RIYADH: For many, summer in Saudi Arabia is a time to lounge on the couch, turn on the air conditioning and watch others play sports on TV. Those who dare to defy this approach often end up suffering from heatstroke.
However, running clubs in the Kingdom are as active as ever and show no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Seema Ghannam, who regularly attends Riyadh Road Runner Club sessions, told Arab News: “You can stay active wherever you are. There is no limit to movement wherever you go because you already have hands, arms and legs. This is what you were born to do, to keep moving.”
The Riyadh Road Runner group, made up of athletes of different ages and nationalities, started with a warm-up before moving on to strength training and then running a few laps around the field. (Supplied)
Until a few years ago, physical activity in the Kingdom was almost non-existent outside of schools and designated football clubs. People were discouraged by the lack of facilities, suitable outdoor spaces and the heat. Now, all that is changing. From the growing number of padel courts to new projects at Sports Boulevard, physical activity is skyrocketing and running is no exception.
To find out how these runners maintain their routines in the heat, Arab News visited the Riyadh Road Runners, founded in 1978, for one of the club’s Monday sessions at 7:30 p.m. at the Eid Villas Compound. Runners ran laps, climbed stairs and completed full-body workouts.
The group, made up of athletes of different ages and nationalities, started with a warm-up, then moved on to strength training and then running laps around the field, focusing on correct technique.
FASTFACTS
• Until a few years ago, physical activity in the Kingdom was almost non-existent outside of schools and designated football teams.
• Now, all that is changing. From the growing number of padel courts to the new Sports Boulevard projects, physical activity is increasing dramatically.
Coach Amr Hafez has the runners break up their runs with floor exercises and stair exercises to build endurance and muscle strength. The session ends with a final lap around the entire compound. At the end of a sweaty workout, the runners take a dip in the pool to cool off.
Ghannam, who is also a yoga teacher and swimming instructor, added running to her workout routine two years ago. She said she likes Hafez’s holistic approach to the body, working the abs, hips, glutes and thighs.
“We focus on trying to learn different types of running, how to run, how to position your toes, what shoes you should use.”
Riyadh Road Runners, Eid Villas Compound. (Photo by Mayas Al-Ahmadi)
Ghannam said she likes to run outside because “you want your skin and your body to get used to the temperature.” But to handle the heat, runners should choose the best time for them, whether it’s at night or early in the morning.
Hafez, a national sales manager at a Saudi food company, has been coaching the Riyadh Road Runners for more than three years. He has three key rules when it comes to summer running. One is to stay well hydrated, two is to control your breathing, and the third, much to our dismay, is high-intensity interval training.
The coach said that when he first started running, he used martial arts techniques as part of his training, a fitness trick he learned from his first running coach.
Riyadh Road Runners, Eid Villas Compound. (Photo by Mayas Al-Ahmadi)
“Runners need to develop all their muscles to have great ability,” he said. “Combining strength and fitness helps people develop the ability to run long distances.”
Hafez said he thought running was pointless, and that it was simply a means of punishment when a school coach thought someone was shirking. He never imagined that one day he would run a marathon or teach others to do the same.
“When they started, most of the team couldn’t even run 1km,” he said.
Omar Al-Ansari, coach of Riyadh club R7, has six marathons under his belt. R7 runs in Wadi Hanifa, where the location offers protection from the heat.
“The paths are naturally shaded by trees and the breeze from the lake provides a temperature difference of 3-4 degrees compared to the rest of the city,” he said.
Like the Riyadh Road Runners, R7 stresses the importance of staying hydrated. “Always run with water, take electrolytes to preserve what you lose through sweating,” Al-Ansari said.
He also advises runners to wear light-colored clothing, complete workouts before sunrise or after sunset, and choose a garden or wadi as a training location, or to exercise indoors.
“And never forget sunscreen,” she added.
Many runners told Arab News that there are no more excuses for being inactive in the Kingdom.
“We are seeing a wider awareness of the importance of having an active lifestyle in the country and, despite the difficult weather of the summer, there are ways to do so,” Al-Ansari said.
Hafez offered Arab News this simple advice: “Start by walking and go from there.”
