Winners crowned in challenging AlUla Desert Blaze race

JEDDAH: More than 200 athletes from the Middle East and around the world on Saturday participated in the high-intensity endurance race, AlUla Desert Blaze.

Men and women competed over distances of 5 km, 10 km, 21 km, and 42 km, for a share of a prize pot of SR110,000 ($30,000).

For those taking part in the 5 km, 10 km, and 21 km races, the starting point was Hegra — Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site — while the marathon runners set out from Maraya, a multi-purpose entertainment venue located in the Ashar Valley.

In scorching temperatures, the runners passed some of AlUla’s main natural and historic landmarks along specially designed routes peppered with strategically placed water stations and emergency medical facilities.

Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi from Saudi Arabia won the men’s 5 km race, with Canadian runner Carla Korpijaakko coming first in the women’s race over the same distance. Another Saudi, Mohammed Al-Mutairi, was victorious in the junior male category.

In the 10 km races, Yousef Al-Asiri from the Kingdom won the men's class, Ruth Danies Albert Jbet from Bahrain the women’s, and Amin Noor from Afghanistan and Tia Watson from the UK the junior male and female categories, respectively.

Over the 21 km distance, Robert Kimutai Ngeno from Kenya was first over the finishing line for the men, while Algerian Malika Benderbal claimed first in the women’s category.

Chakib Lachgar from Spain raced to first in the men’s 42 km challenge with Hana Zemedkun from Ethiopia winning the women’s marathon.

Rami Almoallim, vice president of destination management and marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla, congratulated race winners and participants.

He told Arab News: “AlUla is all about creating unforgettable