Competitors jumped through fire, crawled under barbed wire and ran through mud and water in the XDubai Spartan Race on Friday.
The gruelling 25-obstacle race took place over a 13 kilometre course in Hatta in the Dubai emirate. However there was a 5km sprint over 20 obstacles for fitness fans of all levels.
Elite athletes stood shoulder to shoulder with the weekend warriors at the latest incarnation of the XDubai spartan race in Hatta mountains.
More than 4,500 people turned out to take on the gruelling 13 kilometre super challenge and the shorter 5km sprint, with ages ranging from 4 to 60.
A children’s race was held to encourage youngsters aged between four and 14 to take on the challenge, scrambling over obstacles on a 3.2km course.
This month is the Dubai Fitness Challenge. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, called for every resident to take part in 30 minutes of exercise for 30 days.
The challenge began on October 26 and ends on November 24.
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Read more:
Dubai Fitness Challenge returns: Here are 14 essential events to check out
Join the Dubai Fitness Challenge at The Palm Jumeirah
Sheikh Hamdan's Dubai Fitness Challenge returns this month
130 fitness studios in Dubai join hands with ClassPass
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Othmane Safi from Abu Dhabi came out on top of the men’s Elite Super Spartan category with a time of 1 hour 12 minutes, with Zuzana Kocumova from the Czech Republic, who came first with a time of 1 hour 27 minutes.
Russian Sergey Perelygin was the quickest over the sprint course with a time of 30 minutes and 25 seconds.
“Spartans of all ages ran, climbed, crawled and conquered the natural as well as man-made obstacles in their paths and emerged champions,” said Mohammed Javad, General Manager of XDubai.
“The race showed us the calibre of the region’s athletes, the uniting power of sports with teams working together to cross the finish line and the huge potential of our young Spartans.”
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
