By circumnavigating Qatar in 155 hours, 30 minutes and one second for a distance of 484 km, Qatari runner Mubarak Al-Khulaifi broke a record previously set by his French rival Pierre Daniel in 2018, with a difference of 12.5 hours.
During the 7 days of this challenge - which started from the Doha Corniche - through the Khilafian hostility towards the city of Al Khor, then the North, Zubarah and Dukhan areas, reaching the crossing point in Salwa in the far south of Qatar, and from there to the city of Al Wakra, before ending this arduous challenge in the Doha Corniche .
To break the previous record, the Qatari runner had to challenge the great obstacles and challenges he found in the tour of Qatar, especially when crossing some desert areas, and facing extreme fatigue and pressure to achieve a dream, and the challenges of sleeping and organizing periods and rest, as he only benefited from 25 hours of sleep within 7 days. .
Challenging the desert environment was not easy (Al Jazeera)
The Al-Khulaifi Challenge received a great following in Qatar at its various passing stations, whether on social media or with support, encouragement and psychological support during the various stages of the run, until it reached the arrival point on the Doha Corniche.
From this race, Al-Khulaifi aims to deliver a message to the Qatari community that sports should be given its place in the daily or weekly program, and to motivate young people to adopt specific ideas, whether in sports or in the rest of the various areas of life, and to become an inspiring story for others.
Desire to challenge
The Khilafite hostility believes that what motivated him to embark on this adventure was his desire to challenge oneself, and to challenge the conditions that everyone lives as a result of the Corona pandemic, and the cessation of most sports competitions around the world, which encouraged him to raise attention to a celebratory challenge with Qatari feet that ultimately leads to breaking a record that is An incentive for others to challenge him in the future.
Al-Khulaifi said in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net that his passion for running sports does not exceed 4 years, but his insistence on continuous training and commitment gave him a new breath to continue the bet to represent the State of Qatar in sporting events around the world, after his participation in 12 international championships and races around the world in a short period, including The "Montblanc Mountain" 100 km race in 2019, and the "New Zealand Trawera" race of 160 km, with a time of 35 hours 38 minutes 10 seconds.
Video 🎥 |
Qatari runner Mubarak Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi prostrates to God after his journey of 477 kilometers around # Qatar in less than 7 days, and arriving at the last station in the Doha Corniche 👏🏻 # Nadib_Qatar pic.twitter.com/liHCHMfK3l
- Nadeeb Qatar (@NadeebQa) December 5, 2020
The hostility's banking mentality - by virtue of his position as the director of the real estate finance department at Masraf Al-Rayan, one of the largest banks in Qatar - made him develop a clear plan for each stage, and it took 7 months to prepare for this bet in psychological preparation and practice, as he believes that there is no way to stop achieving the goal, nor It is also an area of ​​chance, and this is a personal commitment that he applies throughout his life.
More like the summit of Everest
For Qatari athletes, Al-Khulaifi likens the tour of Qatar to trying to reach the summit of Everest, as it is an arduous task, and to achieve records in this challenge, continuous training and serious preparation is necessary in light of the harsh climate of desert environment in most months of the year.
While the Qatari runner yearns to participate in global enemy tournaments in which his name stands out more - especially the specialist in mountain races - he watches with his eyes the nearest famous Gulf challenge, the Green Mountain Race in the Sultanate of Oman, wishing more names in this sport, especially under the organization of Qatar has 3 famous championships, which are the "Ooredoo Marathon", the "The Zekreet" long-distance race in its second year, and the "Sanla" race.
Qatari supporters for the Khilafite hostility during the stages of the Tawaf (Al-Jazeera)
The Qatari runner expresses his readiness to direct and frame talents ready to enter this kind of races that are characterized by excitement, suspense and great challenge, whether by helping to develop plans or field training on means of challenging natural conditions, or developing psychological and physical readiness for these talents, by gradually crossing the specified distances. For the race, the half-race distances, then the full race.
Al-Khulaifi believes that the efforts of the sports institutions in Qatar help to form promising champions in this type of sports, as they secure extended distances that allow exercises, green spaces and health training, as well as sports policies that encourage participation in various international tournaments.