Running Against the Heat: Saudi Arabia’s Growing Enthusiasm for Physical Activity
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Salma Hossein
- . July 20, 2024
- . Update: July 20, 2024 9:00 pm
Summer in Saudi Arabia is often a time for many to lounge on the couch, turn on the air conditioning, and view other people on TV engaging in sports. Running clubs in the Kingdom are busier than ever, though, and despite the sweltering heat they show no indication of slowing down.
Regular attendee of Riyadh Road Runners club sessions, Seema Ghannam told Arab News: “You can keep active anywhere you are. You already have hands, arms, and legs, hence there is no restriction on movement anywhere you visit. You were born to keep on moving, to keep going. Apart from schools and official football teams, physical activity in the Kingdom was virtually nonexistent until lately. The lack of facilities, appropriate outdoor areas, and the scorching temperature demoralized people All that is changing right now. Physical activity is skyrocketing from the expanding padel courts to new initiatives at Sports Boulevard; running is not an exception.
Arab News visited Riyadh Road Runners, started in 1978, at one of the club’s 7:30 p.m. Monday sessions at the Eid Villas Compound to learn how these athletes maintain their routines in the heat. Runners were performing full-body exercises, stair climbing, and laps. Comprising a range of ages and backgrounds, the group started with a warm-up then progressed to strength training and finally ran circuits around the court with an eye on correct technique.
The Emergence of Exercise
Saudi Arabia’s physical activity rate has increased significantly in recent times. Once few choices for outdoor and leisure activities, facilities and events inspire locals to remain active. Founded in 1978, the Riyadh Road Runners best show this change. Originally drawing a small group of aficionados, the club today has a varied membership.
To boost endurance and muscle strength during the sessions, Coach Amr Hafez includes stair exercises and bodyweight ones. A last loop around the compound marks the end of the exercise, then a dip in the pool to cool off. Two years ago Ghannam, a swimming instructor and yoga teacher, included jogging into her exercise regimen. She commended Hafez’s all-encompassing workout regimen, which works the thighs, hips, glutes, and abs.
Appreciating the Outdoors
Ghannam notes that running outside helps her body adjust to the temperature even though it gets hot. To efficiently control the heat, she advises deciding when to run—early in the morning or late at night.
Having spent more than three years with Riyadh Road Runners, Coach Hafez offers three basic guidelines for summer running: keep well hydrated, control your breathing, and do high-intensity interval training. Learned from his first running instructor, Hafez combines martial arts techniques throughout his training. “Runners must develop all of their muscles if they are to have great ability,” he stated. “People who combine strength with fitness often acquire long distance running ability.”
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Conquering Difficulties
Originally seen as a punishment in the classroom, Hafez has come to value running. “Most of the team when they first started couldn’t jog even one k,” he remarked. Coach Omar Al-Ansari of Riyadh club R7 has done six marathons and emphasizes the advantages of running in Wadi Hanifa, where a breeze from the lake provides a cooler surroundings and natural shading.
Al-Ansari counsels runners to be hydrated, dress in bright colors, finish runs before sunrise or after sunset, and seek indoor or shaded venues. “Also never forget your sunscreen,” he said. Many runners told Arab News that there is no longer any justification for Kingdom inactivity.
“We are seeing a greater awareness about the need of having an active lifestyle in the country, and despite our difficult summer weather, there are ways to go about it,” Al-Ansari remarked. Hafez made this basic recommendation: “Start by walking and go from there.”
Rising running club and other physical activity participation in Saudi Arabia points to a good change toward a better lifestyle, overcoming environmental obstacles and building a strong community of fitness aficionados.
