Oman Desert Marathon gets off to an impressive start

The eighth edition of the annual Oman Desert Marathon (ODM) was flagged off on Saturday from Al Wasil Fort in the wilayat of Bidiyah.

The first day saw 2km, 5km, and 10km races, besides the 47km showpiece run, to set the momentum for the 165km run to be covered in four days.

On Sunday - the second day of the marathon, participants tested their grit over a distance of 55km, while on the third and the fourth day, they will run 42km and 21km respectively. While the race started with 44 runners on Saturday, three participants dropped out on the second day.

Morocco’s Mohammed el Morabity came first on day one, with an impressive finishing time of 3 hours and 53 minutes. He was closely followed by his brother, Rashid el Morabity, who came eight minutes later, covering the distance in 4 hours and 1 minute.

When asked about his experience on day one, Rashid said he mainly enjoyed going head-tohead with his brother. “The weather was pleasant today. I was mainly competing with my brother, and we enjoyed the 47km run. This route had various terrains, including tall sand dunes, wadis, and flat land.”

Saleh al Saidi was the first Omani male to complete Saturday’s track, with a finishing time of 4 hours and 19 minutes, and Morocco’s Aziza el Amrany was the first woman to finish the route, with a time of 5 hours and 31 minutes.

Of the three runners, who unfortunately dropped out on the second day, two could not take part due to injuries to their knees, while the competition proved to be difficult for the third mentally.

There are 18 Omani runners, apart from those international participants coming from Italy, Germany, Poland, the UK, Morocco, France, Spain, Belgium, Ukraine, and Switzerland, who are taking part in the race.

A host of entities including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Oman Athletic Association, Tanuf, Omantel, Oman LNG, Jawharat Bidiyah Resort, OTSO, A’saffa, Pocari Sweat, Mwasalat, Camelback, Lulu Hypermarket, Oman Air, Tactical Trading, and Al Forn Café are sponsoring the self-sufficient marathon.

I was mainly competing with my brother, and we enjoyed the 47km run. This route had various terrains, including tall sand dunes, wadis, and flat land

Mohammed el Morabity