We’re at that rare time of the year when Halloween briefly intersects with the Dubai Fitness Challenge. And no event better encapsulates this quite like Dubai Festival City Mall's Halloween Run.
The spooktacular evening run took place on Saturday, in partnership with Race Me and Dubai Sports Council. Ghouls and ghosts of all ages and abilities were invited to compete, dressed to distress.
Participants were given the choice between two route options – a 2.5-kilometre fun run and a 5km race for more serious runners – taking them on the promenade area of Dubai Festival City, starting from Festival Bay to Marsa Plaza and back.
A number of runners from all age groups gathered from 6.30pm onwards, all dressed in their Halloween best, for the race that began at 8pm. This included everything from Squid Game costumes, superhero capes, to vampire and witch outfits.
The event took more than an hour, with the route featuring a number of spooky elements and decor – including a haunted tunnel. There were some sweet moments in between too, as the fun run included pit stops where participants could collect treats from spectators and staff.
For pictures of the terror-fuelled run, scroll through the gallery above.
Adding to the eerie vibe was the Imagine laser show, which had a Halloween-themed display running every 30 minutes during the event.
The Dubai Festival City Mall run concluded with a fancy dress prize, with winners getting a giant Halloween hamper for their effort. Winning costumes included that of a Squid Game character and a green witch.
Meanwhile, everyone wearing Halloween costumes was awarded a hat and a bag of sweets.
The Halloween Run was launched this year in an effort to "bring joy to everyone while also promoting a healthy lifestyle among residents and visitors". It's one of the many races and runs taking place in Dubai this season, including Dubai Festival City's Santa Run in December.
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
