Members of Claire’s Community are inviting runners across Dubai to join them on November 1 as they take on a marathon challenge alongside the New York City Marathon.
Alex Fowler will compete in the New York race, while George Cliffe, head of Rugby at DESS and Dave Gairn will cover the marathon distance in Dubai on the same day.
Rather than asking everyone to run the full distance, the group has planned several joining points along the Dubai route, allowing supporters to complete anything from 1km to a half marathon.
Dubai marathon route and joining points
Cliffe and Gairn plan to start at Bluewaters Island at 4am, crossing the pedestrian bridge towards JBR before heading north along the coast.
The route continues past Umm Suqeim and Kite Beach before turning inland along Dubai Canal. Runners will then return towards the coast and finish at Zero Point running track near Umm Suqeim Park.
The planned route covers 42.8km, slightly longer than the official marathon distance of 42.195km.
Supporters can join at five points along the return route:
- **21.1km:** Tolerance Bridge, Dubai Canal, approximately 6.21am.
- **10km:** Canal Boardwalk near Sheikh Zayed Road, approximately 7.33am.
- **5km:** Jumeirah 3 beach path, approximately 8.06am.
- **3km:** SALT at Kite Beach, approximately 8.19am.
- **1km:** Umm Suqeim night swimming beach, approximately 8.32am.
The pair are targeting a pace of around 6 minutes 30 seconds per kilometre, with an estimated finish at 8.38am. Times may change depending on their pace and stops.
Supporters joining along the route are advised to arrive at least 10 minutes before the estimated passing time.
Further information about joining the runs is available through Claire’s Community.
