Dubai Marathon will return to the heart of the emirate next year.
Last year's event took place at the Expo 2020 complex, but the 23rd marathon, which runs on January 7, will start and finish on Umm Suqeim Road.
The three races Dubai Sports Council has organised include a 4km fun run, a 10km road race and the full 42.2km marathon.
The race begins close to the Dubai Police Academy, with the marathon taking in views of Jumeirah Beach Road, Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah.
The event will run about six months before the Paris Olympics and, as such, offers elite athletes the event attracts the chance to set record-breaking qualifying times. "International athletes are well aware that Dubai is a race that can put them in the global spotlight and open doors to a successful career in long-distance running,” event director Peter Connerton said.
Professional or not, the next four months or so should be spent committing to a training plan, says endurance athlete Lee Ryan.
Ryan, who is an adidas Runners coach, offers five tips to budding runners.
Time: Don't be afraid to manoeuvre a training session to make it work around your week. For example, you may need to set the alarm a little bit earlier if your day will finish late, or train in the gym on a treadmill if you are travelling.
Food: Look at food as fuel for your sessions and for your recovery. Healthy food can be delicious and full of flavour. Bin the boiled chicken breast and soggy broccoli, but remember fast food and fizzy sugary drinks are not the way to do it. It is a matter of learning how your body responds to what is going in. A well-balanced diet that includes, fruits, vegetables, carbs and protein is key.
Sleep: This a massive factor that is overlooked by many. The benefits of sleep are no secret, but people hugely underestimate how it can impact well-being. Good, deep sleep is when the body repairs, reboots and grows. Think of it as recharging your batteries. Try to find a routine to give yourself enough time to sleep.
Water: Hydration plays a big part, too. A general rule of thumb is to drink about two litres of water a day. The human body is 80 per cent water, so it needs to be well hydrated to function and maintain a healthy environment for your internal organs to do their jobs. When it comes to marathon training, look deeper within and make sure the body works better. Only then will the body change and improve.
Data: Find ways to measure what you're doing with your training. There are many wearables and apps that can help you collect data, so you can focus on improvement and have a good indication of how the body is changing. This data is great for looking back on those tough days when you feel you are not making any headway, so you can reflect back on the progress made.
Registrations for all three race categories are open now at dubaimarathon.org
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMascotte%20Health%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMiami%2C%20US%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bora%20Hamamcioglu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOnline%20veterinary%20service%20provider%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.2%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on animal trafficking
