Half marathon in Dubai this Friday; avoid these areas

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) will be buzzing with activity this Friday as more than 400 runners from over 40 countries take part in the 2020 Mai Dubai City Half Marathon, the first mass-running event to be staged in Dubai and the UAE since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year's event will see participants take part in three different categories – 5km, 10km and 21km – with all three categories starting and finishing in front of the Gate Building in DIFC.

The new and improved route for this year's run will take participants on a 5km loop through the heart of DIFC, providing runners with breathtaking views of such spectacular sights as the iconic Burj Khalifa and Emirates Towers, and the glittering Museum of the Future.

Being organised under the auspices of Dubai Sports Council and supported by the Dubai Police and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the event will also feature a range of innovative measures to ensure the safety of all participants. The organisers have called in experts from the UK to draft the precautionary and safety protocols for the race.

The inaugural event in 2019 saw more than 2,500 participants take part.

Steven Matthijs of Promoseven Sports Marketing, the organisers of the race, said: “The safety of runners, staff and contractors is our top priority and we are working closely with relevant partners and Government bodies, including the Dubai Sports Council and Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, as well as taking best practice from similar events held around the world to ensure that all necessary procedures are in place.

“We are confident that the 2020 Mai Dubai City Half Marathon will be fun and challenging for all runners while adhering to all social distancing parameters.”

Some of the latest measures which will be introduced as part of the race experience to ensure the wellbeing of all participants are: Drive-through race pack collection to reduce participants touch points; contactless temperature checks for all participants before and after the race; automatic no-touch sanitisation and water distribution on the course; enhanced sterilisation and cleaning regimes in key areas; and staggered race start times to ensure safe management of runners.

• Dubai