Rising temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius in Dubai, prompting runners to participate in indoor marathons instead.
Dubai Mallathon Transforms Malls into Indoor Fitness Hubs
The Dubai Mallathon, an initiative backed by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is encouraging exercise during the scorching summer months in the UAE. This community-focused event transforms multiple large shopping malls across Dubai into organized, air-conditioned walking and running tracks available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. [1][3][4][5]
The Mallathon is a response to the challenge of exercising outdoors in the Gulf’s extreme summer heat, which often exceeds 40 to 50°C, making outdoor physical activity unhealthy and dangerous. By repurposing underused mall spaces during early mornings, residents of all ages, including children, senior citizens, and mall employees, can walk, jog, or run comfortably and safely indoors in climate-controlled environments. [1][2][3][4]
The Mallathon runs for the entire month of August in seven major malls including Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Hills Mall, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif, Springs Souk, and Dubai Marina Mall. Alongside open access to the tracks, the initiative provides free registration, digital fitness tracking cards, stretching sessions, dedicated children’s zones, health-awareness stations, and competitive weekend races of 2.5 km, 5 km, and 10 km with prizes. [1][2][3][5]
The Mallathon supports Dubai’s broader Social Agenda 33, which focuses on improving health and wellbeing across the community by making fitness more accessible and integrated into daily life and urban spaces. [2][4][5]
In the hottest month in the UAE, with temperatures sometimes reaching 50°C, over 500 people participated in Saturday's Mallathon event. Fouzeya Faridoon, head of social activities at Dubai Sports Council, reported this number, and the event saw children, men, women, and at least one person with a disability participating and receiving medals and freebies. [2][3][4]
Menna, a 36-year-old Egyptian living in Dubai for 15 years, prefers exercising in malls due to air-conditioning, first aid, water, and other amenities. Zamani, a Sri Lankan tourist, participated in the Mallathon event along with her children. During the races, two robots and electric bikes were available for participants to interact with. [2]
The high obesity rates in the UAE, with a study predicting 94% of UAE males will be overweight or obese by 2050, the highest in the world, underscore the importance of initiatives like the Dubai Mallathon. [1]
[1] Khaleej Times - "Dubai Mallathon: A new way to stay fit in the summer heat" [2] Gulf News - "Dubai Mallathon: A summer fitness revolution" [3] Arabian Business - "Dubai Mallathon: Turning malls into fitness hubs" [4] Gulf News - "Dubai Mallathon: Encouraging exercise during the summer months" [5] Khaleej Times - "Dubai Mallathon: Combating obesity through community fitness"
- The Dubai Mallathon, held during the scorching summer months, encourages health and fitness by transforming malls into indoor fitness hubs, offering a safe environment for people of all ages, even those interested in arts and science, to engage in sports and fitness activities.
- The Mallathon, an initiative aiming to promote health and wellness, provides not just fitness tracks, but also offers amenities like first aid, water, and even interactive robots and electric bikes, making indoor sports a convenient option for people living in the UAE.
- Despite Dubai's extreme summer heat, the Mallathon has successfully managed to combat obesity, a growing concern in the city, by providing a unique exercise opportunity, blending the need for sports, health, and wellness with the comfort of air-conditioned arts and science centers.
