Abu Dhabi: Thousands of runners are expected to flock to New York City’s Central Park on May 30 to participate in the 11th edition of the annual UAE Healthy Kidney 10km run, to promote education and awareness of kidney health and kidney disease.
Abu Dhabi’s Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) will be participating in the 10km race, organised in honour of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
A post-race festival will include live music, prize giveaways, sponsors’ tents, as well as UAE-specific delights such as free dates for attendees.
There will also be a henna artist, an Arabic calligrapher and a saluki dog and trainer demonstration.
Apart from raising money for the National Kidney Foundation, the race has a prize of $30,000 (Dh110,194).
Last year’s race saw nearly 8,000 runners.
The $30,000 Zayed Bonus will be given to the first man to beat the time of 27:35, the record held at the moment by Leonard Patrick Komon in the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in 2011, and/or the first woman to break 30:44, the record currently held by Lornah Kiplagat, who clocked the time at the New York Mini 10K in 2002.
“We are once again very proud to be involved with the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in New York City,” said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director of Promotion and Overseas Offices at TCA Abu Dhabi. “The event raises vital awareness about the dangers of kidney disease and promotes kidney health, and we hope that our efforts to make the event more than just a fun-run for participants helps get this vital message across. The addition of the Zayed Bonus is one more way for us to highlight the importance of keeping your kidneys healthy, and we anticipate that this year we will welcome more people than ever before to this fantastic event,” he added.
