Women unite to improve health and have fun at Dubai Women’s Run

A former Miss India and mother-of-two, Simran Mathew ran the race last year for the first time and the cameraderie and fun means she will be back again this November.

From left, Grace Nisperos, Samantha Brett, Lorna Espina, Suzanne Stam, Petra Dijkstra, with Nadine Du Toit instructing warm ups, at the Dubai Ladies Club, in preparation for the Dubai Women’s Run. VidShow more

DUBAI // As a full-time mother-of-two, Simran Mathew had little time to indulge in the luxury of a fitness regime until, that is, she found a passion and a goal.

The 30-year-old former Miss India has two boys, aged two and five, and last year she took on the fourth Dubai Women’s Run.

“I had never run like that in my life,” she said of the 5K event. “It was a challenge for me and I wanted to be a part of something.”

She had a support network and this year it is she who is inspiring other mothers to take part in the fifth event, which is expected to attract up to 7,000 runners in both the 5K and 10K events.

“For me, it’s about getting mums together and having fun. I didn’t expect it to be as amazing as it was last year, such an amazing energy, mums with their kids and prams. We did it as a group and it was so fun,” she said.

Ms Mathew said the camaraderie was what made the event special, as women were not doing it alone but surrounded by like-minded people.

Kritika Datt, 28, agreed. The Indian-born marketing manager ran the 5K last year, her first such race.

She will be taking it on again this year and is putting in the hours with the run’s training group at the Dubai Ladies Club.

“It’s a chance to socialise with all the girls at the training runs,” she said. “It’s a great atmosphere and more motivating to do it with the group, rather than by yourself.”

These were the stories that motivate the run’s founder, Liesa Euton, who has organised the event by herself since the start. Only this year has she been able to take on a team, as numbers of participants were too high for her to manage alone.

The race began with about 600 or 700 runners in its first year, in Al Mamzar. This year, the race on November 7 has been moved to a much more prime location, using part of the Dubai Marathon route around Al Sufouh.

“We started off with only around 5 per cent Emiratis running, but I would like to see more local women coming out, especially since we have the training runs and registration at the Dubai Ladies Club,” said Ms Euton.

She said the women’s run, which is only the second like it in the Arab or Muslim world, was a much-needed addition to the race calendar.

Morocco started its women’s run 18 years ago and now has about 25,000 runners participating each year, but Ms Euton was confident Dubai would not take so long to reach those numbers.

“There are so many running events here in Dubai but none like this and a 5K race is very achievable for any woman to come out and do,” she said.

“They can even walk it. I’ve had women write to me telling me they’ve never worked out before and now they are, so a lot of women are getting motivated to get started thanks to the race.

“I think people feel it’s easier to do this as it’s just ladies. They don’t feel like they need to compete because they’re aren’t men there. The local women are more likely to come as there aren’t the men there, too.”

The race’s president, Ahmad Al Kamali, who is also the president of the UAE Athletic Federation, said: “For health, this race is very important. In the UAE things are changing.

“This year we hope to have around 15 to 20 per cent local ladies in both races. Among locals, we are a reason for some women to prepare and train for that day.”

For more information and to register, visit www.dubaiwomensrun.com.