Al-Habtoor renews sponsorship for marathon

Al-Habtoor Group Founding Chairman Khalaf Al-Habtoor has announced Al-Habtoor Group as the main sponsor for the 15th Zayed Charity Marathon, New York 2019 edition for the fourth consecutive year as well as the Zayed Charity Marathon, Egypt 2018 edition, for the second year running.

Al-Habtoor signed the renewed sponsorship agreement with Lt. General Mohammad Halal Al-Kaabi, chairman of the organizing committee, Zayed Charity Marathon, at a press conference held at the Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection on Tuesday.

He was joined by Col. Mohammad Ali Amer, general coordinator, Zayed Charity Marathon, and Mohammed Al-Habtoor, vice chairman and CEO, Al-Habtoor Group.

The annual Sheikh Zayed Charity Marathon, known as the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K Race, is scheduled to take place in New York’s Central Park in April 2019. Founded in 2005 in honor of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan AlNahyan, the first president and the founder of the UAE, the 10-km run raises awareness of kidney health and kidney disease with proceeds going directly to the National Kidney Foundation, a specialized hospital for kidney treatment and research in the US. In 2014, the Zayed Charity Marathon launched its Egypt edition, which will take place in Ismailia on Dec. 28.

Khalaf Al-Habtoor said: “We are proud and remain committed to supporting the Zayed Charity Marathon in New York, which raises awareness for a good cause and honors the generous, caring spirit of the founding father of the UAE. I encourage our young men and women to volunteer in events similar to this that help promote the true image of the UAE ... and promote Emirati heritage and culture around the world.”

Lt. General Al-Kaabi said: “I would like to thank Khalaf Al Habtoor for his continuous support to the Zayed Charity Marathon. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan is always in our hearts and we live by his guidance daily.”

What started as a small event with 500 registered runners in 2005, today the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K is part of the New York Road Runner’s Pro Racing Series and draws tens of thousands of people annually making it one of the top 10 marathons globally. To date, over 200,000 people have contributed helping the Zayed Charity Marathon raise more than $165 million.

Col. Ali Amer said: “The Zayed Charity Marathon celebrates its 15th anniversary next year and we are working on making the milestone a memorable experience with extended promotion at New York’s famous Times Square and a display of the UAE flag and a photo of Sheikh Zayed on the Empire State Building.”

Mohammed Al-Habtoor said: “We were well received and thrilled to see the welcome message on display at Nasdaq’s tickers at Times Square during the 2018 edition. The event evoked positive sentiment by bringing together nationalities from across the world for a very worthy cause.”