N-Day Camel Marathon scheduled for Feb
dubai — The camel racing season has begun and the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre (HHC) has announced the fourth edition of the National Day Camel Marathon, organised by the HHC in cooperation with Dubai Camel Racing Club, will take place on February 8, 2019.
The change in the schedule from December to February was made to coincide with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Pure-Bred Arabian Camel Races Festival.
The HCC also took into consideration giving the riders and their camels more time to prepare for the heritage marathon.
Souad Ibrahim Darwish, director of championships at the HHC, said: “Camel racing season begins in October and we have taken into consideration the requirements of the participants to give them more time to train their camels for the marathon.”
The venue of the race has also been moved to Al Marmoom race track, which is ideal for its flat terrain to give ease to the riders. Al Marmoom also provides visitors a better view to enjoy watching the camel marathon. The race will be in two rounds with each round stretching for 11km, for a total of 22kms.
“Al Marmoom is accessible to a large number of visitors and media throughout the months of the camel races and we want more people, especially the youth, to watch and join us in celebrating our local heritage,” Darwish said. A new junior category has been added for the next camel marathon.
Ali bin Saroud, executive director of the Dubai Camel Racing Club, said: “We have included a category for the youth, those aged 15 years and above, to give them the opportunity to participate in the race with the consent of their parents.”
“The key factor at the competition, aside from stamina, is experience. We want to inspire and train young Emiratis to go camel riding at a young age. The training required for the marathon itself is very good for their physical fitness. And the experience they get while training
for the marathon will help them in the other races and, more importantly, promote further the country’s heritage sport,” he added.