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The Dubai Holding Corporate group is gearing up to represent the company at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon as the biggest corporate group in the citys official Marathon with more than 2000 employees.

In its efforts to prepare taking part employees for the upcoming Marathon, Dubai Holding Running Club, one of the Companys Wellness Programme initiatives, launched a 3-month long sequence of training sessions with an enormous focus on suggestions and techniques applicable to running long distances with particular timings.

Since last October, the sessions have been attended by a various number of employees representing multiple nationalities, both genders and distinctive fitness levels throughout the Group, along with Jumeirah Group, TECOM Group, Dubai Properties, Dubai Asset Management, Arab Media Group (AMG), Dubai Retail and Dubai Holdings Corporate Office. The last morning training session was conducted at Dubai Sports City was designed as a rehearsal for the big day where the employees will either the run the Marathon (42KM) or the (10KM) category based on their fitness levels.
A number of the participating employees shared their testimonials about their preparation for the upcoming Marathon:

Jamal Salem, Emirati, 39, Information Security Projects Manager, Dubai Holding Corporate Office, said: Since I joined Dubai Holding, Ive been an active worker in terms of participating in the distinctive fitness events and health activities of the company. This year marks my 4th year taking part in the 10KM. To get prepared for the race and break my previous record of 50 minutes, I regularly attended the morning training sessions of the Dubai Holding Running Club. Previously, I have participated in Dubai Holding SkyRun and Spartan Race.

Rosalie Lalic, Phillipina, 40, Executive Assistant, TECOM Group, said:: I will be running the Marathon (42KM) for the 2nd time this Friday. The first time around, I finished the Marathon within 5 hours and 30 minutes and I am coming back this year to challenge myself to break my own record and enhance my performance. Ive dedicated for a year-long training to be prepared for this moment."

Laura Bickerton, UK, 36, Legal Advisor, Dubai Properties, commented: Ive been working with Dubai Properties for about three years now. I did the 10KM category previous year, and Ive been actively participating in the Dubai Holding Running Club for the past few months to strive and enhance my performance. I am looking forward to breaking my record this Friday.

Rodolphe Pialat, French, 38, Director of Food & Beverage- Al Qasr, Jumeirah Group, said: This is my first time to be running the Marathon (42KM) in Dubai. Ive formerly ran two Marathons - in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I feel participating in such sporting events helps to clear my mind and change my work and family routine. Focusing on sports is the excellent way to enhance both physical and mental health.

Walid Ibrahim, Emirati,47, Director of Operations, Dubai Asset Management, said: This is my first participation in the Marathon. I will run the 10KM as I have started out training currently and I choose to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Besides being an Employee at Dubai Holding, I take the pride to be part of #MyCity_MyRace campaign and run with other Emirati participants in the race.

Claudelle Landers, Indian, 48, Leasing Executive, TECOM Group, commented: I started out taking part in the Dubai Marathon 5 years ago. The first three years, I ran the 4KM only and in the 4th year I determined to challenge myself and run the 10KM. It was my first time to train and I ended up finishing the 10KM category in 2 hours and was physically exhausted. Last year, I elevated my performance and completed the 10KM in 1 hour and 35 minutes. This year, I am aiming to finish the race in much less than an hour.

Majd Zidan, Syrian, 34, Zone Services Department Manager, TECOM Group, said: Ive been taking part in the Dubai Marathon since 2015, and I cant wait for this Friday. The training nowadays was impressive, and weve learned new strategies and got some fruitful suggestions that will help. Dubai Holding has been supported by J-Clubat Jumeirah Beach Hotel to share diet and fitness recommendations with employees as part of their training programme.

Jamie Moore, Head of Training and Wellness at J-Club, advises runners to load up on carbohydrates before the big race which will make sure they can draw on energy, especially in the latter stages and warns them not to embark on any high-intensity training in the next few days. The final week earlier than the run is considered down time so every participant must be on relaxation. Drink between three to four litres of water every day to remain hydrated. Green juices are additionally much recommended as they are excessive in fibre which will help make stronger your muscles.

Dubai Marathon is the largest mass-participation sports event in Dubai, with the number of participants achieving more than 30,000.Dubai Holding is one of the founding sponsors of the race as part of a wider health programme which targets to improve the health of its employees and local communities by actively encouraging them to take part in primary fitness events.

In 2011, Dubai Holding introduced the UAE National Prize Category as part of its ongoing dedication to community well-being and fostering Emirati pride. The top three male and female Emirati winners are rewarded for their success in the 10km, 42km and Wheelchair race with an ordinary prize fund of 86,000 AED. This year, the company launched its #MyCity_MyRace campaign to motivate more Emiratis from distinctive fitness stages to take part and is expecting to see record numbers at the race on Friday.

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