The ultramarathon runners conquering the desert trails of the UAE

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Lee Harris and colleagues tackling the desert terrains of the UAE. (Supplied)
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Updated 17 March 2021
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The ultramarathon runners conquering the desert trails of the UAE

  • Lee Harris and Kathleen Leguin are part of a special breed of athletes who have mastered running as an endurance sport

DUBAI: Lee Harris isn’t too keen on running marathons. But not in the way so many people aren’t keen on running marathons.

For the Dubai resident, marathons are just not long enough. Now, if you are talking about ultramarathons — those brutal tests of endurance that can range from 50 to hundreds of kilometers, and last from days to over a week — you’ve got his attention.

“Running a marathon had never really been something that appealed to me,” Harris, 50, told Arab News. “I enjoyed running and I used running as a basis for training for other sports. I started running longer distances when I got into my 40s and I thought marathons are based on more speed on the road, and I was looking for a test of skill.”

The numbers involved in ultramarathons, over time, become staggering. Harris has notched up 21,000 klimeters around the mountains and deserts of the UAE over the past decade. The more than 750,000 meters of accumulated ascent and descent is the equivalent of running up and down Mount Everest 42 times.

Harris, a fitness trainer from the UK, became interested in ultramarathons after watching a colleague train for the Marathon des Sables - seven marathons across the Sahara.

He has now been running ultramarathons for more than 10 years, and says such distances require a specific set of skills. Marathon runners race against the clock, but Harris says that as he get older he started to look for the longer, slower run. And bit of outdoor adventure as well.

He was born and raised in the English county of Cornwall and calls himself a “rural person.” He excelled at weightlifting, boxing — for seven years at the Royal Navy — and cross-country running. After mastering how to run a marathon on trail, he managed a 50km ultramarathon in training. His first competitive ultramarathon was the punishing 220km race around Manaslu mountain in Nepal.

For him, it’s all about efficiency. And on the long trails, he had found a physical and mental challenge. 

“It’s a bit of a reconnection, when you’re out there you see what mother nature’s really like,” he said. “The environment is fantastic, we lose a bit of that when we live in the cities. The first thing I noticed being out in the mountains, my whole world switches off. There’s so many colors, there are so many smells and the terrain is always different. It doesn’t matter if you run the same route all the time, you always learn something different about it. That’s what mother nature is all about.”

On Friday, Harris will take part in the Al-Marmoom Ultramarathon over 50km.




Lee Harris at the Grand to Grand ultramarathon in the US. (Supplied)

Joining him will be French Dubai resident Kathleen Leguin who says running an ultramarathon brings out a range of emotions in her, from occasional despair to eventual joy.

“I know now, from experience, there will always be one low moment at some point,” she told Arab News. “It can be in the beginning, in the middle or near the end. When I start I’m always quite happy, excited, and bit nervous at the start line, because I like to do well and compete for the top places,” she added.

“But we know, because the races are so long, that at some point things will not go as planned. I kind of like it because there is a lot of problem solving. And yet toward the end when you see that finish line, it feels good because it’s such a long day out.

“Suddenly you feel like you can go even longer,” said Leguin, 34, before quickly adding: “It doesn’t last long, I’ll be honest. But suddenly you can run faster than what you thought was possible, you do have that extra energy.”

Leguin moved to the UAE in 2010 and only took up running four years ago. After only a year she had already progressed to ultramarathons. Going back is not always exciting for her.

“Shorter distances on roads, I find that to be boring now,” she said. “I’m not the most comfortable at it, but I sometimes like to do shorter races to push myself and get out of the comfort zone. For me, the shorter it is, the more difficult it is. I know it sounds a bit weird but that’s how it is, the roads I found boring but put me on short distance trail, I do enjoy it.

“I prefer it, the more technical and the more we can climb, the happier I am,” Leguin added. “I like running on road and discovering a city, but still the movement is repetitive, I cannot go as along as when you take me on a trail. I can go for hours or days out there.”

With ultramarathons seemingly bordering on spiritual experiences, it’s not surprising the trails themselves have ingrained themselves in the psyche of the runners. For Harris, that first one in Manaslu takes some beating.

“Absolutely amazing race, it will always be my favorite in the sense it was my first one, it got me addicted to it,” he said. “One of the toughest ones I’ve done was the Grand to Grand, which is the 274km, six-stager, over seven days, self-supported race from the Grand Canyon to the Grand Staircase in Utah.”

While the emotion and mindset no doubt play a big part, a runner has little chance of success without mastering the more technical aspects of the ultramarathon.

Runners carry their own gear — including food and nutrition — with them, while the organizers supply water and a tent, often shared with six to eight other competitors. It’s up to each individual to gauge what is needed for the duration of the run.

The participants are given a window of time to complete a certain stage, so the faster they complete it, the more time they save to eat, rest and sleep.

“I’ve done a non-stop 300km self-supported (race) which was the toughest race I’ve ever done and that was in the Oman desert,” Harris said. “It’s 150km over the mountains and then 150km through the Wahiba sands. All they supplied was checkpoints every 15 to 20km, and those checkpoints just supported you with water and you had to carry all your gear with you.”

It took him 89 hours to complete.

Friday’s 50km might seem like a gentle jog in comparison, but Harris hasn’t got to where he is today by disrespecting the task ahead.

“I’m always nervous when I go to these sort of things,” he said. “I’m always looking to improve myself. I’m 50 years old now, the journey never ends, so I’m looking forward to it in that it’s another test of everything that I’ve learned. I don’t know how it will go, the great thing about those things is that they’re an unknown factor. How my body reacts to it, I’ll never know till I get out there.”


Bryson DeChambeau chips his way into tie for lead at LIV Golf Virginia

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Bryson DeChambeau chips his way into tie for lead at LIV Golf Virginia

  • DeChambeau is tuning up to defend his title at the US Open next week at Oakmont Country Club
  • RangeGoats lead the team competition at 9 under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC

GAINESVILLE, Virginia.: Bryson DeChambeau chipped in for an eagle and a birdie on his way to a 5-under par 66, and he shares the first-round lead with Germany’s Martin Kaymer at LIV Golf Virginia on Friday in Gainesville, Virginia

DeChambeau shot up the leaderboard after a brief weather delay, eagling the par-5 14th and birdieing each of the next two holes at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

His chip at No. 14 was a soft placement next to a slope, and his ball rolled from right to left right into the cup. At the par-4 16th, he missed the green and chopped his third shot out of some thick rough, only to watch his ball head straight to the pin and disappear again.

“Man, what’s nice is coming out into some soft conditions,” DeChambeau said. “That little chip shot became a hell of a lot easier for me. So I just chipped it out to the right exactly what I saw. I don’t know if you saw, but I was studying it before I left. I was like this looks perfect, came out, still looks perfect, hit it exactly where I wanted it to land, and it went right in the frickin’ hole.”

DeChambeau is tuning up to defend his title at the US Open next week at Oakmont Country Club. He is one of several LIV members who either were invited by the USGA or qualified for the third major of the year the old-fashioned way.

Marc Leishman of Australia tied for third at the qualifying site in nearby Rockville, Md., on Monday, grabbing one of four spots available there. Leishman turned around and shot a 67 on Friday.

Leishman is tied for third with Phil Mickelson, who may play in his final US Open next week; Jon Rahm of Spain, who will search for his third career major win; Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who received the USGA’s first special invite based on LIV performance; Anirban Lahiri of India; and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.

RangeGoats GC teammates Bubba Watson and Peter Uihlein are tied at 3 under with Patrick Reed and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, both of 4Aces. RangeGoats lead the team competition at 9 under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC.
 


Buttler and Dawson shine as England beat West Indies in T20 opener

Updated 07 June 2025
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Buttler and Dawson shine as England beat West Indies in T20 opener

  • West Indies finished on 167-9, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match

DURHAM, England: Former captain Jos Buttler scored a superb 96 off 59 balls, and Liam Dawson took four wickets on his international return, as England beat West Indies by 21 runs in the T20 series opener at Durham’s Riverside ground on Friday.
After making a 3-0 winning start to Harry Brook’s captaincy in the one-dayers, England kept the momentum in the shorter format with an innings of 188-6 after winning the toss and batting first.
West Indies finished on 167-9, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match.
Buttler, in at number three with England 16-1 after Ben Duckett was caught by West Indies captain Shai Hope off Shepherd, brought up his half century from 25 balls in the eighth over.
He had earlier smashed three sixes and scooped a four from the first four balls of a devastating sixth over with Alzarri Joseph bowling.
The 34-year-old, who stepped down as white-ball captain last February following England’s group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy, continued to look like a man relieved of a heavy burden as he hit six fours and four sixes.
Needing just four for the century, he was out lbw to Joseph in the penultimate over.
The tally was Buttler’s highest T20 international score on home soil.
West Indies were 33-2 off 5.2 overs after losing Johnson Charles for 18, stumped by Buttler off Dawson, and Hope caught by Duckett, who repaid his own dismissal in like-for-like fashion, for three off debutant Matthew Potts.
England restricted the visitors to 44-2 at the end of the powerplay, compared to 78-1 at the same stage of the home innings.
Evin Lewis hit West Indies top score of 39 off 23 balls, before being caught by Brydon Carse with Jacob Bethell bowling.
Dawson, back in the side at 35 and playing his first England match since 2022, claimed his second and third wickets when Duckett caught Sherfane Rutherford (2) and Roston Chase (24) in quick succession.
The left-arm spinner wrapped up with a fourth wicket, for 20 runs from his four overs, by bowling Rovman Powell as West Indies slipped to 115-6 on a tough night in the north-east.


Haaland scores again as Norway crushes Italy in World Cup qualifier and Croatia cruises

Updated 07 June 2025
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Haaland scores again as Norway crushes Italy in World Cup qualifier and Croatia cruises

  • Italy was missing some regulars for its first qualifying match, while others failed to impress, including Mateo Retegui, the best Serie A scorer

Erling Haaland scored and Norway humbled Italy 3-0 for the first time in 25 years in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Friday.
Haaland collected a through ball from playmaker Martin Odegaard and rounded goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the box for the third goal three minutes before halftime.
It was his 41st goal in his 42nd match for Norway to the delight of the spectators at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, including King Harald V of Norway.
Haaland also scored when Moldova was beaten 5-0 and Israel 4-2. Norway remained perfect in qualifying after three games in Europe Group I.
Striker Alexander Sorloth received a precise pass from Antonio Nusa then beat Donnarumma with a left foot shot. Nusa, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder, was a constant threat to the Italian defense. He left behind two defenders and doubled the advantage with a rising shot from inside the area.
Italy was missing some regulars for its first qualifying match, while others failed to impress, including Mateo Retegui, the best Serie A scorer.
Defenders Alessandro Buongiorno and Mattia Gabbia, defensive midfielder Manuel Locatelli and forward Moise Kean were all injured while key center back Francesco Acerbi, who was meant to mark Haaland, turned down his callup.
Diego Coppola played center back in the three-man defensive line used by coach Luciano Spalletti that was not able to stop Norway.
Norway dominates, Italy in trouble
In the other Group I game, Israel won in Estonia 3-1 for a second win and second place.
The Azzurri are under pressure from the start of their qualifying after failing to reach the last two World Cups.
Winning the group is the only way to ensure direct qualification to next year’s tournament in North America. The second-placed team goes into the playoffs — the stage where Italy was eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia and ruled out of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively.
A four-time World Cup champion, the only other time Italy didn’t qualify was for the 1958 edition.
Italy hosts Moldova on Monday when Norway will be in action at Estonia.
Croatia cruises, Belgium held
Croatia opened its qualifying with a 7-0 rout of minnow Gibraltar.
Mario Pašalić and Ante Budimir struck twice for Croatia within two minutes to break the deadlock after half an hour. In the second half, substitutes Andrek Kramaric and Franjo Ivanovis scored a couple each and Ivan Perisic piled on.
Croatia was runner-up in the 2018 World Cup and third in 2022.
In the same Group L, Adam Hložek and Patrik Schick each scored as the unbeaten Czech Republic beat Montenegro 2-0 for a third straight win.
Belgium was 1-0 up on a goal by defender Maxim De Cuyper but Ezgjan Alioski salvaged a draw for North Macedonia in a surprise in Group J.
Wales tops the group with seven points from three games after a 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein. North Macedonia was two points behind.
Europe to contribute a third of all teams
Europe will have 16 teams in the expanded 48-team field for the World Cup.
They will come from the winners of the 12 qualifying groups plus four from a playoff of the 12 group runners-up together with four best-ranked group winners in the Nations League that don’t finish first or second in the qualifying.
The group stage of European qualifying runs through November.


Sinner sets up Alcaraz French Open final with victory over Djokovic

Updated 07 June 2025
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Sinner sets up Alcaraz French Open final with victory over Djokovic

  • Sinner wrapped up an ultimately comfortable opening set with a hold to love, finished off by a backhand winner

PARIS: Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final after ending Novak Djokovic’s latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title in the last four on Friday.
The world number one held off a battling Djokovic with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) win on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach his first Roland Garros final.
“It was such a special occasion for me playing against Novak in the semifinal,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion, who is now on a 20-match winning streak in majors.
“I had to step up and play the best tennis I could. I’m very happy.”
Djokovic battled hard in a dramatic contest that lasted three hours and 16 minutes, but three missed set points late in the third set ultimately put paid to his hopes of a comeback.
Sinner, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament, will be hoping to gain revenge on Alcaraz after losing to the Spaniard in five sets in the semifinals last year.
The Italian will be playing in a maiden Slam final not on hard courts after edging 5-4 ahead in his head-to-head record with Djokovic with his fourth successive victory over the 38-year-old.
Djokovic’s exit ensures that a sixth successive major title will be lifted by either Sinner or world number two Alcaraz, in what appears increasingly likely to be a permanent changing of the guard.
It will be the first Grand Slam final to be played between two men born in the 2000s.
Alcaraz has won his last four matches against Sinner, including in the Italian Open final in May when Sinner returned from a three-month doping ban.
“Sunday is going to be very difficult, I know my head-to-head lately doesn’t look great against Carlos but let’s see what I can do,” said the 23-year-old.
Djokovic was bidding to become the first man to win a Slam with victories over all of the world’s top three players after beating Alexander Zverev in the quarters.
Instead, he will turn his attentions to his seventh attempt to break out of a tie with Margaret Court on 24 major titles at Wimbledon next month.
The top seed broke in the fifth game as Djokovic followed a netted backhand with an air-shot as a Sinner return skipped off the clay.
Sinner wrapped up an ultimately comfortable opening set with a hold to love, finished off by a backhand winner.
Djokovic was the better player at the start of the second set, but could not find a way through against an opponent who had not dropped serve since his opening-round win over France’s Arthur Rinderknech.
The Djokovic errors started to rack up in crucial points, although the three-time champion dug deep and broke Sinner when he was serving for a two-set lead.
Djokovic could not back up his break, though, despite leading 40-15 in the next game, and then received treatment from the trainer on his right leg.
Sinner closed out the set at the second time of asking courtesy of another battling hold that featured two aces, one from a second serve.
Djokovic called for the physio for lengthier treatment ahead of the third set.
He missed a break point in the fourth game, but refused to give in and eventually edged 5-4 in front on serve to put some pressure on Sinner.
A cacophony of noise greeted a brilliant rally that saw Djokovic bring up two set points.
Sinner fended them both off, and then a third, before Djokovic became incensed by a line call that didn’t go his way as the set headed toward a tie-break.
The end appeared nigh when Djokovic dumped the simplest of overheads into the net to gift Sinner a 3-0 edge in the breaker.
Sinner, who like Alcaraz has never lost a Grand Slam final, completed the job on his second match point as Djokovic netted.


Tuchel wants relentless energy in attack from England against Andorra

Updated 06 June 2025
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Tuchel wants relentless energy in attack from England against Andorra

  • England are top of Group K after two games with a perfect record while Andorra are bottom
  • Tuchel said England are fully committed to the qualifier where he wants “a win that is never in danger”

BARCELONA: England go into their World Cup qualifier against Andorra as heavy favorites but the players will find it challenging to find the energy to attack relentlessly after a long and gruelling season, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday.

England are top of Group K after two games with a perfect record while Andorra are bottom with two losses ahead of Saturday’s game in Barcelona.

Tuchel said England are fully committed to the qualifier where he wants “a win that is never in danger” but also said fans should not “over-expect” them to go all guns blazing right from the start of the game.

“It will be on us to get going, it is on us to keep the tempo high, to bring the attacking energy to the pitch and to do this in a relentless way,” Tuchel told reporters.

“I can fully understand that this is not the easiest time of the season for an international break. The players come from a long and tiring season and then again accepting the role to be responsible for the majority of the game can be demanding.

“But at the same time, what I feel from the group is that they are happy to be here. We are quite new together, it is our second camp and I have trust and belief that we will do what is necessary to get the result that we want.”

Tuchel said England have embraced the tag as huge favorites, promising an attacking lineup that will dominate possession while he is not looking to experiment by using this match as an audition for new players.

“The focus will be on the attacking patterns, on our hunger for and the reaction after ball losses, for the counter-pressing,” he added.

“These will be the main topics for tomorrow and this will then guide and demand the tactics.

“My thoughts are not so much whom can we see and what do we try. It’s more about the game plan since two days and who trains well... After a long season, putting players together from which we feel they have a connection and then they can show.”

Tuchel has also done his homework on Andorra, describing the European minnows as a well-drilled and well-organized side in a 5-4-1 formation.

“They don’t allow a huge amount of big chances,” the German coach said.

“So we need a mix between being patient and at the same time speed the game up, bring the speed to the game and try to never lose the focus.”