Exploration
Runners, your best training tracks in Dubai
The best places to run when you’re looking to go the distance
There’s still one big race this season in the UAE – Wings For Life. Last year, Dubai’s runners collectively ran 5,198km – and in sultry May, that takes stamina! So where can you train ahead of the race?
The 14 km Jumeirah Beach track
© Iain Masterton
Dubai’s best running track - for now
The Jumeirah Beach track opened last year but it’s still probably the biggest and best in Dubai at 14km, from Dubai Marine beach resort up to the Burj Al Arab hotel.
It’s got a four-metre springy jogging track and was used in Dubai’s first Ironman 70.3 this year.
Eventually the Jumeirah Corniche will be linked up to the Dubai Water Canal and its waterside walkways – adding 6km to the track right inland to Business Bay.
District one cycling & running track
© Iain Masterton
Dubai’s best future running track?
But District One is the new track in town – the AED 81m, 8.4km running and cycling route runs the entire periphery of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City development (near the Meydan Hotel).
It’s lit up by 340 solar-powered lights, which makes it good for night-time runs and, like the Jumeirah Beach track, has a specialised spongey running track.
The neighbourhood, which also includes manmade beaches and lagoons with green parklands and recreational spaces, is due to be finished next year.
In Phase 2, the track is due to be extended to 41km, which would make it the longest running route in the emirate.
The Palm Jumeirah crescent run
© Wouter Kingma
Where else can you run in Dubai?
Generally, Dubai’s runners are benefiting from Dubai’s commitment to cycling tracks – the Roads and Transport Authority is planning over 900km of cycle paths by 2020, in Al Mizhar, Mirdif, Al Warqa’a, Al Sufouh, Umm Suqeim, Jumeirah and Al Barsha – and we’re generally seeing they are built with two feet as well as two wheels in mind.
According to the Walk, Jog, Run website, the most popular routes are Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, Springs, the Downtown Dubai loop and Jumeirah Beach.
You can also run at Dubai Autodrome (2.5km and floodlit) on Wednesday nights – where Wings For Life will start from - alongside the cyclists and skaters.
The Palm Jumeirah has an 11km route around the Crescent and a 4km Shoreline route, with a rubber running track of 2.7km in Al Ittihad Park, where there are some fixed workout stations too. Nearby, the Beach at JBR also has a soft running track and a few training machines.
Jumeirah Beach Road (Al Sufouh Road) has a total length of 25km for those trying to get some longer distances under their belts – although it’s not set up for running, it’s a good, straight path with bus stops to rest along the way.
Selfie run,,, run with the world wherever you are.
© Wings For Life Selfie
Run anywhere with the Selfie Run app
All Wings For Life runners start at at 11am UTC around the world (3pm in Dubai). There is no set race distance, time or finish line; the winner is simply the last one to get nabbed by a Catcher Car. With over 100,000 participants last year, it’s the world’s fifth largest running race.
The Dubai track goes from the Autodrome out into the desert and back, but you can download the Wings For Life ‘Selfie Run’ app to choose your own location, distance (5km, 10km or marathon) and even virtual team, if you’re travelling at the time of the race or want to run with friends around the world. It can also help you with training.
