Winners of the Tough Mudder pose for a picture with dignitaries.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Fujairah hosted the historic edition of the Spartan Trail and Tough Mudder International sports event on Saturday.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Muhammad Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, the emirate’s first ever Spartan Trail and Tough Mudder took place in the picturesque natural landscape of Fujairah Adventure Parks.

The event, organized by Spartan Race, in cooperation with Fujairah Investment and Fujairah Holding, attracted 1600 participants from across the UAE and different countries of the world for a combination of Tough Mudder’s obstacles course and Spartan’s trail run.

Conquered by the energetic and earnest Mudders, the Tough Mudder course featured a host of challenges, including daunting obstacles such as Everest, Skid Mark, Arctic Enema, Ice Bath, The Liberator, Birth Canal, Berlin Walls, and substantially more.

The Spartan trail and Tough Mudder obstacle courses started with participants’ encouraging shouts to pump their contagious energy.

The three categories of the Spartan trail involved elite group, open age group, and open group.

Participants in action during the event.

The top three men and top three women were awarded in both the elite group and the open age group that involved 10 km and 21 km of distance.

The participants of the open group of the Spartan Trail were given medals and T-shirts for completing the race. The three categories of Tough Mudder involved Tough Mudder, Tough Mudder, and Tough Mudder 5 km open and 10 km open. The top three men and top three women were awarded cash prizes for completing the distance of 10 km of competitive heat with Mudders running against the clock. Participants of both the 5 km open Tough Mudder and the 10 km open Tough Mudder received T-shirts and headbands.

The mega sports event ended on a high note with the announcement of the winners by Duncan Dewes, the Regional Director of the Tough Mudder global race.

Dubai’s Obaid Al Nuaemi took top spot in the Spartan elite 10km race, and his compatriot Saleh Al Suwaidi finished second, while Malaysia’s Wai Ching Soh took third spot.

Nuaemi said: "Fujairah is a beautiful and adventurous tourist destination, and I congratulate the organisers and the participants for hosting such a great sports event."

Suwaidi said: "The much-awaited event tested the strength and endurance of the participants, and I am glad to participate in the Spartan international sports event."

Representing Russia, Alisa Petrova claimed top honours in the women’s elite group. Lebanon’s Mariam Akhras took second, and third place went to Greta Treeby from Malta.

Fabien Rencuret dominated the men’s half marathon Spartan trail. Amir Bou Reslan and Moe Maktabi took second and third place, respectively.

Demi Lopes won the women’s half marathon. Hanan Mahmoud finished second, while Judi Mahfouz settled for the third spot.

Hailing the success of the event, Soh Wai Ching, who flew from Malaysia to participate in the historic event, said: "I am looking forward to coming back again to Fujairah. I won the Spartan Trail in Hatta and Abu Dhabi as well, and I'm glad to be part of today’s event. "

Hailing the country’s wise leadership, the organizing committee of the mega sports event stressed that such events contribute to attracting visitors and sports enthusiasts to the UAE.

"The leadership supports national and international sports events and initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and transform Fujairah into a leading destination that hosts adventurous and distinguished events," the committee stated.

The committee also congratulated the participants on their success, which could be the beginning of their future achievements.