A British fashion entrepreneur is planning to run across the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain after giving up cigarettes, alcohol and a poor diet loaded with fast-food takeaways.
Evren Ozka, who lost 25kg after taking up running and turning his life around, has set his sights on accumulating seemingly impossible distances to raise money for charities, including Dubai Cares that contributes to good causes around the world.
The father of two aims to begin his epic challenge with a 190km run from the north to the south of Qatar on November 13, before a 50km trek through Bahrain on November 15.
His Gulf tour will conclude with an energy-sapping 650km journey across the UAE, spanning from November 25 to 30.
Mr Ozka, 34, who established a luxury footwear and lifestyle brand after years working in his family’s textile and manufacturing business, said he was preparing for any eventuality during his challenge that is expected to take around a week.
“When you’re pushing your body to its limits, pretty much anything can happen,” he said. “I’m expecting blisters, joint pain, stomach issues, dehydration, cramping, you name it.
“We’ll try our best to minimise all potential problems but, honestly, that’s all part of it. You can plan and prepare as much as you want but things will go wrong. It’s all about problem-solving and to keep moving, no matter what. If I can take another step, I will. That’s the mindset.”
Experience
His bid to run across the Gulf is not his first ultradistance challenge. Three years ago, shortly after taking up running from scratch, he signed up for a 160km trail race, finishing it in under 28 hours. though initially he could not run even 1km non-stop.
A year later, he ran across all seven emirates of the UAE in five days and 22 hours, and has run 843.94km on a treadmill in one week.
The Guinness World Record for running across the UAE is five days, 15 hours and 53 minutes, achieved by Indian athlete Nigesh Kotoor Padikkal in November 2024.
Meanwhile, the fastest recorded crossing in Qatar is one day, six hours, 23 minutes and 42 seconds, set by Filipino runner Michelle Butiu in April 2023.
As there is no record for running across Bahrain – nor the three counties back-to-back – Mr Ozka is confident he can set a new benchmark for ultra-distance marathon running in the Gulf.
“During training, I’ve been focusing on controlling my calorie intake but during the attempt, I’ll be taking in about 6,000 to 8,000 calories a day,” he said.
“For me, mental and physical preparation are one and the same, the more I train, the more confident I feel. I’ve been keeping my mileage around 130km to 200km a week, with my peak week hitting 230km.
“There’s also been a lot of lower body strength training in the mix to help me stay solid over long distances and I actually dropped quite a bit of weight going into this block, mainly to take some pressure off my joints, and it’s made a big difference.”
He will be accompanied by a videographer, to document his efforts, a physio and strength coach to help him deal with any injuries that might arise.
Role model
His UAE route starts in Fujairah from where he will run to the border with Saudi Arabia. In Qatar and Bahrain, he will be going from the northernmost point of each to the southernmost.
“I started running about four years ago because I wanted to be healthier and a good role model for my two boys, Buzul Leo and Boreas,” said Mr Ozka, who lives in Dubai.
“That’s still the biggest reason I do this. They’ve seen the changes in me and have picked up a lot of those habits, being active, eating well, looking after themselves.
“That’s what I’m most proud of, everything I do comes back to them. I’ve spent a big part of my life not living up to my potential. I wasn’t healthy and I wasted a lot of time.
“That’s something I deeply regret. It’s also what drives me now, to push my limits, see what I’m capable of and make the most of the time I have.”
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
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A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
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Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
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