Organisers of the Dubai Run, where participants take over the 14-lane Sheikh Zayed Road for a few hours, are hoping to break a record before the race has even started – with registrations set to pass 200,000.
The annual fun run, one of the biggest of its kind in the world, takes place every year during the Dubai Fitness Challenge. This year's event on November 26 will again be free to attend and is open to participants of all ages and fitness abilities.
Last year, 193,000 participants took part and organisers at the Department of Economy and Tourism and the Dubai Sports Council say they are preparing for an even bigger turnout this year.
"I look forward to seeing even more take part in the thrill of our city’s iconic free fun run," said Ahmed Al Khaja, chief executive of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.
Dubai Run and Dubai Ride are two of the flagship events of the Dubai Fitness Challenge. Launched in 2017 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, the month-long event aims to transform the emirate into one of the world's most active cities by encouraging everyone to commit to doing physical activity for 30 minutes a day for 30 days.
Here's everything you need to know about this year's Dubai Run.
When is Dubai Run 2023 taking place and what time will it begin?
The Dubai Run will take place on November 26 with participants having the option of choosing the 5km or 10km route.
You can choose your arrival time when you register as there are different slots for both routes. Capacity for each slot is capped for the safety of participants, with the first run starting at 4am.
Participants are advised to arrive early to secure a good spot to start their run. Late arrivals may not have time to complete the full route. The run must finish by 8.30am so the roads can reopen for traffic.
What are the routes this year?
Both the 5km and 10km routes give participants a once-a-year chance to run along Sheikh Zayed Road.
The 5km route begins near the Museum of the Future. It then passes Burj Khalifa and Dubai Opera and ends near Dubai Mall. This is a flat route suitable for runners of all ages and abilities.
The 10km route will also begin near the Museum of the Future, going along Sheikh Zayed Road to the Dubai Water Canal, then returns towards the World Trade Centre before ending on Al Mustaqbal Street near Dubai International Financial Centre. This route is suitable for more experienced runners.
Who can participate?
The Dubai Run is open to everyone irrespective of age and fitness abilities.
People of determination are also encouraged to join and should contact PoD@linkviva.com to find their dedicated starting area.
How to register for the run
Participants must register for free on www.dubairun.com and then collect their Dubai Run bib, without which they will not be allowed to participate.
Bibs can be collected at Fitness Village: Run and Ride Central, located at One Central.
How to get to the event
The routes along the Dubai Run will be closed to motorists on the morning of November 26, with the Roads and Transport Authority set to announce specific closures soon. The Dubai Metro will open early and is the easiest way to travel to and from the event. Make sure you have a Nol card with at least Dh15 credit in order to use the metro.
Those running the 5km route should head to Emirates Towers or Financial Centre metro stations to start. Those on the 10km route should head to the World Trade Centre or Max Fashion metro stations.
For those who prefer to drive, there is limited parking available near all metro stations. Alternatively, park at one of the Dubai World Trade Centre car parks for the 10km route, or at The Dubai Mall for the 5km route where participants can make their way to the start line using Dubai Metro.
What's new to the event this year?
Participants who have signed up for Dubai Run, can not only walk, jog or sprint on a car-free Sheikh Zayed Road, but can also do so while grooving along to upbeat tunes curated by local DJs. These will be played from three stages along the race route, which have been put together by Untold Dubai.
An extension of the Romanian electronic music festival Untold, the event is set to touchdown in the UAE from February 15 to 18 at Expo City. Although Untold is primarily an electronic music festival, at Dubai Run, participants can expect tunes from a variety of genres.
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.”
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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
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Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
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