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."
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Sour%20Grapes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZakaria%20Tamer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESyracuse%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Shafaf, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Noof KB, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Mekhbat, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5
Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder / 3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
