Souleymane Ghani is admirably calm even as he is poised to break a world record: the Dubai resident will embark on a "non-stop marathon" across the UAE, covering a distance of 700km (or about five trips between Dubai and Abu Dhabi) in five days.
“I feel like I have been preparing for this since I was born,” he tells The National, only days before he embarks on his run. It kicks off at the Saudi Arabia-UAE border at Al Ghuwaifat in Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning, moving on to Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, and is meant to finish in Fujairah next Monday.
The run starts at Al Ghuwaifat in Abu Dhabi, and it ends at the Fujairah International Marine Club.
Based on his calculations, Ghani will have to run for four to five hours straight, after which he will take a break for 45 minutes, a period he will use to eat and take power naps.
The feat attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Crossing of the United Arab Emirates on Foot. The title is currently held by Sean Burgess, another Dubai resident, who traversed the seven emirates on foot in six days, 21 hours and 48 minutes in 2021.
Two cars will follow Ghani through the journey, carrying food and first-aid paraphernalia. The route, Ghani says, is planned to ensure he has easy access to hospitals if the need arises.
The Dubai resident is no stranger to long runs, and says his past marathons have prepared him for this feat.
In 2020, for instance, Ghani ran for 17 hours straight from Hatta to Dubai at the peak of summer, clocking a distance of 110km. He has done other routes too, including Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah to Dubai.
“This is going to be like doing what I do every day,” he says with charming confidence. Running is a huge part of his daily life, he adds. Other than marathons, Ghani jogs 40km every day, and describes the sport as his version of meditating.
Ghani says he has not done any specific training for the coming 700km run, but fully recognises the impact it could have on his physical and mental state. This is why planning, he explains, is crucial — knowing when to take a break or when to drink water and eat, for example.
The fact running is a passion also helps Ghani in pushing through physically and mentally demanding trails.
“I did my first marathon in 2017, and I fell in love with it,” he says. “After that, I felt so good, I just never stopped. I would run every day before and after going to work,” he says.
Ghani, who is from Togo, West Africa, also coaches other runners and works as a running expert at adidas.
When he's doing long runs, the Dubai resident admits the need for a strong support system. “The people I surround myself with are really important. I can't allow just anyone to be with me when I'm doing such runs,” he explains. During Ghani's Dubai-Hatta stint, he was accompanied by fellow runner Hamad Salem.
Ghani says he had always sought the support of Salem, whom he describes as his brother, and someone who knows him like the back of his hand.
“He knows when to talk to me, what words to use and at what point. He knows when to give me water and he knows when I need to stop and rest,” Ghani says.
This is crucial because during these stretches, Ghani says “you lose the ability to think straight, and Salem knows when that happens”.
Passion aside, Ghani says a purpose is a good motivation when it comes to these marathons as well.
The run, similar to Burgess's 2021 achievement, is a charity event between adidas and Al Jalila Foundation. It is set to benefit Heroes of Hope, a non-profit organisation for athletes of determination.
As Ghani puts it, the marathon is just another challenge to push himself more as an athlete. “I just have to do it with a different vision."
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs%20
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Rebel%20Moon%20%E2%80%93%20Part%20Two%3A%20The%20Scargiver%20review%20
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The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
