The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay Global Race Series came back with a bang in Dubai yesterday, with Emirates Steel crowned the ‘fastest firm’ in the city with an accumulative team time of 59:12. Over 650 runners from Dubai’s biggest companies took on the one-mile (1.6km) challenge which took place around the iconic Gate Building in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Eslam Ramadan, Team Captain of the winning team from Emirates Steel, received the coveted winner’s trophy on stage at the awards presentation, and said of the event: “We are proud to take part once more, made extra special as we broke our fastest time in 2020 having run under one hour this year. During COVID we never gave up as a team.”
Emirates Steel was closely followed by runners up Century Financial Consultancy in second place, and Skydive Dubai, third overall. Skydive Dubai finished as the Fastest Mixed Team.
The Fastest Female team on the night was Bloomberg Wonder Woman, with an impressive winning team time of 1:45:33. Rieko Tada, Team Captain of the Fastest Female Team, said: “We are thrilled to win the award as our first female team run, and proud to be contributing to the charity!”
The DIFC played backdrop to the race as the buzz and excitement of the relay brought Dubai to life once more. Runners enjoyed complimentary post-race hospitality and revelled in the after-glow of the team-building event by celebrating their achievements with their colleagues.
Alya AlZarouni, Executive Vice President - Operations, DIFC Authority commented: “The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay is an integral part of Dubai's calendar and we are pleased to play an important role in supporting businesses to put health and wellbeing first. Now, more than ever before, businesses are looking to engage employees in team-building activities to help them thrive, and by hosting this event, we are providing abundant opportunities for businesses to grow in a vibrant urban destination.”
As part of The Extra Mile initiative, the race also raised USD$30,000 for the UAE Food Bank, a non-profitable organisation dedicated to distributing food to those in need while eliminating food waste, by effectively storing and distributing excess fresh food from hotels, restaurants and supermarkets.
The race has also adopted sustainable practices with a policy of no single-use plastic on race night, the introduction of sustainable race medals and finisher t-shirts made from recycled plastic bottles.
Headline sponsor Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, has supported the event since it began in the heart of London’s business district in 2007, and now boasts a sporting calendar of 13 relay cities worldwide.
Benjamin Grolimund, Regional Manager, Financial Products - Middle East and Africa, Bloomberg LP said: “Bloomberg is excited to bring back the Square Mile Relay to Dubai for the first time since the pandemic. The race is a great opportunity to connect with our customers, employees and industry peers and come together as a business community for an important cause.”
Other main sponsors included Venue Partner DIFC, Health Partner GMC Clinics, Hotel and Hospitality Partner Crowne Plaza Dubai, Hydration Partner Mai Dubai, Soft Drinks Partner Coca Cola, Media Partner Elevision, ECO Partner DGrade, and Fitness Partner Fitness First.