Sunday 24 / November / 2024
Muscat: The natural splendour of Muscat Governorate with its breathtaking landscape will be the setting for the second edition of the Oxy Ultra Marathon, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MCSY) in partnership with Oxy Oman and Middle East Global Events, from December 7-9.
Revealing the details of the ultramarathon at a press briefing on Wednesday, senior MCSY official, Zeyana Al Yaarubi said: “The idea to organise the ultramarathon in Muscat is to promote the capital city of Oman as a major sports tourism hub for adventure and extreme sports activities.
“We had organised the inaugural edition in the Wilayat of Al Rustaq in December 2021 as ‘Oxy Ultra Mountain Running Race’ and had received an encouraging response with around 1,000 runners participating from 23 countries.”
Zeyana, director of quality activities at the sports ministry, added: “It is time to expand the event and this edition will see a marked difference as we have roped in an expert extreme sports company in Middle East Global Events (MGE), managed by Mohammed Al
Obaidani.
“We hope Mohammed, with his expertise as a race director of extreme sports races will add value to the event and help achieve our goal of making Muscat as a top destination for extreme and adventure sports activities.
“We know the countryside of the Sultanate of Oman is blessed with natural landscapes that are famous around the world. With Muscat Governorate in focus, it would be easier to attract top runners from across the world with easy travel options to the city.”
The Oxy Ultra Marathon will be held over a distance of 50km for both men and women while the ‘three-day running festival’ will also feature 10km race for all age-groups and 5km race for children and physically-challenged runners
An ultramarathon is any race that is longer than the marathon distance of 26.2 miles (42.1km). However, ultramarathons do vary in distance – ranging from a single-day 50km event to a multi-stage race across hundreds of miles. Unlike road marathons, which are usually run on paved surfaces, ultramarathons often involve more challenging terrain (from mountains to deserts) and are designed to test both your endurance and mental toughness.
The 2023 edition will begin from Wadi Al Khoud in the Wilayat of Al Seeb and the runners will pass through wadis and rough mountainous terrains before finishing in Fanja.
Al Obaidani, CEO of Middle East Global Events, an experienced race organiser, said: “With my years of experience in Oman and abroad, my company hopes to bring in more professionalism to the event and we hope to grow gradually into a top-class event in the next five years. This race will showcase Muscat Governorate and shed light on the country’s mountain sports. The marathon also aims to put Muscat on the global map of mountain runners and make it a favourable destination.”
Zeyana said: “The hosting of the ultramarathon will also encourage young runners to take up physical activity and reinforces the ministry’s direction towards a healthy lifestyle, in line with Oman’s sports strategy and Oman’s Vision 2040.”
She added: “The event is also an example of public-private partnership (PPP) in line with the Oman Vision 2040 with Oxy Oman joining hands with the ministry and another private event company managing it. The role of the private sector is key to sports development and this model of partnership can be emulated in other sports too. We thank Oxy Oman for their generous support and hope they continue to back ultramarathon in the coming years.”
Al Obaidani, the CEO of MGE, said: “We thank the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and Occidental Company for this strategic partnership, which will yield long-term benefits. As an Omani company, it is also a platform to empower Omani youth in managing sports events in a professional manner that matches global standards. Omani youth deserve such opportunities.”
The ultramarathon will also target schoolchildren and train 300 volunteers for the 2023 edition and as per the plan will target the GCC region for ultramarathoners in 2024 and increase the target of local volunteers to 400.
By December 2027, the plan is to make it a global event and encompass more than 1,000 volunteers.
The event was graced by Mohammed Al Amri, Director-General of Sports Activities at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and other senior officials.
