Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat Marathon is coming back this year on January 27, which leaves race-day hopefuls less than a month to prepare. To this end, Horizon Fitness is offering free hour-long training sessions at the Sultan Qaboos Stadium every Friday morning leading up to the event. Workouts will include a warm up, cross training, and a run.
Some might wonder what exactly a Marathon is, and why it is so important to prepare for one. Basically a long-distance road running event covering 42.195-kilometre, the Marathon was one of the original Olympic Games. Legend has it that the event was created in honour of the Greek soldier Pheidippides who ran 25 miles from the town of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC to announce victory over the Persians. The poor soldier died right after reaching his king’s land and announcing the defeat.
Death is not a common side-effect of these races, but running for a distance of over 42 kilometres, does warrant some training and preparation, and for many, this is part of the fun of becoming a marathoner.
Amateur runners travel around the world to participate in Marathons, spending the months between races preparing, often as a part of running groups. It has become a kind of global club for many, who say the sport can be addictive. In Oman, this running culture is coming into trend as more and more people look for ways to make recreational activities part of their everyday lives. To promote this healthy aim, and to become part of the global running community, the Muscat Marathon was launched six years ago.
The event has witnessed a tremendous growth over the past couple of years, and the upcoming race is set to see record participation with over 1,000 participants already registered. The race will route from Al Mouj to the Seeb Corniche and back to Al Mouj. For new runners, other race categories including a Half Marathon (21-kilometres) and a 10-kilometre fun run are also taking place.
To get the full marathon experience, start training now with a sprinting, jogging, and strength training routine, as well as the weekly Horizon Fitness Marathon group training. Try to eat a balanced diet (go easy on the sugar and candies for a while) with plenty of protein, whole wheat, and healthy fats. Training for and participating in a marathon is a great excuse to get your year off to a healthy start, meet new workout buddies, and set an attainable goal for yourself that will leave you feeling like a superstar. — [email protected]
Horizon Fitness Marathon Training
Location: Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex
Timing: Fridays, 8am check-in/ 9am workout
Cost: Free to participate
More Info: facebook.com/horizonfitnessoman/events/
Al Mouj Muscat Marathon 2017
Date: Friday, January 27
Times: Marathon will start 6am, half marathon at 7am, 10km race at 8am
Cost: Marathon (OMR30), Half Marathon (OMR25), 10k (OMR20)
Info: [email protected]
Register: muscatmarathon.om
*Marathon and Half Marathon participants must be at least 17 years of age on race day and 10k run participants must be at least 10 years of age.
