Sixth edition of the endurance race will include a separate category for kids across regular mountain bike and running stages.

The sixth edition of Qatar’s popular desert endurance event, Theeb Desert Ultra Marathon, will be held on November 21 and 22 later this year.

The event will feature open running and mountain biking categories as usual, in addition to some new embellishments, the Qatar Sports For All Federation announced in a press conference held on Tuesday.

The new changes are a response to the growth that the event, initially started in 2019, has seen over the years, according to QSFA’s Executive Director. Abdullah Al-Dosari.

“The race has continued to grow in success with every edition having originally started as an idea by a group of young Qataris,” he said during the press conference organised at the Lusail Sports Hall.

Those aged 3 to 14 years old will be allowed to participate in the cycling event for the first time under “Alpha Theeb” and “Beta Theeb” categories starting this year.

Previously, only adult competitors were allowed to compete in the mountain bike categories: the 25 kilometres and 50 kilometres.

The second day of the endurance race will involve all the running events in both the open and the masters categories.

This year, the 3km run will exclusively be for the junior participants, and the 5 km run will be open to participation for adults as well. For kids, the 800-meter race will also be organised.

For adult participants, relatively more challenging distances such as 10km, 25km and 50km will also be held during the trail run stage of the event.

Recognised by the International Trail Running Association, athletes finishing at the top of the podium in Theeb are awarded international ranking points in addition to regular accolades such as cash prizes and medals.

Participants can choose to compete in individual categories or opt for the hardest: a combination of both mountain bike and run, for both 20 and 50km. Those finishing within the top three of the combo, across male and female categories, will get the highest prizes according to the organisers.

Initially an idea to embed sports into day-to-day lifestyle, Theeb’s participation soared to 1500 competitors in its last edition compared to 420 in 2019.

“It is a milestone in the history of desert marathons,” Al-Dosari said. “This year’s edition will be a special one and we can feel that everyone is eagerly anticipating the event.”