RAS AL KHAIMAH // Tilly Thompson braved the cold morning air with her mother as they sat on the sidelines, cheering for her father who was running his first half marathon.
The seven-year-old was excited for him as he started his 21-kilometre run at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon yesterday.
“If my dad finishes the race, I will make him a cake,” the young Briton said.
Her mother, Tracey, 39, said they drove to the northernmost emirate from Dubai.
The cold breeze did not stop family members and friends from cheering on their loved ones when the race started at 7am.
More than 3,500 runners from 98 countries took part in the 10th annual half marathon.
Norwegian Aksel Lovenholm, 74, was the oldest runner in the event, while the youngest was Greta Prodi, an 11-year-old Italian resident of Ras Al Khaimah.
Running with a group of friends, 50-year-old Dutchman Geert Janssen wanted to beat his personal record. “I’m aiming for one hour and 58 minutes this year,” he said.
Mr Janssen crossed the finish line in two hours and two minutes, while his friend Mylene Garcia – who has run the race every year for the past five years – was a minute faster.
Millie, a two-year-old rescued dog from Abu Dhabi, could not take part in the race with her owner Nate Rosen, but was waiting at the finish line with Mr Rosen’s wife, Lydia.
“We started our journey from Abu Dhabi at 3.30am,” said Mr Rosen, a 26-year-old American. “Lydia and Millie are here to support me in my first time running a half marathon.”
Simone Camposeranio and his wife Giorgia participated in the race for the first time as a married couple. Last year, Mr Camposeranio proposed after they crossed the finish line.
“We got married in April last year, and we wanted to complete the race together. But Simone was sick this week,” said the 35-year-old Mrs Camposeranio. The Italian couple pulled out at the eight-kilometre mark.
Water stations on the route were set up for runners every two and a half kilometres, sports drink stations every five kilometres, while medical stations were also available.
Kenyan Cynthia Limo, 26, was the first woman to finish the race in 66 minutes and four seconds – a personal best.
“I broke my record today. I’m so happy,” she said. “The weather was really good, and the scenery was amazing.”
Birhanu Legese, a 22-year-old Ethiopian, took first place in the men’s category (60:40), while Saif Hamad Al Rashdi, 39, and Sarah Faraidooni, 33, were the first Emiratis to finish the race.
Isabel Barcia had her two daughters and husband waiting at the finish line, while her son Sancho, 17, chose to run with her. “I’m hoping to finish the run in two hours and 10 minutes,” said the 44-year-old Spaniard, who completed the course in two hours and 16 minutes.
From Fujairah, Joseph Matthew and 50 staffers of Horizon Vopak, a petroleum products storage firm, took part in the team relay challenge.
Mr Matthew was greeted at the finish line by his daughters, aged eight and nine.
“This is my fourth time in the RAK marathon, and I broke last year’s five-kilometre run by almost four minutes,” said the 43-year-old storekeeper.
The route for the race, which was first staged in 2007, starts near the City Hotel and includes the Mangrove Swamp, Al Qawasim Corniche, and the Ruler’s Palace.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
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