This year's Dubai Fitness Challenge will mark seven years since it was launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.
As a keen fitness enthusiast and adventurer, Sheikh Hamdan has led the month-long celebration of exercise and wellness from the front, taking part in many related events including Dubai Run – where he's usually spotted at the start line – showing he is a man of action, not mere words.
Sheikh Hamdan also regularly shares his workouts on Instagram, where he has more than 16 million followers. As the Dubai Fitness Challenge returns, here are some ways in which Sheikh Hamdan stays fit – offering some travel inspiration along the way.
Horse-riding
Hailing from a family of horse lovers, Sheikh Hamdan is not only often pictured at race meetings, but also a world-class equestrian athlete. He's competed in gruelling endurance horse races around the world over the years, often winning gold.
After winning his second successive CISM World Military Endurance Championship in March 2014, he was crowned world champion of the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in France, organised by the International Equestrian Federation. In 2015, he won the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup for the second year in a row.
In 2020, he won the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup 2020, a daunting 120km endurance race in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, where riders completed four laps through desert dunes and mountain peaks in pursuit of a share of a 15 million Saudi riyals ($4 million) jackpot. The event is considered to be one of the most important endurance races in the region, with 200 competitors from 17 countries taking part. Sheikh Hamdan galloped to victory in a time of around four hours and 35 minutes.
Last year, he won the 119km Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup, which was instituted in his honour,
Running
Every year at Dubai Run, participants jog along a car-free Sheikh Zayed Road with the Crown Prince at the front of the line. Usually spotted with his fellow F3 sports teammates, Sheikh Hamdan was joined at last year's event by UAE astronauts Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who is Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and Hazza Al Mansouri. Dubai Run returns on November 24.
A regular runner, Sheikh Hamdan often shares pictures and videos of his achievements recorded on his fitness tracker on social media. He's also often seen running on the treadmill at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, a favourite of elite athletes, sometimes with a famous friend in tow. In 2020, he posted a clip of him running alongside football star Cristiano Ronaldo at the complex, captioning it: “With the best.”
Hiking
Sheikh Hamdan is known for his adventure travel and has been spotted spearfishing, skydiving, cycling, climbing and horse-riding in far-flung locations.
In 2019, he shared pictures of himself exploring the Scottish Highlands and posted a video on Instagram showing himself hiking alongside a river, as well as drone footage showing the country’s dramatic waterfalls, expansive lakes and emerald-green hills. Sporting sturdy hiking shoes and a blue backpack, Sheikh Hamdan was joined on his walkabout by a group of at least six friends.
Last year, he conquered a peak-to-peak Half Dome trek at Yosemite National Park. Rising more than 1,500 metres above Yosemite Valley and 2,682 metres above sea level, Half Dome is one of the most challenging hikes in the California park.
Spanning more than 30km, the hike is suited to seasoned mountaineers and those with high levels of physical fitness, and takes enthusiasts to the peak of Half Rock, a well-known formation at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley. The trek comes with amazing views, including those of the Vernal and Nevada waterfalls and the granite dome of Liberty Cap. Most people complete the round-trip hike in 10 to 12 hours, depending on the route chosen. Sheikh Hamdan and his entourage completed the hike in just under nine hours, according to his Instagram footage.
Skiing
Sheikh Hamdan regularly travels for skiing adventures around the world. Last year, he shared striking images of his friends and himself making the most of the skiing season during a trip to Courchevel in south-east France.
The French Alps town is part of the Three Valleys, the biggest connected ski area in the world. It consists of Courchevel Le Praz, Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1650 and Courchevel 1850. Its highest resort, Courchevel 1850, is the most exclusive, often attracting wealthy clientele including royal families. Sheikh Hamdan's trip also included biking along a scenic route that had a lake, mountains and rainbow in the background.
He's also been spotted in action taking on the snowy slopes of British Columbia, Canada. While in January, he travelled to the Finnish Lapland and shared pictures of himself and his entourage enjoying the snowy landscape. He also shared a video of himself drilling a hole in the ice to go fishing. In another shot, he is seen driving a BMW from Lapland Driving, a company that organises motorsports events around the snowiest landscape in Europe.
Obstacle courses
Besides the Dubai Fitness Challenge, Sheikh Hamdan also launched the annual Gov Games, which pit teams of government employees against one another in physical and mental challenges. First held in 2018, the games have since expanded to allow entrants from not only UAE government departments but from all over the world, as well as members of the public.
Sheikh Hamdan also competes along with his F3 team in the games, which include several gruelling obstacle courses. In 2017, he also launched Sandstorm, set across distances of 5km and 10km, and featuring rocky, sandy, wet and muddy terrain and about 40 obstacles.
Cycling
Many of Sheikh Hamdan's personal passions have informed the way he continuously improves living standards in Dubai. In 2021, he launched Dubai Bicycle-Friendly City Strategy 2025, a Dh400 million project to make cycling safer in the emirate.
“Our goal is for Dubai to rank among the world’s best for quality of life, with projects that provide healthy lifestyles and a vision aimed at community happiness,” he said then.
Dubai Ride, a non-race community cycling event, is now one of the flagship features of the Dubai Fitness Challenge. Every year, thousands of cyclists ride along Sheikh Zayed Road, which is closed down for a few hours in the early morning, with Sheikh Hamdan leading the way.
Diving
An expert diver, Sheikh Hamdan is as comfortable scaling mountain peaks as he's underwater. He often shares pictures and videos of his expeditions, including shots of him free-diving and spearfishing.
In 2021, he launched Deep Dive Dubai, an indoor diving venue that's home to a Guinness World Records-certified deepest pool in the world. With a depth of 60.02 metres, it can hold 14 million litres of water, the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools.
In April, Sheikh Hamdan launched Dubai Reef, a mega coral reef conservation project, with a deep dive into the emirate's waters. Spanning 600 square kilometres with a plan to create 400,000 cubic metres of coral reefs, Dubai Reef is hailed as one of the largest projects of its kind in the world. It aims to increase sea life eight-fold, improve the sustainability of fishermen’s livelihoods and attract eco-tourism. It will also set out to cut carbon emissions and increase marine biodiversity.
Sheikh Hamdan was joined on the diving trip by billionaire business magnate Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund. Dubai Reef will serve as a “blueprint for global environmental projects” and underlines Dubai's commitment to championing sustainability, Sheikh Hamdan said.
The month-long Dubai Fitness Challenge, which begins on Saturday, runs until November 24
