As part of Dubai Fitness Challenge (30 × 30), the Arabian Warrior Obstacles Challenge was held at Dubai Islands in Deira, in collaboration with Dubai Sports Council (DSC), and with participation of 3000 contestants who competed in five various categories; these were: 50 km, 20 km, 10 km, 5 km & 1.6 km.
The Arabian Warrior Obstacles Challenge was launched in the presence of H.E. Saeed Hareb, the Secretary General of DSC, and with distinctive participation of sports personalities from various public & private entities; top of them is Dr. Abdulla Al-Karam, the Board Member of DSC who led DSC’s Team. The event was also held in the presence of H.E. Naser Aman Al-Rahma, the Assistant Secretary General of DSC.
The Challenge included competitions in various races, classified into several different categories in terms of track length and number of obstacles, comprising: the 50 km Al-Khayali Race, which contained more than 50 obstacles for age groups from 18 years old & above / the 20 km Legendary Race which included 48 obstacles for ages 16 years old & above / the 10 km Champion Race included 24 obstacles for age groups from 14 years old & above / the 5 km Warrior Race with 12 obstacles for participants aged 13 years and above / the 1.6 km Junior Warrior Race for children aged 5 to 12 years old, included 10 obstacles.
The Arabian Warrior Obstacles Challenge is part of the series of international obstacles challenge championships that launch from Dubai toward the globe, and it will comprise 18 events in various destinations in the Middle East in its inaugural season. The Arabian Warrior Challenge was the opening race of a series of subsequent championships, including additional races, taking place in other Gulf cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Fujairah and Ras Al-Khaimah.
The Arabian Warrior Race contained climbing & jumping from walls, swinging on ropes, crawling under metal fences, balancing on beams & many other challenges. The distance between the obstacles is a challenge in itself, as it extends on a track of 10 km.
Several of the obstacles were given Arabic names or regional references, including “Reaching the Paradise” in which participants climb a high platform, located on the edge of the island / the crawl path, which was named “The Crawl of the Arabian Tiger” / the water barrier, that holds the name the famous Sinbad of the Seas / The Arabian Mountain Barrier; the climbing obstacle course. Other obstacles included the Baboon where participants need to move from one platform to another through swinging tires / 'Sub Zero', where participants slide into freezing water.
Some of the obstacles in 10 km, 20 km & 50 km categories were toughly designed, where participants needed to finish as many obstacles as they could, while the 5 km warrior category was allocated for beginners where participants passed about 10 obstacles. Others races were allocated for women & children who competed in easier obstacles. The event was concluded with the challenge of teams that composed of five members, where success of surpassing obstacles depends on teamwork & collaboration among the team members.
The event comprised the Championship Village, which provided trucks of food, hot & cold drinks, nutritional & health supplements, besides locations to take memorial photos.