When the whistle blows to start the first XDubai Spartan Race in Jebel Sifah on October 21, it’ll be a moment of realisation for a number of determined participants brimming with enthusiasm. This is a test of physical endurance as much as it is about mental composure.
People in Oman will get a taste of the sultanate’s first Spartan Race, considered the best obstacle race in the world, when a number of beginners and professionals push themselves to their limits to take on a series of challenging obstacles in a purpose built arena at the beach.
The event features Spartan Sprint, a 5km + course with more than 20 obstacles. The challenge is separated into two categories – Morning Open and Elite – while children aged four to 15 years can take part in a 1km Spartan Kids Race.
Workout Tour sessions have been taking place over the past few weekends at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Bausher to give prospective participants a taste of the Spartan challenges. With more than 4mn Spartans worldwide, the event has become a globally popular event and participants in Oman are upbeat about their participation in this event.
Entrepreneur Medina Ilyassova, originally from Kazakhstan says this race is very special for her as it serves a dual purpose of building her own confidence as well as sending out a message to others not to be weighed down by personal setbacks.
Having suffered epileptic bouts since the age of 17, Medina says, “The only reason I got through it (epilepsy) is because of the support of my and my husband’s families, besides my close friends. They made me believe that I’m strong enough to overcome the challenge. I wouldn’t ever be able to do it without my husband – Usama, my greatest supporter – and my friends who never let me feel weak or unable to cope with my life.”
Speaking about her never-say-die attitude, Medina said, “It was my biggest dream to wake up one day and not be scared that I would fall down, not to be scared that I wouldn’t remember my day and the people I met. Dreams come true… as Alice in Wonderland said, ‘The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it’s possible’. I continued to believe and two years ago I underwent brain surgery, and I’m today epilepsy free.”
Noting that epileptics are often stigmatised in their own societies in the Middle East, she pointed out that one per cent of the global population currently faces this challenge. So, we want to bring forth a message that epileptics lead normal lives, overcome normal challenges and sometimes achieve much more than others.
Medina, who is co-founder of the online adventures booking platform ub-cool, will be participating in the race with her team comprising supporters from Oman, Canada, Australia, the UK and US, who will be wearing T-shirts with the epilepsy awareness symbol besides distributing wristbands at the race. “We want to make a real difference. Our long term goal is to educate communities on what to do if somebody next to you is having a seizure and how people can help people in these difficult situations,” she said.
Robert MacLean – principal of National Hospitality Institute – is yet another enthusiastic participant who he is doing it for the first time, though he is not really sure how it will work out for him. Robert disclosed that he will be participating along with a few teammates from Boot Camp Zulu, with whom he trains three mornings a week, besides some members of Slobis, a small running group which meets every Friday.
“I think that when these events come to Muscat, it is important to support them when you can. The team is looking for a good day out with hopefully some fun attached to it. We are very lucky in Oman with the weather and places to carry out these kinds of activities and we should take advantage of them. Currently, there are a lot more of these events than there used to be and it is good to see this. One of the great things is the real mix of nationalities that get involved,” he said.
As for how the race came to Oman, Rayyan Yacob Agha, managing director of Spartan Race Arabia, said that after organising the first three Spartan Races in the region, there was demand to bring the event to the sultanate. “When we began looking for a venue, we were searching for a place that had the right terrain and Jebel Sifah was found to be an apt destination for the event,” he said in a press release issued last week.
Source: TheWeek