Adnoc Abu Dhabi International Marathon 2018
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced, the inauguration of the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, which will be held, for the first time, on December 7, 2018, bringing the world’s oldest race to one of the world’s most modern cities, and deepening ADNOC’s commitment to the Abu Dhabi community.
The UAE capital has added to its sporting portfolio after organisers announced the first Adnoc Abu Dhabi International Marathon will take place on December 7.
The event has been given Bronze Label status from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), but Aref Al Awani, general secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), is confident the Abu Dhabi race can achieve Gold Label status – reserved for prestigious races such as the Boston and London marathons – by 2020.
“It has been one of the long missing pillars in our international sporting calendar,” Al Awani said after signing a three-year deal with Adnoc, the national oil company, at the company’s headquarters on Tuesday.
“Adnoc is one of the main pillars of our economy and they have been one of the main supporters of all our sporting activities in Abu Dhabi. With their support, we want to achieve the marathon Gold Label in three years.”
Abu Dhabi already hosts several international sporting events including the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The capital will stage the Fifa Club World Cup for a second successive year in December as well as host the 2019 Asian Cup starting in January.
Major General Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi, Chairman of General Authority for Sports, said the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon is the latest addition to the ever-growing list of international sporting events to arrive in Abu Dhabi.
“It may be the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi, but it will be second to none among established international marathons around the world,” Major General Al Romaithi said. “We expect a world-class elite field and participation of thousands of runners at various levels.”
Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Executive Office Director at ADNOC, said: “ADNOC is excited to play a part in bringing such an iconic event, the marathon, to Abu Dhabi. Our partnership with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council is built on a shared commitment to elevating the health and well-being of individuals and embodies ADNOC’s historical dedication to supporting the communities in which we operate.
“Whether it’s through sporting and recreation, health and wellness, or youth and STEM education, ADNOC’s corporate social responsibility and purpose remains firm: To create a positive and lasting impact on UAE society,” Al Suwaidi said.
The race will be held over a 42.195-kilometer (26 miles, 385 yards) course that will showcase the city of Abu Dhabi to a global audience. In recognition of the Year of Zayed, the race will bring together elite international athletes, seasoned amateur runners and thousands of people taking part in their first marathon. It will offer runners of all abilities the chance to participate in a range of events from 2.5km and 5km fun runs, to the 10km and full-distance marathon. Entry fees for the event range from AED 50-75 for the shorter 2.5km and 5km fun runs, AED 150 for the 10km, and AED 350 for the Marathon race.
Registration for the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon is open at: www.adnocabudhabimarathon.com
Fees structure:
The announcement has witnessed great amount of interest to the event as seen by registration of more than 80 participants to the site at the time of this note.
Marathons are run in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. The legend states he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in battle, which took place in 490 BC. It is said he ran the entire distance from the battlefield to Athens, without stopping, to proclaim victory, before collapsing and dying.
The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants
The world-record time for men over the marathon distance is 2 hours 2 minutes and 57 seconds, set in the Berlin Marathon Berlin Marathon, by Dennis Kimetto Dennis Kimetto of Kenya, on September 28, 2014. The world-record for women was set by Paula Radcliffe, of Great Britain, in the London Marathon London Marathon, held on April 13, 2003. Radcliff completed the race in 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds.
Sites you may find handy:
For running apps: https://dailyburn.com/life/tech/best-running-apps-every-runner/
For running tips: https://www.active.com/running/articles/22-essential-pieces-of-marathon-training-advice
Best wishes to #ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Sports Council and all the participants for the success of this event.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
@rameshmenonauh
News links and photos – courtesy credits to:
The National Abu Dhabi Sports Council
#ADNOC #ADSC #ADNOCAbuDhabiMarathon
#CampaignPASS – Promote All Sports Simultaneously
#TalentShare – A Talent or Knowledge within you is to be SHARED.
Wheeling ahead
Summer picking up and also it’s time to save on daily living expenses. Many are opting to cycle their way to work. You can get to see here the big brothers trying to show their power ahead. Motorised two-wheelers that doesn’t require any registration are increasing in numbers. Watch your way when you are on the wheels as many of these riders do not follow any safety rules and just zoom past on signals, even when it is red.
#SafetyFirst
Water your way to kindness during this summer
Summer is picking up and it is getting hotter and hotter during the day. Every drop of water is precious. As usual this year too, I witnessed this act of kindness from someone who diligently kept water for the birds and small animals on the street.
You can follow him too. Keep some water outside in small containers for the silent and beautiful creatures of this universe.
Ramadan Delights
#Ramadan delights from Sabir refreshments #inabudhabi
25 years and more, holding on, one of the oldest restaurants favoured by many bachelors and families for tasty food. Many of them used to avail the monthly payment system. During the holy month of #Ramadan they come out with tradional Kerala specials to break the fast.
Years back, It used to be a muddy path towards the restaurant, that has been well laid now. Still a good opportunity to #cycle #inabudhabi and test and taste who serves the best during this time of the year.
Ramadan Wishes
Ramadan Kareem to all my friends. Wishing you and your family a blessed Ramadan.
When the fingers speaks!
A tribute to my guru late Korambu Subramanian Nampoothiri.
A comment on one of my earlier post about him prompted me to sit down and record this video.
I was lucky to learn mridangam from him during my childhood days. He used to come home all the way from Peruvanam temple, approximately 15 kms away from my home, after finishing his temple duties. Half way walking and half way by bus, to save money for taking care of his family with his meagre income from the temple. The fees that time was somewhere very very small (if I remember correctly Rs. 10/-). There was no greed or instinctive approach to get the students to the so-called mainstream limelight by way of arrangettam within 1 or two months of learning during those days.
Again, if I remember correctly, a group of students including me, did our arrangettam during Koodalmanikyam Temple Festival after several months or years of training. I still remember the songs and my stage fear during that day in front of the large audience. His humble and simple presence sitting in front of us encouraging us not to miss even a single beat.
Again, if remember correctly, Uma was singing and then Rajesh, Ranjith and other stalwarts amongst us joining the group. The small start that day then slowly transformed to a bigger and better version and became the first of its kind in percussion history, named as “Mridangamela”, which is now being diligently presented each year at Koodalmanikyam temple festival by his children with students who are learning directly as well as through online.
I am really worried about the parents these days who force and influence different channels to get their children to play musical instruments or get on to stage with a short stint of direct training or alarmingly even with online training!.
Relax, they are children and let them practice and play on and on… Daily practice is very important. And do not expose them until they are well versed and get the full go-ahead from their gurus.
Again, I am also worried about the gurus who give consent to children performing within a short time period of training…If you do that you are doing injustice and spoiling a genuine talent.
My pranams to my guru late Korambu Subramanian Nampoothiri.as I present this practice session of today. Nothing special, just played and recorded what came into my mind. No mathematics, physics or whatever involved….purely divine presentation to him and also to my divine guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Yes, it is also very important to have a good musical system and also great support from the person behind the sound console for the success of a musical presentation. There should be also strict discipline among those accompanying artists to play within the framework and guidelines.
My humble pranams to all my manasa gurus, to whom I listen and observe online as well as through phone or other channels and whenever possible directly and learn various tips and tricks from them.
Each day, yes I practice every day, in front of him and my only prayer to him is bhagavan – when I play, please be with me and let you play through my fingers and not to miss even one beat. Hence the name for this video : When the Fingers Speaks”. Sri Gurubhyo Namah and Om Sri Sairam.
Once again, this is just a practice session and have not followed any strict patterns or guidelines.
Write (right) back!
Write back to writing days!
A deliberate silence of 125 days away from blog…. I cannot say, it was accidental and I cannot say firmly it was deliberate. Mind Speaks all the time within me and comes out of words and sentences and normally I never hold them. But, this time I did.
Why did I do it?
A good question to me first? The void created by my father’s death was one among them. Indeed, the period from July 2016 till August 2017 was a fast-track time for me to complete and tick-off many items from my father’s wish list. Between us, there was always harmonious and silent communication happening all the time. I knew what he wanted and he knew very well that if it was in my reach, I will do it at any cost for him. It is now emotional as well as memorable to recollect the visits to places and friends we made during those days. I knew very well how fast his life clock was ticking to come to an abrupt and silent end. It happened on 17 August 2017.
Is that the case for me distancing myself away from the blog? Not really.
I continued to click and post on FB or instagram or other social media and kept my presence alive. However, it did not give me the full satisfaction that I get when I am here on the “Mind Speaks” section of my blog. It is where I express myself, what I think about and see around.
I see things in a different way than I used to do before. It is because I believe no one bothers about the other these days. It is also because, I see that all news are of value only for that moment or may be hour or a day. Then it becomes nothing. There are several examples. People go back to their routine very quickly these days. I find excessive use of mobile as one of the reason for this change. There is always something or other thing to take your attention away. It is good as well as it is bad. All along I have been giving extra focus on road safety and community issues. In future, I will be adding some more key elements to my writing to highlight human values like respect, togetherness, friendliness, confidence etc – there are many to add and where we stand now?
One thing is for sure, I cannot hold my thoughts and stop expressing my mind. One other important note is to affirm – it is easy to preach, but difficult to practice all the above.
I am right back here to my writing days. I am sure you will come back as often as you can to read and comment.
Ramesh Menon
04th March 2018
Farewell to Palakkad Radhakrishnan
Palakkad Radhakrishnan – One and only combo personality of all Abu Dhabi satsangs. A humble and simple person who plays multiple roles whenever there is a community activity of significance happening in Abu Dhabi. Percussionist, singer, good cook, last to leave – an overall selfless volunteer!.
He might not belong to the category of professional percussionists or vidhwans. But, he plays his beats from his heart with full of strength and divinity, and that covers the completeness of his music even if he is not given a microphone for his instrument as it happens many times!.
From physically assisting the set up of the venue from start till the end and also performing as percussionist of quality, I really admire him and his value to all of us.
I cherish my association with him all along.
Matha, Pitha, Guru Daivam. He is an example and continue to be, as he leaves Abu Dhabi tomorrow, 31st October 2017, after 21 years of Service to serve his aged mother.
May all Sathgurus and Gods shower him with peace, prosperity, good health and overall well being.
He will be available on Whatsapp +97155 657 89 75.
https://soundcloud.com/ramesh-menon-abudhabi/gananayakam-ganeshwaram-sai-bhajan-by-muthuraman
The divine ambience he creates can be enjoyed by listening to the above song where he plays Dholak to a beautiful bhajan.
Kathakali festival in Abu Dhabi
2 days of Kathakali festival #InAbuDhabi.
Titled “Kanninakkanandam (feast for eyes)”, Abu Dhabi Kathakali Festival 2017 showcases three plays of the 18th century poet laureate Irayimman Thampi who represents the golden age of Kathakali. Much admired by connoisseurs, his plays Keechakavadham, Uttaraswayamvaram and Dakshayagam continue to enthrall audiences with their music, action, rich emotional quotient, and literary finesse.
Keechakavadam and Uttaraswayamvaram are based on Viradaparvam of Mahabharatha, while Dakshayagam is based on Mahabhagavatham.
Festival opens on October 19th at Kerala Social Centre (KSC) Abu Dhabi with Uttaraswayamvaram.
Keechakavadam will be staged on 20th at India Social and Cultural Centre (ISC Abu Dhabi) in the afternoon followed by Dakshayagam in the evening.
Padmasri Kalamandalam Gopi will reveal another facet of his acting prowess with his Duryodhana in Uttaraswayamvaram and Daksha in Dakshayagam. All the renowned artists , musicians and percussionists forming part of this troupe will add their strength and skills to complete this tauryatrika (triple symphony) experience.
As part of this festival, a Thayambaka by renowned artist Sri. Panamanna Sasi and team will exhilarate the audience with the percussions on October 20th. A musical ensemble titled Carnatic Melodies led by Sri Biju Edappal is also scheduled in the evening.
Do not miss out this event to enjoy as well as understand the traditional art form froms Kerala. Added attraction is the Thayampaka – traditional colour performance on chenda, a popular percussion instrument of Kerala, in which the main player at the centre improvises rhythmically on the beats of half-a-dozen or a few more chenda and ilathalam players around.
A chance to watch international as well as local artists performing. A golden opportunity for Passionate Photographers. Hash tag your clicks with #PassionatePhotographers #TalentShare.
Best photo and photographer will get a special gift (this is a personal initiative to support the event conducted by Anoop Nair and his team).
Young ADIPEC Photography Competition 2017
The 2017 Young ADIPEC photography theme is announced as Sense of Community, in line with the UAE’s 2017 Year of Giving.• Influence
• Integration and fulfilment
• Shared emotional connection
2. Boys 15-18 years
3. Girls 11-14 years
4. Girls 15-18 years
ENTER THE COMPETITION IN JUST 3 EASY STEPS:
1. Take one or more photos that fit the theme. You can use only your camera, photos taken by a mobile camera are not eligible for entry.
2. Download the submission form: www.adipec.com/youngadipec (a maximum of three entries per person are allowed).
The judging session will take place on Saturday 28 October and winners will be notified shortly afterwards. Winning entries and Runners-up of each category will appear on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and in the Photography Competition Zone at the Young ADIPEC stand, during ADIPEC 2017 (13 – 16 November at ADNEC).
WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP CAN COLLECT THEIR PRIZES ON TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER AT 16:00 AT THE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION ZONE.
ClicksandWrites 
You must be logged in to post a comment.