(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Increasing numbers of UAE residents are travelling abroad for sporting events and races, combining their passions for fitness and travelling.

Elizabeth Craig is one of them. In the past couple of years, the British national has competed in marathon (42km) and half marathon (21km) running races in Rome, Italy, Astana, Kazakhstan, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Reykjavik, Iceland. Her next challenge is the Marakez Pyramids Half Marathon in Egypt this December.

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“To be able to combine my two loves is incredible. I get to experience different countries like a local, see the sites as I'm running and meet lots of great people. The camaraderie and the support from the crowds is always incredible as well,” she told KT Luxe.

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In between her job as a critical care nurse, Craig exercises every day. Ahead of important events, she follows specific training programmes provided by her running club, adidas Runners Abu Dhabi.

“Lots of people from my running club also travel to other countries to run, it really inspires me to do more,” she adds.

“I think working in a hospital with sick and dying patients has also made me appreciate my health even more. I try to live and enjoy life to the fullest every day.”

Indeed, statistics prove that people across the world are increasingly turning to running for its social aspect. Fitness tracking app Strava reported a 59 per cent increase in running club participation in 2024, while 58 per cent of its survey respondents said they made new friends via fitness groups.

Another expatriate, Jonah Florido from the Philippines, was part of a group of 24 Filipino UAE residents who competed in the recent Almaty Marathon 2025. Florido hopes to enter next Ironman 70.3 Philippines 2026 (1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run).

“I prefer to do marathons outside of the UAE if I can,” says the Abu Dhabi resident.“I just think, why choose between adventure and challenge when you can have both? It's a unique way of travelling, exploring, and challenging myself all at once. For a marathon, I start training about four to six months in advance and try to exercise every day.”

Since moving to the UAE two years ago, French resident Charlotte Jade has also completed half marathons in Almaty and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. She will also take on the Tokyo Marathon in March.

Along with the time she needs to dedicate to training, she explains that the cost of travelling to compete is also a consideration:“Sometimes I skip races that look appealing because they would cost too much. Tokyo Marathon will be an expensive trip but as it's a major event and a very exciting opportunity it will be worth it.”

There is something about travelling abroad for races that is extremely addictive and exciting. Accor hospitality group's 2025 Travel Trend Report cites athletic adventures as one of the biggest travel trends of the year, reporting a 50 percent rise in searches for“workout holidays”.

Jade noted: “Active holidays are my favourite type of holiday. I also love languages, so hearing the race countdown in a foreign tongue and people speaking around in different languages is always a thrill. I enjoy doing something that lets me experience the everyday life of the inhabitants of each country as well.”

UAE drawing more tourists

Meanwhile, events such as the Sir Bani Yas Challenge triathlo, set across the island's free-roaming wildlife reserve, are in turn drawing more overseas tourists to the UAE.

Jade took part in the debut 2025 edition:“I made friends from all around the world there, including two inspiring ladies from Lebanon and Australia and a professional French triathlete too.

“⁠It seems like the UAE is hosting more fitness events than ever before. Sometimes there are so many things happening on the same day it can be hard to decide which one to do.”

On another note, this journalist was lucky enough to participate in the recent Sprint race (5km run, 20km bike and 2.5km run) at the first ever AlUla Duathlon, hosted as part of the annual AlUla Wellness Festival in Saudi Arabia.

Organised by Race Arabia, other competitors had travelled from as far as Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and the wider Middle East. Many UAE residents took part in the AlUla Half Marathon and Ashar Valley Triathlon.

“It was the perfect holiday for a lot of people. It lets you experience the epic rock formations and canyons of AlUla, and at the same time engage in sports that you love,” said Zainab Yousef, marketing communications manager at Race Arabia.

“More and more residents no longer want to go on holiday to party. They want to recharge and do something that's good for them. It fits with the fact that the younger generation are now joining run clubs, playing sports and joining leagues to make friends,” added Clifford Victor Tindell, founder of Dubai-based fitness company Core Direction.

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