Salim Cheniouni
The 2021 Samla race is upon us once more, with another year of exciting action in one of the world’s most gruelling and challenging races. Contestants will get started on Thursday morning at 04:00 am, and will have until Saturday to finish the race.
This year consists of 8 stages, starting at Abu Samra and ending at Lhwaila, across 200KM of desert terrain.
In stage one the contestants will run 30km northwards towards Kharayej beach, while stage two consists of a 3 km swim. Stage three will be a 41 km run to Al Khars’aa – just one and a half kilometres short of a full marathon. Stage Four is a 70km biking trail to Al Ghuwayriyah. Stage five will be the shooting event which will be monitored by the Qatar Shooting Federation followed by stage six - a 35 km run towards Fuwairet beach. Stage seven will feature the Kayaking phase to Maroona beach for 6km, before the eighth and final stage, consisting of a 15km run to the finish line.
Samla race will work in close partnership with Hamad Medical Cooperation to ensure the health and safety of all contestants. The Ministry of Interior will also set up roadblocks and safety regulations for the participants throughout the competition. The race always provides numerous checkpoints along the way, allowing for resting, medical care, food and hydration. The contestants will also have all the necessary equipment for the race.
This year’s Samla race faces new challenges amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however the necessary steps have been taken to ensure a COVID-free race with sanitisation, social distancing and COVID-19 testing in full effect. CEO of Samla Azzam Al Mannai has stated, “The race will cover all aspects of health and safety including entertaining the fans.”
Stay tuned on Alkass Digital social media platforms and alkassdigital.net for live and exclusive coverage of Samla 2021.