October 20th is a much awaited and heralded day by people all over the UAE. The much hyped and much awaited Dubai Fitness challenge is here to wow you with scintillating and power packed fitness events and activities that will have your adrenaline pumping in no time. It’s a brand new fitness initiative started by none other than our very own fitness aficionado HH Sheikh Hamadan. The challenge is to complete at least 30 minutes of physical exercise every day for 30 days. Among opportunities galore here are our top favourite events that you must participate in.
On the inaugural day of the fitness challenge, gear yourself for some heart pumping sessions of climbing, sliding, jumping over obstacles on sand dunes that are by no means an easy feat. This challenge is definitely not for the faint of heart. Established fitness enthusiasts can attempt this with gusto and up their game by a couple of notches. The event will take place in Dubai land from 10 am to 6 pm and will cost you Dhs 490.
Water babies can take solace from the mind-blowing diving costumes that are on display that promise you a day of swim- racing to the finish line past the Burj Al Arab. The Dubai city swim is part of the Global swim series and is a fantastic campaign amid open water swimming initiatives in the world. Head to the Kite beach for an exciting swim from 8 am to 10 am.
A day in the sand dunes of the UAE desert means you will be transported back to Greek mythology and folklore, as you see an impressive crowd of participants jostling and heaving themselves over 7 feet walls & barbed wire fences to race to the finish line. The distances are arduous. For the brave and almighty, there is a herculean distance of 23 kms for the Spartan beast, while beginners can comfort themselves with just a doable Spartan sprint of 5kms. If you find this to be your scene, head to the Hatta Mountain Bike trail centre at Hatta Dubai on November 10.
Enjoy spectacular colours and unicorn vibes as you run for fun to an easy-peasy distance of just 5 kms. The untimed route also has a new addition of a fun foam zone where participants will feel a floaty and heady sensation when they get bedazzled with bright hues of colour infused foam to heighten the happiness all around. A chirpy sight indeed! The entry is at a cool AED 50-AED 260.
The super challenging triathlon is only for the fitness biggies. This one is an advanced course of a 1.5 km swim, followed by 80 kms of cycling and then a 10 km run. There is plenty to choose from as there are 6 different individual age categories followed by three team categories of male only and female only for those who shudder to partake in the triathlon all by themselves.
Hard core weight training enthusiasts can revel in the series of boot camp classes that will be held all over the city this entire month. Barry’s boot camp and Dubai’s ladies club will be putting together free ladies classes to kick-start the fitness levels.
For some light hearted water fun, paddle boarding is an exciting and fun way to spend your weekend. Head to Jumeirah 3 where Kite and Surf will be taking a one hour class on paddle boarding every Friday and Saturday at 8.30 in the morning. There are also plans underway for a sunset class for the not so early risers.
For those of you who don’t relish the idea of physical exertion of the outdoor terrain and the Dubai sun, there are a plethora of other activities lined up for you like Zumba in JLT, HIIT classes in the Marina to barre, kick boxing, burn and body pump. All of these can leave you engaged and your body sore in all the right places.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
