Do you think you can sail like Sindbad and climb like a simian? If so, test your mettle in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/wellbeing/2024/09/19/arabian-warrior-obstacle-race-sheikh-abdullah/" target="_blank">Arabian Warrior</a>, a UAE-made obstacle course, taking place on Dubai Islands on Saturday – which is also the first day of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/wellbeing/2024/10/15/fitness-dubai-ride-snow-abu-dhabi-marathon/" target="_blank">Dubai Fitness Challenge</a>. More than 2,000 people have confirmed their attendance, and registrations remain open. Ahead of the start of Arabian Warrior, which is supported by Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Sharqi of Fujairah, <i>The National </i>got a first look at the 20 obstacles on one of the artificial islands off the coast of Deira. Similar to other obstacle course races, such as Spartan and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/wellbeing/20-tips-for-getting-through-the-uae-s-first-tough-mudder-1.204931" target="_blank">Tough Mudder</a>, Arabian Warrior includes climbing and jumping off walls, swinging ropes, crawling under metal fences, balancing on beams and more. The distance between obstacles will present a challenge in itself, as we had to drive around the course that stretched up to 10km. Speaking to Sheikh Abdullah in an <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/wellbeing/2024/09/19/arabian-warrior-obstacle-race-sheikh-abdullah/" target="_blank">earlier interview</a>, he said what makes Arabian Warrior different from other events is the fact it's “made in the UAE”. To capitalise on this, many of the obstacles are given Arabic names or regional references, including Reach for Jannah, where participants climb a tall platform situated on the edge of the island. Jannah is Arabic for heaven. A crawling course is named Arabian Leopard Crawl, while a water obstacle pays tribute to Sinbad, a popular fictional sailor and hero thought to hail from Iraq. Jebel Arabia is a net-climbing obstacle. Other obstacles include the Baboon, where participants have to get from one platform to another via swinging tyres, as well as Sub Zero, where participants slide into an <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/wellbeing/2024/07/01/ice-bath-safety-wim-hof-deaths/" target="_blank">ice bath</a>. “What we're trying to do here is to bring something from the UAE, from our region, to the world,” Sheikh Abdullah said, also referencing plans to take Arabian Warrior overseas, with the first few international instalments in Riyadh and Doha next year. Some of the obstacles are intense and weather projections on Saturday show a peak of 34ºC, so even the heat will add to the grind. In the 10km, 20km and 50km categories, participants need to finish as many loops as their bodies can endure. However, the Arabian Warrior team is encouraging families to sign up, too. Different categories are available to register for, including the entry-level 5km Al Muharib course where participants go through about 10 obstacles. Ladies-only and children-only races are also available, with the latter having their own mini-course with smaller and easier versions of the main set of obstacles. Elsewhere, the team is building a fan village with food trucks from Protein House, Krush Burger, Coffee Island and more. A DJ is set to entertain both racers and spectators, who can also partake in activities such as an ice bath challenge. <i>Arabian Warrior takes place on Dubai Islands on Saturday, October 26; from 7am; from Dh50; arabianwarrior.me</i>
