SHARJAH: Connectivity and interrelationships speak loads for health.

One excellent example happened on nippy Saturday morning when 400 athletes and health buffs from around the UAE joined the first “Sharjah Municipality Marathon” not only for fun, recreation and de-stressing but for overall health and fitness as well.

The five-kilometre run flagged off near the Khalid Lake in Buhairah Corniche at 8.40am.

After 12 minutes and eight seconds, professional runner/trainer-coach at the UAE Military in Abu Dhabi Ellassaoui Noaman, 23 and bearing number 118, was the first to cross the finish line posted at the scenic Al Majaz Amphitheatre.

Fellow Moroccans and colleagues Soufyane Dardour, 25 (number 110) and Soufyane Masaoudi, 23 (number 112), cadenced thereafter clocking at 12 minutes and 30 seconds, and 14 minutes and 51 seconds, respectively.

Noaman, deep into the 800-km stretch from eight years back, came across the health initiative by the Sharjah Municipality and Medcare Hospital (Sharjah) over Facebook. He invited Dardour and Masaoudi.

Noaman’s dream is to become an internationally-recognised runner. He had joined three regional events since opting for running as his main sport in order to stay healthy.

He advised that one starts off with 45-minute walking and an hour of running twice weekly: “Running is good for the health.”

From Dubai were over 20 triathlon athletes and their kin, comprising the 3-F Striders (Striders).

Striders is a multi-racial group which weekly meets up at the Zabeel Park (Sunday evening) for running, Al Nasr Club (Wednesday evening) for cycling,  Jumeirah Open Beach (Friday morning) for long-distance swimming and some various points in Dubai (also every Friday) for long-distance running.

They learnt about the marathon through member and Dubai Health Authority pathologist Dr Zaid Al Hamed.

Al Hamed received an e-mail linking him to the event portal: “This (marathon) is good to remove the pressures we have in our lives, diabetes and obesity. We must at least engage in physical activities (thrice) a week.”

Striders main person Eden Uy from the Southern Tagalog province of Cavite in the Philippines, told The Gulf Today it was only in the UAE that she became a triathlete.

She had gone through the see-saw of overweight-ness and obesity back home.

A newbie in the UAE in 2014, Uy got interested in running and consequently made friends with five other Filipinos, also into the evening runs at Zabeel Park.

The 82-kilogrammed, five-foot-five-inch-framed administrative officer of a UK-based organisation is down to 64kg after three-and-a half years of incorporating running-swimming-cycling into her life.

“We all want to live long lives. We would also be able serve God well if we were healthy.”

Uy expressed hope that the marathon would only be the start of a series of health awareness projects by the Sharjah Municipality and Medcare Hospital (Sharjah).

She was happy to note that in the UAE, leaders and authorities are making sure health is a priority in such a way that running and cycling tracks as well as swimming and other facilities for sports engagements are not only accessible to everyone but also at close proximity to one another.

Uy believes this type of urban planning knitted with the landscaping of greenery through parks and waterways are among the encouragements to live healthily.

“I hope the parks would be available for free.”

Maria Nessia, whose family has been joining the annual Terry Fox Run(s), believes the Saturday activity must only be the start. 

The marathon was engineered by the municipality and hospital officials in December 2017.

Sharjah City Municipality director general Thabit Al Turaifi said: “This is part of sporting and recreational activities which the government is committed to organising throughout the year to create an atmosphere of joy and happiness for its employees away from the office work monotony.”

The local government is dedicated to help everyone get into physical activities because of the “many positive impacts” on the physical-psychological-social-emotional aspects of one’s over-all being. 

Aster DM Healthcare executive director/Hospitals and Clinics (GCC) chief executive officer Alisha Moopen said: “Medcare Hospital is very happy to collaborate with the Sharjah Municipality.”

She added “building happy and healthy communities” must be given the necessary support: ”We all lead hectic lives with little focus on our own health. This is a great initiative to motivate employees and the public to make an energetic start towards adopting an active lifestyle.”

Sharjah, through the leadership of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, was selected as among the healthiest cities in the world by the World Health Organisation (WHO) some five years back.

By 2015 and in accordance with WHO indicators in “health domain, community-based engagements, education and literacy, skills development, and preparedness in relation to water, air, sanitation and emergency conditions,” it had surpassed the global requirements, having achieved the 88 per cent scoring.