By Isabel Ovalle
Some of them have been running all their lives, others began only a couple of years ago, but all of them have this in common: they can’t stop running. One day they put on their running shoes and now they can’t take them off. Different reasons brought them here, and running brought them together in the Doha Bay Running Club.
The club was founded by Karl Street, a British national who moved to Qatar from Dubai in 2009, where he picked up running after retiring from rugby. He founded the club shortly arriving here: “Two friends and I ran regularly in the Corniche and noticed there were many people running. At first we just approached them and asked them to join us when we went out running on Fridays at 5.30am.”
The club later set up a website, advertised on local sites and opened a Facebook page that now has over 700 members. Approximately 60 are active, with almost 40 showing up for the first indoor workout of the season last Tuesday at Aspire Dome, where attendees have to pay QR20 to train for an hour.
Club members don’t have to pay any fee, and the only requirements for joining are that one should be living in Qatar and interested in running. Those who join get support when going through a rough time, access to advice on injuries, and training ideas from other club members.
Street said: “We’re very informal, you just show up when you feel like it. But we do a lot of social things as well, like a very successful coffee morning after the run.”
The founder of Doha Bay Running Club said that earlier there were hardly any formal races in Doha, and now there is an aquathlon series, a half marathon, and the Doha College 10K.
As with almost any group, club or company in Qatar, there are people of many nationalities and ages joining and leaving all the time. “The other day, on our coffee morning, there were 46 of us. We exchange advice on injuries, nutrition and other things,” he said.
The veteran runner recommends that those contemplating taking up running find a friend, because it is hard to do something alone. “That way it’s easier to stick to the commitment,” added Street.
He said running outside during winter here was fantastic, while in summer it is imperative to get up really early. Club members run all year: in summer, they reduce the distance, drink more water and don’t run that fast.
There are many stories in the club, like that of Hisham, originally from Palestine and raised in Turkey. He joined the club shortly after it came into being, and back then he could barely run for more than a kilometer.
“It was very hard at first,” he admitted, adding that after four years of training and with the support of his friends, he could cover 10 kilometres in little over 40 minutes. Now he runs 10 km in the morning and 10 in the evening, covers 30 km every Friday, and took part in his first marathon in 2012.
On his part, Remisa, who moved to Doha from London six weeks ago, discovered the group online and joined recently, but finds running outside difficult due to the heat and humidity.
Lily, originally from Lebanon, is also a new joiner. “This running club is amazing; you have fast and slow groups, and different cultures that give you a different perspective of Doha. Plus, they are very helpful and friendly,” she said.
Lily has been running only for a year but has already won several gold medals. “There was something inside me that I never knew I had, and now I realise running also makes me a better mum, because I let out all my energy and frustration on the road and become more relaxed and more open to accept obstacles, plus I can do it whenever I have a little spare time because it’s very time-efficient,” she added.
For Tee, taking up running was a life-changing choice. She joined the Club in October 2011, when she weighed over 120 kilos. Since then she has taken part in eight marathons, including Boston marathon this year.
“Running frees me. I have four kids and a full-time job, but I still make it work. It’s part of me,” she said. Tee concurs with her running buddies in saying that the activity is addictive, but what helped her most to keep going was having a good group of people around her. “The key is having the right people around you; I owe them all my medals,” she added.
The British national narrated her “terrible experience” in the Boston marathon, where she was unable to finish the race due to the explosion, which she saw just 600 metres from the finish line. “I was one of those who didn’t finish the race, but I have a special invitation to go back next year,” she said.
Stephen, also from Britain, started running when he was very young. Now in his fifties, he continues on the track, accompanied by his wife, also a runner. “The most difficult step is the step out of your front door,” he joked.
For Sean, from Canada, running is a passion and his number one hobby. He relocated to Doha two years ago and, on his eighth day here, joined the group. Now he looks at the high summer temperatures with no apprehension: “I guess misery likes company, it’s better to do it together,” he said.
