6th Samla endurance race announced

The 6th edition of Samla endurance race 2024 will be held from December 5-7, the event organiser Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam) announced Tuesday.Officials of the organising committee stressed that expectations are high for a record-breaking number of participants in the 200km race, which will start from Al-Ghariya Area and end at Umm Bab within 50 hours.Registration is open for Qatari men from the age of 18.There will be several support camps alongside the race route, supplying all the necessary logistic, medical and food supplies to the participants, in addition to checkpoints and control stations to monitor, according to the set rules and regulations.The race has six phases. It starts with a swimming competition from Al-Ghariya in the north along the designated sea route to the Fuwairit beach, covering 3km. This is followed immediately by a 66km run, passing through Al Zubara towards the Umm Al Maa area, where the first camp is located.The first camp also marks the third phase: kayaking. Competitors will kayak from Umm Al Maa to the opposite shore. The fourth phase involves cycling on a rough terrain, starting from Umm Al-Maa and passing through Al-Nasraniyah area for a distance of 75km.The fifth phase is air rifle shooting, where competitors must hit a target from a distance of 8m with five shots.The final stage is a 50-km run from Al-Nasraniyah to the finish line at Umm Bab. Further, this year' edition will include several surprise challenges and hurdles carefully designed to test endurance and quick response of the contestants.All winners and those who successfully complete the race will get cash prizes in addition to medals sponsored by Daam. The top three finishers will receive trophies (gold, silver, and bronze) in addition to cash prizes: QR500,000 for first place, QR300,000 for second place, and QR200,000 for third place.Competitors finishing in places four through ten will receive silver medals and QR75,000 each, while those finishing beyond tenth place will receive an encouragement prize of QR10,000 for completing the race within the designated time.Azzam al-Mannai, chairman of the Samla Race organising committee, highlighted the keenness to increase the challenges with each new edition. He also thanked the Ministry of Sports and Youth and all the other sponsors from the private sector for their support and commitment to enhance the race.Yousef Mohamed al-Nuaimi, director of Shared Services at Daam, said: "The fund will provide the necessary financing for the race under the agreement recently signed with the Ministry of Sports and Youth. We also take this opportunity to highlight the contributions of companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange, which play a key role in supporting various social, sports, and cultural initiatives, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.”Rashed al-Buainain, chief administrative officer of Qatar Insurance Group, said: "As part of our corporate social responsibility and enhancing awareness about the importance of sport, we are proud to be one of the official sponsors of the Samla Race for the second consecutive year."Mohamed Jassim al-Jaidah, CEO of Al-Jaidah Group, said: "We are happy to be part of this unique experience for the second time. Samla is a source of pride for all Qataris. Based on our successful past experience, we anticipate this to be the most exciting edition yet.”Alkass Sports Channels will broadcast live all the activities of the race. Registration can be done online only through www.samla.com.qa during October 1-27.