Ooredoo’s Virtual Running Event Inspired Thousands of Runners
to Get Active
Doha, Qatar
Qatar’s leading telecommunications operator has announced its virtual running event, the Ooredoo Doha Virtual Marathon 2021, has been concluded and was considered a resounding success.
More than 5,900 runners – the biggest participation for a virtual running event in the Middle East region – signed up to take part from 108 countries around the world. Runners were able to take part in the event, running individually with their run times registered on the leaderboard via the Suffix.Tracker app.
A number of categories ensured runners of all ages and abilities could take part, starting from a 1k run to half-marathons and the full 42km marathon for both men and women. A host of smart devices was on offer as prizes for winners and runners up in the main categories.
Elarbi Khattabi took top spot in the men’s full marathon with a time of 2:32:20, with Nasreddine Mansour and Cameron Nail second and third. In the women’s main event, Andrea Stadler won in 3:23:33 while Ghalya Alharami and Angelita Maano took second and third place.
The half-marathon also saw some impressive results; Rachid Boudalla, Ahmed Elhissouf and Mohamed Omar finished top three in the men’s category, while Daisy Baker, Marjan Kohansal and Eimear Dynes topped the leaderboard in the ladies category.
Top three men in the 10km run were Mohamed Nasir, Ilyass El Ouali and Houssine Lahdou, and top three ladies were Dina Ali Shekkh, Zineb Karam and Ana Milena Mesa. Abdullah Khan, Dnyaneshwar Mutkule and Akshith Saravanan led the scores in the men’s 5k, with Rosmaini Binti Ngah, Beatrice Njogu and Sara Talia heading the ladies event.
Valid Ferdosian, Mahmoud Elkhaznadar and Omar Elkhaznadar registered the top three times in the 1km male race, while Afrah F Nijas, Bassma Lakhloufi and Annabel Axford led the female event.
Ooredoo thanked its many generous sponsors for their support – Platinum sponsors Qatari Diar; Gold sponsors Qatar Airways, Qatar National Tourism Council, Diet Delights, Aspire, Aspetar, Elan, Tarteeb and INTA FM; and Silver sponsors QIC and Chac’Late – without which it said the event could not have taken place.
To encourage everyone to participate, Ooredoo had previously announced it waived all registration fees for the event.
Sabah Rabiah Al-Kuwari, Director PR at Ooredoo, said: “We were excited to host a virtual alternative to the hugely popular Ooredoo Doha Marathon, so our many keen runners didn’t miss out, and were delighted to see so many participants signing up. Promoting a healthy, active lifestyle is a key priority for Ooredoo as part of our corporate social responsibility strategy, and we’re pleased we managed to continue our commitment to this goal even as the pandemic restrictions continue. Many congratulations to all the winners, runners up and participants, and our thanks to you all for joining in!”