Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 17 October 2019: Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) has stepped it up several notches in this third edition, as Dubai transforms into the world’s first and only city gym starting this weekend – from 18 October to 16 November. Offering Dubai residents new and exciting ways to be “In It, Together” and commit to 30 minutes of physical activity for 30 days, this all-inclusive fitness movement launched in 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, promises to bring health, wellness and active life to all its people.

 

DFC is set to spring the city into action with a jam-packed calendar of fitness and wellness events, classes and sessions throughout the month, to ensure there is something of interest for all communities, ages, abilities and fitness levels. 

 

Returning to this year’s edition are two flagship Fitness Villages at Festival City Mall and Kite Beach, supplemented by 10 community-focused Fitness Hubs, over 40 fitness events and more than 5,000 fitness and health programmes spread across the city. Furthermore, to truly inspire sustained shifts towards an active and healthier lifestyle, DFC will introduce new elements including the ‘City is a Gym’ activation and the ‘Find Your 30’ virtual content hub, as well as wider range of health and wellness programmes, extending the appeal to more segments, and making it even easier for all to complete their 30 minutes of daily exercise.

What’s New This Year

Going a step beyond physical events, DFC this year has created new ways for the city to participate in the Challenge. ‘Find Your 30’, a new virtual platform on the DFC website, provides a multitude of a freely accessible content in easy-to-digest formats including articles, videos, vlogs, podcasts and daily challenges, amongst others. The library reflects the Challenge’s 360-degree approach to health and wellness – spanning highly relevant topics like social health, stress management, nutrition and preventive medicine to complement an extensive repository of fitness-based content. Serving as a convenient point of entry for anyone looking to start or enhance their fitness journey in a more personalised manner, the ‘Find Your 30’ platform will be continually updated and remain online beyond DFC for all participants and registered subscribers.

Another new addition to 2019 Dubai Fitness Challenge is ‘City is a Gym’ – a personal training buddy that takes Dubai’s commitment to fitness to a whole new level, manifesting as a virtual map that highlights 30 free workout zones at different venues across the city. Each location has a bright locator that houses a special QR code, which upon scanning, takes participants to a 30-minute video unique to that location. Participants can screen shot the workout and join others from across the city as they complete their 30 minutes of exercise. For more information, visit cityisagym.com.  

Flagship Elements

The Festival City Mall Fitness Village, presented by DEWA in association with Fitbit and Al-Futtaim, will transform the family-favourite mall, neighbouring promenade and beach areas into one mega-integrated fitness arena. On the Ground Floor, the DEWA 30X30 Skills Zone, will draw in crowds for a 2-hour contest of skill and fitness to win daily prizes, and enter the running to win the DFC Grand Prize of AED 50,000 in gift cards from Dubai Festival City. Visitors and mall-goers can also try their hand at circuit training at one of the many daily sessions offered at the Fitbit Fitness One and Fitbit AI Zone located on the Mall’s First Level, and snap on a Fitbit bracelet to help Dubai achieve its aspiration of 1 billion steps over 30 days. 

 

The action ramps up in the outer promenade, where Fitness First is scheduled to host a series of workout sessions, including sunset yoga (participants are requested to bring their own mats) and boot camps, along with a signature IMAGINE Fitness Workout that synchronises its choreography with the IMAGINE Show’s iconic water and visual effects to provide an energising and immersive experience for all participants and spectators. From the promenade to Marsa Beach is the Dubai Chamber ‘Ultimate Mile’, which features 10 workout exercises along the route. Participants can either walk from one workout station to the next, or rent a bicycle upon free registration with a valid ID at the Dubai Chamber Cycle Hub. The Ultimate Mile rewards its crowds with the beautiful Marsa beach at its other end that will feature a number of team and individual beach sports including volleyball and tennis. For those looking to wind down or refuel, there are plenty of quiet spots to enjoy the waves and tuck into a well-earned snack from one of the many F&B outlets at the zone. The Festival City Mall Fitness Village will be open throughout the DFC period from 12pm to 10pm from Sunday to Wednesday, and 12pm to 12am on Thursday to Saturday. The Festival City Mall Fitness Village will celebrate the start of DFC with fireworks at 7:45pm on 18 October.

 

The Kite Beach Fitness Village, presented by ENOC in association with Etisalat and Meraas will host a diverse set of fitness experiences in an open-air setting to ensure that everyone from yogis to martial artists and boxers to bikers can find their sweet spot or even discover some unexpected new fitness favourites. With 10 zones, participants of all ages find a plethora of activities and experiences, including an Aqua Park that features an exciting inflatable water obstacle course, a martial arts gym, boxing ring, beachside basketball court, beach spinning facilities and a kids’ Skill and Play area. Emphasising its holistic approach to health and wellness, the Village has a dedicated space to practise the cohesion of mind and body with varied wellness and health programming for different ages, fitness abilities and levels of expertise.

 

Visitors can plan the perfect day out with family, friends or colleagues by signing up to play in the Beach Sports zone – a multi-purpose pitch that accommodates football, volleyball, badminton and beach tennis – and easily book a pitch time on the Dubai Fitness Challenge website in advance. For the water buffs, those looking to enhance their kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding skills can head straight to the water sport centre closer to the beach, where they can get geared up and the amateurs can even get a coaching session for free upon registration until sunset. If you are truly looking to challenge yourself, try the Tough Mudder Obstacle Course that’s open for all with a special edition Mini Mudder course for kids between 5-13 years and promises to provide lots of thrills and spills.  Kite Beach Fitness Village will also be home to an outdoor gym, hydration station, and a traditional Ghaf tree where participants can pin their 30x30 pledge. Open from 7am to 9pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 7am to 11pm from Thursday to Saturday there’s something for everyone at Kite Beach throughout the 30 days. The Kite Beach Fitness Village will celebrate the start of DFC with fireworks at 8pm on 18 October.

Community-focused Fitness

To ensure more people have access to a variety of workouts within close proximity, Dubai Fitness Challenge is introducing 10 Fitness Hubs across communities this year. These hubs are set to provide participants with the chance to experience a whole host of free-to-attend activities, ranging from spinning and self-defence, to yoga, Pilates, dance classes, and a lot more. A list of confirmed Fitness Hubs and dates are as below:

Location Dates

Hamdan Sports Complex Oct 18 – Nov 1

Dubai Police Officers Club Oct 18 – Oct 26

Zabeel Ladies Club Oct 18 – 26

Downtown Dubai Oct 18 – Nov 16

Quranic Park Oct 18 – Nov 16

The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah Oct 23 – Oct 30

DMCC (JLT Park) Nov 1 – 7

Sustainable City Nov 1 – 9

Bluewaters Nov 8 – 16

The Block (D3) Nov 10 – 16

 

Citywide Events

DFC 2019 will include over 40 participatory events, along with more community-led activities around Dubai to keep the city charged and motivated throughout the 30 days.

In a one-of-a-kind global first, DFC is teaming up with world-renowned ‘The Body Coach’ Joe Wicks as he attempts to set the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class on Saturday 26 October, at HIIT30X30 with Joe Wicks at Skydive Dubai. Aspiring participants aged 18 years and over can register for free on PlatinumList, and complete the full 30-minute workout without stopping in order to be considered as part of the record-breaking attempt.

Wicks is also set to take part in the first ever Mai Dubai City Half Marathon, which will take place on Friday 25 October at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Starting in front of The Gate Building in DIFC, the Body Coach will join other runners as they set off on a 21.1km trail around downtown Dubai. For more information and to register for the different distance categories, please visit www.cityhalfmarathon.com 

Other citywide events taking place during the first week of Dubai Fitness Challenge include the below, with more to be announced soon.

 

Date Event Location

18 Oct Grit + Tonic Triathlon Series Race 1: Mamzar

Al Mamzar

18 Oct; 25 Oct Meraas Al Marmoom Ultramarathon Build Up Run

Al Qudra Cycling Track

18 - 26 Oct Sheikha Hind Women’s Sports Tournament Multiple venues

19 Oct, 26 Oct Cigna Park Run

Kite Beach

19 Oct Hilton Dubai Tower Race

Hilton JBR

25 Oct Moonfest Dubai Internet City 

25 Oct Dubai Holding SkyRun 2019

Jumeirah Emirates Towers Offices

25 Oct Pink Ladies Challenge

Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort

25 Oct King & Queen at The Pointe

The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah

26 Oct MBC Run The Creek

Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers

 

 

Shoppers across the city will also have an exclusive first-ever opportunity to be rewarded in a more literal way during DFC this year – with a ‘Spend & Win’ competition, presented by Emirates NBD, in association with Al Rostamani. By spending AED 250 in participating malls across Dubai, which include Times Square Center, Oasis Mall, Burjuman and Reef Mall – participants have a chance to enter a draw and win a 2020 Nissan Patrol car among various other exciting gifts and prizes.

 

The Challenge is here and the time to be “In It, Together” is now. All residents and visitors can register on the Dubai Fitness App or the DFC website. For more information on all events and activities across the city during Dubai Fitness Challenge, please visit the official DFC website: www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com.