(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain from Muscat THE PENINSULA
Oman''s Al Mouj Muscat Marathon sets a new record of entries every year since its inception in 2012 and this year will be no different.
The popular two-day event which starts today in the Oman capital will see a record number of participants, with a total of 10444 participants from 106 nations taking part in the festival of running.
In perfect running conditions with average temperatures ranging between 17° C and 25°C on beautiful coastal course along the Muscat shoreline, athletes will take part in full marathon event today, along with the half-marathon, marathon relay and 10km run.
The Kids'' Run over three distances and the 5km run will be held tomorrow.
First held in 2012 the Muscat Marathon was originally organised by the Muscat Road Runners. The inaugural grassroots event attracted 135 competitors a total which has steadily increased over every subsequent edition.
In 2017 it cemented its position as one of the showpiece events in Oman''s sporting calendar and a growing presence on the international sporting calendar with the involvement of established event managers Oman Sail and the support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat - the renowned waterfront destination.
With another record entry in 2019 featuring more than 8,000 runners representing 103 nationalities this year''s edition is set to hit new heights.
''We are incredibly proud to have built on the vision and foundations of the race originally created by Muscat Road Runners, Oman Sail''s CEO, David Graham told The Peninsula.
''As we have worked to develop the profile of this international event, our focus has also been on increasing local participation. I am delighted that the nation has embraced running and the number of Omanis competing in the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon has increased year on year, he added.
''The event has created new opportunities for people across the country to challenge themselves with new distances, become more confident in their abilities and aspire to improve on their achievements with each race. I would like to thank the Ministry of Sports Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, the Oman Athletic Association, Muscat Municipality and the Royal Oman Police for their ongoing direction and support, Graham added.
The total number of runners (7124 male and 3320 female) includes 5957 Omani nationals.
Meanwhile, former world record marathon champion Paula Radcliffe returned for a second year as an international ambassador for the marathon''s ninth edition.
The iconic British runner is joined in 2020 by a high-profile group of Omani athletes, who are also promoting the event globally.
Over her career, Radcliffe who won both the London and New York marathons on three occasions has been European champion over 10,000m and in the cross-country and held the Women''s Marathon World Record time for 16 years.
Among her numerous accolades are IAAF World Athlete of the Year (2002), AIMS World Athlete of the Year (2002, 2003 and 2005) and BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Radcliffe will introduce and flag-off the start of the race itself today.
Omani stars joining the high-profile event as ambassadors include Ali Al Habsi, national football team goalkeeper, and the Sultanate''s most successful female tennis star Fatma Al Nabhani.
Olympic show-jumping silver medallist Sultan Al Touqi, racing driver Ahmed Al Harthi, country''s top sprinter Barakat Al Harthi, and Musab Al Hadi, Olympic sailing contender are the other Omani ambassadors.
RACE CATEGORIES
The 2020 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon will again feature six race categories, opening the event up to runners of all ages and fitness levels.
• Marathon The full 42.2 km main event is sub-divided into Open, Veteran and Super Veteran age groups (17-39, 40-55 and 56-99 years-old respectively).
• Half Marathon this 21km event is also divided into the same age groups.
• 10km Race this middle-distance category also features a Junior age group (10-16 years-old) in addition to the Open, Veterans and Super Veterans groups.
• Companies are invited to take part in the Corporate category, with teams grouped by numbers 20 to 50, 51 to 200, and 200 + sub-divisions. Corporate runners can also take part in the Charity Fun Run category.
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