What’s On tells you the best running areas in Abu Dhabi, featuring the Corniche, Zayed Sports City, Eastern Mangroves Promenade, Yas Marina.


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Take advantage of the cooler weather and check out these spots to take your running outdoors…

Corniche
This one’s a no-brainer, for obvious reasons – the 8km street is centrally located, there’s a dedicated lane to run in, plenty of food and beverage stalls (in case you need to refuel) and the Blue Flag beachfront views aren’t too shabby either. You can also run on the beach itself.


Zayed Sports City
This sporting complex is an ideal place to take in a quick run day or night. Minimal traffic, open spaces and outdoor lighting make for a relatively safe area. And if you’re really up to it, how about a training session running up the flights of stairs inside the tennis stadium to really get your heart pumping? Anyone can do it (there are no set times for stair running sessions), just make sure you call ahead to let them know you are popping down.

Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 4034200. zsc.ae


Al Raha Beach
For runners who are serious about their training, and don’t want to contend with too much traffic, a run from Al Bandar to Muneera to Al Zeina along the canal road is a good option. Two loops around the pavement should clock up to around 8km.


Eastern Mangroves Promenade
The sounds of lapping water, birdsong and buzzing insects will accompany your run here. It’s not the biggest space, but the view of the peaceful mangroves makes up for it. Afterwards grab a snack at one of the seven restaurants or cafés tucked along the arch-fronted colonnade.

Eastern Mangroves Promenade, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 4061426. Taxi: Eastern Mangroves. easternmangrovespromenade.ae


Saadiyat Island
Before major developments come into play, take advantage of the peaceful atmosphere on Happiness Island with a run on Saadiyat Public Beach. Located just past the Park Hyatt, this 9K beach does charge for entry (Dhs25) but it’s pretty empty most days so you won’t have to navigate your run through a crowd of people.

Saddiyat Beach, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, Dhs25. Taxi: Saadiyat Beach. bakeuae.com


Yas Marina Circuit
Another location with high marks for safety (bottles of water are given out for free and medical teams are on hand). Join runners and cyclists doing the rounds (5.5km a lap to be exact) on Tuesday evenings around the F1 track at Train Yas By Activelife from 6pm to 8.30pm. Or if you prefer more privacy, Wednesdays are women-only. Just be sure to register online before you go. Fancy cycling? You can take your own bike or rent one for Dhs30 to Dhs50 an hour.

Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, free. yasmarinacircuit.com