After running through the night for almost 17 hours straight, clocking up a distance of more than 110 kilometres in peak summer, Souleymane Ghani did not intend to spend the rest of the day in a heap on the couch, or sleeping, as he quite rightly deserved to do.
Instead, he ate an acai bowl, had a shower and went into the Puma store at Mall of the Emirates, where he works as a sales associate, ready to clock up a full day's work.
Luckily, his boss wasn't having any of it.
"I went into work ...and they said you have to go home," Ghani tells The National, hours after completing the journey from Hatta to Dubai on foot, setting off at 5pm on Sunday and arriving in Dubai, at the Last Exit near Al Khawaneej, at about 9.30am on Monday.
Ghani, who is from Togo, West Africa, is well known for his unfathomable knack for running.
Each day, he goes outside and starts his morning with a 20km run – and then finishes his day the same way at Kite Beach, clocking up a minimum of 40km every day.
But the Hatta to Dubai run was a monumental effort, even for him.
Travelling to Hatta on Sunday afternoon with a support crew and fellow runner Hamad Salem, who trailed him throughout the night with supplies, Ghani set off minutes before 5pm, as the mercury hovered around 37 degrees Celsius.
In a video diary posted to his Instagram, Salem regularly caught up with Ghani to see how he was doing. At 6.10pm, at his first rest stop, Ghani was in good spirits, laughing that his shoes were "deceiving him" and he was running too fast.
"I meant to do that part in 90 minutes, but I did it in one hour and nine minutes," he says, with a laugh, admitting he should probably slow down.
By 9pm, he was 40km into the run and had stopped on the side of the road with his prayer mat to perform the isha prayer, before carrying on.
At about 11pm, he was more than halfway, having clocked up almost 60km, and was still smiling. He then ran throughout the night, observing the fajr prayer a little after 4am, and was joined by members of the local Adidas runners community near the finish line, soon after 6am, as temperatures hit 34°C.
He was accompanied by a handful of fellow runners for the final 20km push.
At 9.30am, he was finished, with an acai bowl as a reward and a huge smile on his face. However, he's not 100 per cent sure of his final distance, as his watch died after the 110km mark.
"I feel OK," he tells The National. "I had a bit of cramp at the end.
"But I'm good. I could do another one right now."
Now, after returning from work, he is at home, washing his clothes and waiting for the dhuhr prayer, after which he will have a quick nap and spend the rest of the day relaxing.
He will add this achievement to a string of running accolades, which are all the more impressive when you consider he only started taking running seriously in 2016. He has since participated in marathons and races around the globe, including in South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Georgia, Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai. In the Middle East, he has taken part in the notoriously difficult Hajar 100 and Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, and has completed runs from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, and from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah.
Naturally, this hasn't quite dulled Ghani's desire to take on even more extreme runs. He says he still has "lots of goals" and is eventually working himself up to doing the Canadian Death Race – a 125km run through the Canadian Rockies on a route that passes over three mountain summits, includes more than 5,100 metres of elevation change and a river crossing through a canyon.
Check out this video of Ghani talking about how running is his 'meditation':
Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
THREE
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C108hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C340Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%20(front%20axle)%3B%20two-speed%20transmission%20(rear%20axle)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh928%2C400%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOrders%20open%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Saudi Cup race day
Schedule in UAE time
5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Sri Lanka squad
Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milinda Siriwardana, Roshen Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Charith Asalanka, Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad.
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More from Aya Iskandarani
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EXare%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJanuary%2018%2C%202021%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPadmini%20Gupta%2C%20Milind%20Singh%2C%20Mandeep%20Singh%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20Raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2410%20million%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E28%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eundisclosed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMS%26amp%3BAD%20Ventures%2C%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Astra%20Amco%2C%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%2C%20Fintech%20Fund%2C%20500%20Startups%2C%20Khwarizmi%20Ventures%2C%20and%20Phoenician%20Funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
