RIYADH: For many, summer in Saudi Arabia is a time to relax on the couch, turn on the air-conditioning, and watch other people play sports on TV, with those who dare to challenge this view often ending up with heat stroke.
However, running clubs in the state are busier than ever, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Seema Ghannam, who regularly attends Riyadh Road Runner Club sessions, told Arab News: “You can be active wherever you are. There are no limits to movement wherever you go because you already have arms, hands and legs. It's what you were born to do, keep going.”
The Riyadh Road Runners, made up of different ages and nationalities, started with a warm-up before moving on to ball training and then running around the court. (supplied)
In recent years, physical activity in the state was almost non-existent outside of schools and designated football teams. People were discouraged due to lack of facilities, suitable outdoor space and hot weather. Now, that's all about to change. From the increasing number of padel courts to new projects on the sports boulevard, physical activity is on the rise, and running is no exception.
To find out how these runners manage to maintain their routine in the heat, Arab News visited the Riyadh Road Runners, founded in 1978, during one of the club's Monday evening sessions at 7:30pm at the Eid Villa compound. Runners were doing laps, climbing stairs, and completing full-body workouts.
The group, made up of different ages and nationalities, started with a warm-up before moving on to strength training and then ran laps around the court, focusing on proper technique.
quicklyThe facts
• In recent years, physical activity in the state was almost non-existent outside of schools and designated football teams.
• Now, everything is changing. From the growing number of padel courts to new projects on the sports boulevard, physical activity is on the rise.
Coach Amar Hafez says runners occasionally break up their runs with bodyweight and stair exercises to increase stamina and muscle strength. The session ends with a final lap around the entire compound. At the end of a very sweaty workout, runners take a dip in the pool to cool off.
Ghannam, who is also a yoga teacher and swimming coach, added running to her exercise routine two years ago. She said she enjoys Hafez's holistic approach to the body, training the abs, hips, glutes and thighs.
“We're focused on trying to learn different types of running, how to run, how to position your toes, what shoes to use.”
Riyadh Road Runners, Eid Villa Compound. (Photo by Mayas Al-Ahmadi)
Ghannam said she enjoys running outside because “you want your skin and body temperature to get used to it.” But to manage the heat, runners should choose the time that suits them best, be it late at night or early in the morning.
Hafez, a national sales manager at a Saudi food company, has been training with the Riyadh Road Runners for more than three years. He has three main rules when it comes to running in the summer. One is to stay well hydrated, two is to control your breathing, and three – to our dismay – is high-intensity interval training.
The coach said that when he first started running, he used martial arts moves as part of his training, a fitness trick he learned from his first running coach.
Riyadh Road Runners, Eid Villa Compound. (Photo by Mayas Al-Ahmadi)
“Runners need to build all their muscles for optimal performance,” he said. “Combining strength with fitness helps people develop the ability to run for long distances.”
Hafez said he thought running had no purpose, and was merely a means of punishment when the school coach thought someone was being late. He never thought he would one day run a marathon or teach other people to do the same.
“Most of the team couldn't even run 1k when they first started,” he said.
Riyadh Club R7 coach Omar Al-Ansari has six marathons under his belt. R7 runs to Wadi Hanifa, where the location offers protection against the heat.
“The courses are naturally shaded by trees, and the breeze from the lake provides a 3-4-degree temperature difference to the rest of the city,” he said.
Like the Riyadh Road Runners, the R7 emphasizes staying hydrated. “Always run with water, take electrolytes to replace what's lost through sweat,” Al-Ansari said.
He advises runners to wear light-colored clothing, to complete their workouts before sunrise or after sunset, and to choose a garden or wadi as the venue or exercise indoors.
“And never forget your sunscreen,” he added.
Several runners told Arab News that there is no longer an excuse to be inactive in the state.
“We are seeing widespread awareness of the importance of an active lifestyle in the country, and despite our tough weather in the summer, there is a ways to go,” Al-Ansari said.
Hafez gave Arab News this simple suggestion: “Start by walking and go from there.”
