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Muscat: High demand for a place in the first ever OMAN by UTMB® event has seen hundreds of runners sign up, including many of the best-known members of the international ultra-trail community.
With places filling up and the number of runners now exceeding 300, registration for a sought-after place in the 29 November event will stay open until the final entry cut-off on 30 September.
Among the elite runners registered for the newest addition to the UTMB® calendar are the USA’s Jim Walmsley, the 2017 Ultra Runner of the Year and currently the world number one in the ITRA rankings.
Joining him on the non-stop 137km event will be the Lithuanian-born 2016 Ultra Trail World Tour champion Gediminas Grinius, and the Swiss 2017 Ultra Trail World Tour champion Andrea Huser.
Also among the athletes representing no fewer than 49 countries are: Jason Schlarb, the top US finisher in the 2014 UTMB® Mont Blanc; former Swedish track athlete Ida Nilsson; Swiss runner Diego ‘Zpeedy’ Pazos, aka the ‘bow tie trail runner’; and Wyoming-based Meredith Edwards, one of the leading female runners on the circuit.
In addition, other familiar faces are expected to include Chinese national and Hong Kong resident Tsang Siu Keung “Stone”, one of the most successful trail runners in Asia, plus others from the growing trail running community in China.
“Ultra-trail runners enjoy the challenge of mountain courses and the beauty of the natural environment, and judging by the rush to enter, OMAN by UTMB® appears to have captured that enthusiasm in full,” said Salma Al Hashmi, Oman Sail Chief Marketing Officer.
“The authentic and unique landscapes of the Sultanate, particularly the route that takes in the heights of Jebel Akhdar, the Green Mountain, will provide an exciting and competitive event for hundreds who have seized the opportunity to take part in this first edition.”
OMAN by UTMB®, hosted by event organiser Oman Sail and supported by UTMB® International and the organisers of UTMB® Mont-Blanc, will take the growing field on a remote and rugged course, with long and technical climbs and a total vertical gain of more than 7,800m.
UTMB® founder Michel Poletti was a member of the team that designed the course: “The Sultanate is like no other place I’ve run before, the spectacular scenery, incredible mountains and warm people make this a must-do event,” he said.
“Having had the opportunity to revisit Oman I can now add that the country has a fantastic amount to offer visitors, it is very safe, with much to see and do that the whole family can enjoy,” added the UTMB Mont-Blanc Race Director.
The special benefits of participation in OMAN by UTMB®for those hoping to run in the heavily-oversubscribed UTMB® Mont-Blanc will apply to all registrations up to the cut-off.
Finishers will earn the maximum number of six qualifying points, valid for three years instead of the usual two, and will save one year in the UTMB® Mont-Blanc registration process. This will double the chance for first-time applicants in the entry lottery for 2019, and guarantee entry for those reapplying a second time after being unsuccessful in 2018.
OMAN by UTMB® is a Tanfeedh initiative and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism. For more information, please go to: www.omanbyutmb.com
For high resolution images about the OMAN by UTMB®, please visit:
http://omansail.qiumediacenter.com/en/photos-category/57_UTMB
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About Tanfeedh:
“Tanfeedh” is the National Program for Enhancing Economic Diversification in the Sultanate of Oman. It has brought public and private sector stakeholders together to discuss challenges, agree on action and accelerate implementation of existing economic goals.
About Oman Sail:
Established in 2008, Oman Sail is a national initiative that uses the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people. The equal opportunity project runs sailing programmes for thousands of young Omani men and women, inspiring a new generation to discover sailing. It encompasses a national sailing squad and high achieving inshore and offshore racing teams, all of which benefit from world-class coaching and whose ultimate objective is to win an Olympic medal for Oman. The goal is to rekindle Oman’s maritime heritage while raising the country’s regional and international profile as a high-end tourist and foreign investment destination, through competitive sailing at home and abroad. Oman Sail seeks to instil confidence and to teach valuable, transferable life skills to a generation of Omanis.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Assim Al Saqri
Head of Communication
+968 93807401
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