A former British soldier who rowed across the Pacific Ocean has his sights on running across the seven emirates of the UAE in fewer than six days.
Harry Amos, 38, was part of the four-man team from Dubai that took on the challenge of rowing 4,500km from California to Hawaii two years ago. While his rowing partner Paris Norriss is preparing to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, Mr Amos is determined to keep up with his childhood friend with his running challenge.
Both men are running for charitable causes, with Mr Amos, who has lived in Dubai for nine years, hoping to raise Dh50,000 ($13,615) for the Authority of Social Contribution Ma’an to support diabetes care in the UAE. His run will begin in Fujairah and cross the country before ending at the border with Saudi Arabia, about 630km later, and is scheduled to begin at the end of January.
“What the Pacific row taught me is that there is only room for an expedition of that size every five years or so, because you have to raise so much money,” said Mr Amos, who served in Afghanistan during his army career. “To get that done, we had to raise £350,000, so I wanted to do something a little bit smaller and closer to home, but equally as difficult. This running route through seven emirates was pioneered during the pandemic by another good friend of mine, Sean Burgess.
“He trekked from the Saudi Arabia border up to the Fujairah coast in a very respectable six days and 22 hours or so. He established the Guinness World Record route, and since then two other runners have completed that distance, the fastest which was five days and 22 hours. Hopefully, I can get close to that time.”
Scientific study
The first run completed by Mr Burgess was monitored by scientists at the Mohammed bin Rashid University Of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dubai, to assess the physical impact of the challenge. His run included 15 shifts of eight hours of walking and running which saw his body composition change drastically. Although his weight was largely unchanged, his body fat plummeted 45 per cent from 16.7kg to 9.1kg.
Mr Amos said lessons from that experience can help him to complete his 630km journey that means he will run the equivalent of more than two marathons every day. By switching the direction of the route – with the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah taken on early in the challenge and with proper rest – he hopes to make the run slightly less gruelling.
“I think that the previous runners all made a terrible mistake and should have been starting from Fujairah,” he said. “The last day is a killer because you've got to get over about 500 metres of elevation to go over the mountains. I’ve tested the uphill leg, which is a 32km route from Fujairah beach to Masafi on top of the mountains, so I know I can complete the hardest day, fresher and without overdoing it.”
Training runs include clocking up 70km a week, but that is set to be cranked up to 100km over the next week or two before his intense routine tapers off. He plans to fuel his run with about 8,000 calories a day, with Spinneys supermarket sponsoring his run to provide fresh food each day.
“I joined the Royal Marines when I was 18, and so by nature of my career I have been physically fit, and part of that has been running,” said Mr Amos, who will be supported by his wife, two daughters and baby son, as well as a medical team from M42 and Mubadala Health Dubai.
“When running is mandated it becomes a background activity, but when you leave the army it has to come from your own motivation. It takes discipline to maintain the routine, but it is fundamentally important for my physical and mental well-being. I'm definitely not Kipchoge [a Kenyan long-distance runner] but what someone very wise once told me: if you can't go fast, you better be able to go far.”
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
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Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
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• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
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New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
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A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
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Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
