Sharjah City Municipality and Medcare Hospital collaboratively organise a marathon to encourage communities to get active

Sharjah City Municipality organised a recreational marathon, in cooperation with Medcare Hospital on Saturday in the Khalid Lake area. The marathon covered a distance of five kilometers from the area in front of the Crystal Plaza Towers to Al Majaz Amphitheatre. This sporting event came as part of Sharjah Municipality’s efforts to encourage its employees, the Medcare staff, and all members of society to practice sports as a lifestyle in order to prevent diseases and improve the overall health status of individuals of all ages.

Thabit Al Turaifi, Director General of Sharjah City Municipality, said that the marathon organised by the Municipality and Medcare Hospital, is part of sporting and recreational activities, which the Municipality commits to organising throughout the year to create an atmosphere of joy and happiness for its employees away from the office work monotony. They also encourage the employees to practice physical activities due to the many positive impacts they have on physical health and body vitality, as well as their tangible role in providing mental and psychological clarity, relaxation, and invigorating the body, which all help improve the productivity and performance of employees.

Ali Obaid Al Hammoudi, Director of Corporate Communication Department at Sharjah Municipality also pointed out that the Municipality chose the Khalid Lake area to host the marathon because of the natural landscapes, green lands and the lake the area cradles, making it one of the most attractions visited by families, visitors and tourists. The race kicked off from the Crystal Plaza Towers at 8:30 am, ending in front of Al Majaz Amphitheatre near Khalid Lake.

He further added that holding the marathon on Saturday allowed many of the employees of the Municipality and Medcare and members of the community to participate in the race, pointing out that officials from the Municipality and Medcare Hospital handed out valuable prizes and certificates to the top three winners, and consolation prizes to all the participants.

Al Hammoudi also highlighted that the Municipality took all necessary measures to ensure the safety of participants by coordinating with Sharjah Police Headquarters to have police officers monitor the participants from the starting point to the finish line, in addition to regulating traffic to avoid traffic congestion in the race area.

Ms. Alisha Moopen, Executive Director and CEO of Hospitals and Clinics, GCC, at Aster DM Healthcare said, "Medcare Hospital is very happy to collaborate with Sharjah Municipality in organizing this Marathon. Our endeavor is to support every effort towards building happy and healthy communities. We all lead hectic lives with little focus on our own health. This is a great initiative to motivate employees and the public to make an energetic start towards adopting an active lifestyle”.