve in UAE open to the public in the middle of Sieh Alsalam Desert.

“The reserve supports large number of fauna and flora that highly adapted to the desert ecosystem from the endangered Arabian Oryx to the valuable Ghaf trees beside wide variety of other species like gazelles, birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.

“HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, officially declared Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve under the Decree No. (22) of 2014 with the main aim of conservation and sustainable utilization of desert biological diversity, its landscape and preservation of the cultural and archaeological heritage of the site. Sarouq Al Hadeed Archaeological Site, one of the most important archaeological sites in the UAE, is located within the boundaries of AMDCR. Sarouq Al Hadeed dates back to the beginning of the Iron Age and was once one of the main centers of copper manufacturing and various tools in the region.

“Recently Dubai Municipality established new facilities and developments within the area such as animal and bird platforms, Yoga platform, Sun rise and sun Set platform as well as theatre in order to attract large number of visitors to show the beauty of the area especially the new lakes that become the main destination for the nature lovers.

“Such international events like this ultramarathon can work as an awareness tool due the high number of fans following this events which can promote the site among the competitors and general public in order to show the great conservation efforts by Dubai Municipality and other related authorities work side by side to achieve the strategic plans of the Emirate of Dubai. Dubai Municipality always happy to collaborate with related authorities.”