Why are all those people walking around the city? Here’s why… We say cheer them on?

There’s going to be a 24-hour walkathon today in Dubai (that’s Thursday November 17). During it teams will cover 90 kilometres, starting from Zabeel Park and walking past several of Dubai’s landmarks.

Each team will be made up of 20 walkers and one team administrator, and even HRH Princess Haya is on the walk:

WHAT DOES THE WALK ENTAIL?

The walk starts on Thursday November 17 at 7.30am from Gate 1 in Zaabeel Park, and will finish 24 hours later at the same gate.

However, the walkathon is less of a stroll, and is a bit more of a competition…

Each team will be split into groups of five, which will cover 22.5 kilometres of the total 90 kilometres before being replaced by the next group of five in their team.

The members of each team will be kitted out with a small electronic disc on their ankle to monitor each team’s finishing time and distance covered.

Here’s a video showing some of the locations the walkathon will pass by:

Along the race, there will also be rest stops to provide the walkers with water and juice, as well as medical vehicles in case of emergencies.

Below is a map, showing the start and finish points on the right hand side, and the walking route in red and blue.

The locations are difficult to make out, but from Zabeel, the walkers will be heading to Downtown Dubai, then cutting through to the coast, where they’ll walk past the Burj Al Arab and eventually up past the Palm Jumeirah before turning back.

walkathon dubai

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WHAT ELSE WILL THERE BE?

After the walkathon, there’s going to be a 100 metres running race at Zaabeel Park.

However, the race’s 20 participants are required to be over 70 years old.

There will also be a mini walkathon for children aged five to seven, consisting of a one kilometre walk, as well as a walkathon of 2.5 kilometres for those aged 8 to 10.

The event was organised as part of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Sports Community Initiative, in an effort to encourage society to take up walking as a means of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

So make sure to cheer on anyone you see walking past today (as they’ve likely been walking for a while).

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Images: Twitter/@dubaisc