Camel marathon gives expats deeper insight into UAE culture

camel racing With deep roots in Emirati tradition, every year in Dubai the jockeys set out – whether on the track or in the desert – for one of the country’s most important cultural festivals.

The first weekend of the month marks the start of the latest Camel Walking Marathon, a series of races that will culminate on 6 January.

the whole countryChris Whiteoak of 2019 traveled to the Al Marmoom circuit to film the expat heats organized by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre.

This year’s competition attracted 22 different types of entrants from 15 countries (including Germany, Italy, China, Saudi Arabia, France, Jordan and Luxembourg) – all of whom underwent months of training at the Heritage Centre.

Some have participated in previous camel treks, while others are doing it for the first time this year.

“It’s been a really fun experience so far,” said Enoch Castleberry, a first-time camel racer the whole country“I saw a big billboard on the side of the highway with a beautiful picture of the desert and camels and I signed up.”

The Dubai resident started training shortly after signing up, spending four days a week learning how to ride a camel.

“It’s really fun spending time with these animals that you see a lot in the desert, but you never think, ‘Oh, I’m going to ride one.'”

These camel races, held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, are important “because it really gives us as foreigners and expatriates an understanding of the local culture”, he said.

The heats will be followed by another round on December 2, which coincides with the UAE National Day.

Camel racing is a mainstay of National Day celebrations, paying tribute to animals that have been valued companions of the Bedouins for centuries.

The main and final race will take place on 6 January, a few days after the weeks-long camel trek, a separate event organized by the Heritage Centre.

Some race participants also took part in the walking tour, which began on December 18 and ended on December 31.

In the preliminaries, 14-year-old German student Emilia Piesker ran the 1500-meter runway in 1 minute 55.78 seconds and became the champion.

Jordanian expatriate Rawan followed with a time of 1:55.81.

Chinese citizen Huo Xiaozhe ranked third with a time of 1:58.75.

The winner’s mother, Pauline Piesker, who also took part in the race, expressed pride in her daughter’s performance, saying “we gained a lot of experience and skills from our camel rides last year”.

“I’m a teacher and I must say that taking part in the annual traditional sporting event shows you an aspect that gives you a holistic view of Dubai,” Peskill said.

Updated: November 18, 2022, 6:01pm