Dubai, 6 November 2022: The 4th edition of the Camel Trek Marathon for UAE expats, organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), went off to a strong start with the first preliminary race over the weekend at Dubai Camel Racing Club’s Al Marmoom Race Track.

The camel race, which promotes UAE’s cultural heritage and embodies the spirit of tolerance and camaraderie, is held annually under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

The first preliminary race for this year’s Camel Trek Marathon covered a distance of 1,500 meters, with 22 participants from 15 nationalities residing in the UAE. They came from Germany, Jordan, China, Saudi Arabia, France, Estonia, America, Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, Iran, Yemen, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg. They were trained by the HHC in the past months on camel riding skills and had previously participated in the past Camel Treks organised by HHC.

Young winner

Topping all the riders, 14-year-old German student Emilia Piesker grabbed first place with a time of 1 minute and 55.78 seconds. She was closely followed by Jordanian expat Rawan who finished the race with a time of 1 minute and 55.81 seconds, while third place went to Chinese national Alexis (Xiaozhe Huo) with a 1 minute and 58.75 seconds.

Strong partnership

HHC CEO Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook, who expressed his happiness with the high number of participants and the diversity of nationalities in the annual camel race for expats, crowned the top finishers. 

Bin Dalmook also took note of HHC’s strong partnership with Dubai Camel Racing Club in holding the annual event also and he underlined the HHC’s role in implementing the directives of Sheikh Hamdan and achieving his vision and the government’s role in promoting heritage sports in the framework of spreading peace and tolerance among the different peoples and cultures of the world.

Proud mother

German mother Pauline Piesker, who also participated in the race, expressed her pride for her daughter Emilia. She said: “Our participation last year in the camel ride earned us a lot of experience and skills.”

“I work as a teacher, and I must say that participating in annual heritage sport shows you an aspect that gives you a complete picture of Dubai,” she added.

French support

Meanwhile, a large delegation from French Community Club in Dubai were present during the race to support their compatriot who is joining the camel race for the first time. Family and friends of other participants were also present to give them cheer during the race.