In a mini “rehearsal” for the “Antarctic” challenge
A citizen finishes the coldest marathon in the world .. "53 under zero"
Ahmed Al Kathiri: "I became the first Arab runner to participate and finish the coldest marathon on the face of the globe."
picture
The Emirati Ahmed Al Kathiri (45 years old) succeeded in challenging temperatures that touched 53 degrees below zero, scoring an achievement as the first Arab to participate and finish the coldest marathon in the world, which spanned 42 kilometers, and was held last Sunday in the snowy Siberian desert, in the city of « Oymaikon.”
Al Kathiri told "Emirates Today": "I had previously tested 40 degrees below zero, on my first visit two years ago to (Yakutia) in the Siberian desert, during my stay in a training camp there, and this year I received a special invitation from the Russian Athletics Federation, in a step It allowed me to return again to the snowy desert in Siberia, and to become the first Arab to participate and finish the coldest marathon on the face of the globe, and to challenge temperatures that touched 53 degrees below zero.”
He explained, "The race in the current edition witnessed the participation of 65 athletes, before I succeeded in finishing second in the age group in which I am competing, in an unprecedented achievement for any Arab citizen, not only in terms of registering participation, but also in finishing the marathon."
On the reasons for choosing to run the “Oymaicon” marathon challenge, Al Kathiri said: “The lower temperatures and climatic conditions are similar to those in Antarctica. The Antarctic, which will extend for 250 kilometers, and is part of the schedule of six races (Ultra Marathon) that I will participate in between 2021 and 2022, after I successfully completed, last November, my first round in the Planet Race series, which was held in the Namibian desert.”
He added: "The ability to finish the first five races in less than a year, which the curtain falls on (Antarctica), will qualify the country to join the Desert Grand Salam Plus club, as the sixth country in the world and the first in the Arab world, before I continue the journey towards passing the The challenge (Dubai Ultra Marathon) for a distance of 300 km, which is the longest desert race in the world, which will give me a new achievement, by becoming the first runner in the world to run six races (Ultra Marathon) and run for a distance of 1,550 km.”
At the end of his speech, Al Kathiri called for the formation of a sports federation in the country that deals with Ultra Marathon athletes. ».
• Al Kathiri calls for the formation of a sports federation in the country that deals with "Ultra Marathon" athletes.
• 65 athletes participated in the race, and Al Kathiri came second.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news