Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race

Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race is a running event in its inaugural edition, launched by al-Ula Governorate in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 26, 2023, as part of a series of races and sports events hosted by the region.

Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race focused on long-distance running under the intense summer heat, with temperatures reaching approximately forty-three degrees Celsius. The race tested participants' endurance, attracting two hundred runners from thirty-nine countries.

Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race aims to establish al-Ula as a leading sports destination locally and internationally, showcase participants' endurance in the challenge, and introduce them to al-Ula's natural landscapes, landmarks, and diverse offerings as part of their athletic achievement.

Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race targeted participants aged sixteen and above, both men and women, from all fitness levels. It offered them the opportunity to select and register for their preferred distances, ranging from five km and ten km to a half marathon, twenty-one km, and a full marathon, forty-two km.

Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race began at eight am from the historic site of Hijr, one of the first locations in the Kingdom to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This was the route for runners participating in the five- ten-, and twenty-one km races. The forty-two-km race started from Ashar Valley, in front of the Maraya Hall, a building that holds a Guinness World Record as the largest mirrored building in the world.

Al-Ula Desert Blaze Race provided organizers dedicated to ensuring participants' safety amid high temperatures along with comprehensive medical services for runners, including paramedics, nurses, and physiotherapists. Water stations were placed every 2.5 km, while refreshment stations were available every five km. Additionally, the event offered buckets of ice, refreshments, fruits, and snacks to support the participants throughout the race.

Hana Zemedkun from Ethiopia secured first place in the forty-two km women's category with a time of 3:00:29, Chakib Lachgar from Morocco ranked first in the forty-two km men's category with a time of 2:23:39, Malika Benderbal from Algeria won the twenty-one km women's category with a time of 1:21:42, Robert Kimutai Ngeno from Kenya took first place in the twenty-one km men's category with a time of 1:05:09, Ruth Danies Albert Jbet from Bahrain and Yousef al-Asiri from the Kingdom won the ten km adult categories for women and men, respectively. Carla Korpijaakko from Canada and Abdulaziz al-Ghamdi from the Kingdom secured first place in the five km women's and men's categories. Tia Watson from the United Kingdom and Amin Noor from Afghanistan ranked first in the ten km junior categories, male and female, while Mohammad al-Mutairi from the Kingdom won the first prize in the five km junior category.