DUBAI // For Hallvard Borshim, winning the Ski Dubai Ice Warrior Challenge yet again was almost a breeze. Coming from Norway, the environment was a perfect fit.
“It’s my fourth year and I really enjoy it,” said the 2011 and 2012 winner. “It’s a great competition. For some people this might be too cold but I love it. I find it’s easier to work out and train in the cold than the heat.”
The 35-year-old completed the 21 snowy obstacles – including wall climbing and carrying a snow-filled backpack up a hill – in 14 minutes and 39 seconds to win the male category.
“The toughest obstacle was jumping in a small pool of ice-cold water, at -4C, three minutes into the race, then we had to run wet and cold,” he said. “That was really hard.”
Hayley Fisher, a 36-year-old nurse from South Africa, won the female race in 21 minutes and 26 seconds. “I feel awesome,” she said. “It’s always good to win. I came second three years ago before I gave birth and this is the third time I’ve take part in this challenge.”
Karim Zain, a 16-year-old student from Egypt, takes part in all kinds of race challenges across the UAE, from desert, to skiing and swimming.
“It’s part of my life,” he said. “Going up the slope was the hardest part because of the grip and force and there’s not much oxygen.
“We had to go up and down about seven times, crawl under a car, there was a pull-up bar and we had to fill a bucket with snow using a shovel. A lot of people fell but it was fun.”
Farangis Ghazanfar, a 20-year-old student at Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, took part because the proceeds went to the Dubai Centre for Children with Special Needs.
“It’s my first time and, at first, I found it challenging but I slowly got used to it, then I loved it,” she said. “The most difficult part was flipping a big tyre but I do a lot of sports like cross-fit and boxing.”
About 380 people took part this year – up 100 from last year.
“The age range is from 25 to 35 but they can come from 15 years,” said Ski Dubai’s Sherif Hashem.
cmalek@thenational.ae