RAKTDA announces 16th edition of Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon to take place in February 2023

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority announces the 16th edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will take place on Saturday, Feb.18, 2023, with leading sportswear brand Under Armour named as the new technical partner.

The stunning Al Marjan Island will again host the world’s fastest half marathon which will feature some of the best long-distance athletes, running enthusiasts and amateurs from across the globe compete in one of the key sporting events on the UAE calendar.

With registration for next year’s race now open, runners can enjoy an early bird discount of 30% available until the end of May.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority is also delighted to announce that Under Armour will sponsor the world-class half marathon as technical partner.

Known to create game changing sports apparel and other athletic accessories, the agreement will see the globally recognized trailblazing sports brand provide all participants with its latest, top of line apparel to help ensure comfort while improving performance as runners take to the fast and flat course track.

The announcement comes only a few months after world half marathon record holder Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda (57:56) and Ethiopia’s Girmawit Gebrzihair (1:04:14) set new course records in the men’s and women’s elite categories respectively.

Their triumphs were among the highlights of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon that saw a number of new records being set on the day, as well as some impressive performances and times across the categories.

As well as Kiplimo producing a 15km world best time of 40:43 on his way to victory, the event also featured a new British record by Eilish McColgan. In just her second competitive half-marathon, she smashed Paula Radcliffe’s British 21-year-old half marathon record, clocking an incredible total time of 1:06:26.

Iyad Rasbey, Executive Director, Destination Tourism Development & MICE at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “We are thrilled to announce the 16th edition of the world’s fastest half marathon to our nature emirate. The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon has gone from strength to strength with each passing year and I am confident that the 2023 edition of the race will be no different.”

He continued: “The standard of high-level performances along with the number of records broken that we witnessed in February truly demonstrates how popular the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is, attracting some of the world’s best elite runners and participants from across the world as well as the local community.”

Lee Devon, Vice President of Under Armour, added: “We are incredibly proud and excited to partner with the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and the RCS Sports & Events organization for what is one of the world’s leading running events.

At Under Armour, it is our mission to make all athletes better and we do this through the lens of great product innovation and by providing opportunities for all athletes to take part in sport. We recently opened our first store in Ras Al Khaimah, this and our other stores across the emirates will become hubs for all athletes as they prepare for this event.”