Dubai: While most of us would see the virtues of an early Friday morning existing in muted alarm clocks and blinded windows, Zabeel Park was booming with remixes of popular songs with MCs encouraging the thousands in matching light-blue tees and caps to troop along the 3km for the Beat Diabetes Walkathon.
“This is the sixth annual Diabetes walkathon we organise,” Renuka Jagtiani, vice-chairperson of the Landmark Group, said. “This year we were better organised. I am extremely pleased with the turnout and the results.”
The admission fee was Dh20 for adults and Dh10 for children, all proceedings will go to Al Jalila Foundation.
“The walkathon is growing every year. It’s a great way to raise awareness and money for the foundation. It also brings people together in a carnival-esque fashion. We have organised similar walkathons in a number of Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, as well as in India. It is important to raise awareness in the regions where diabetes is a real issue. ”
While most of the participants registered online, sign-up booths were also ready to take in last-minute registrations.
“We’ve registered well-over 10,000 participants,” she said, “it’s nice to see people rally for a good cause and have fun while they’re at it.”
And having fun they were. Families took to finish the 3km walkathon waving baby-blue balloons and eating popcorn. Friends huddled together to fit in a selfie-frame, while some even chose to attend costumed as superheroes.
“We have a number of activities set up for kids,” Jagtiani said, “there are bouncing castles and painting stalls. We have even set up tents offering a ‘One-Touch’ diabetes test. Free of Charge. Besides building the necessary awareness, it is also important to educate the public about the disease. I know of a lot of people who never got tested and were surprised to find that their sugar level was higher than the optimal.”
Diabetes can be effectively managed by living a healthy lifestyle and getting regularly tested.
New statistics from International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) have revealed that almost 19 per cent of the UAE population (approximately 750,000 people) is affected by the condition. The UAE ranks fifth in the region for diabetes prevalence. A further alarming projection is that over 50 percent of the estimated 363,000 diabetes-related deaths in 2014, in the MENA region will be of individuals under the age of 60 years.
A number of companies and schools also chose to participate in the event, raising their respective banners as they took to complete the walkathon.
“Yes, we have a number of companies and sponsors, including Standard Chartered, Aramex and Barclays, partaking in the program. Everyone is contributing to the event in some way. Fitness First, for instance, is handling the entertainment.”
Sreeja Paveen said that it was her first time participating in the Beat Diabetes Walkathon.
“I cam here with my husband, We are just trying to do our bit to fight the disease,” she said. “The weather is perfect to go for a walk anyway. We’re proud to be part of this initiative.”
George F., from the Philippines, said that he participated in all six years of the walkathon.
“I like it so much better since they moved the event to the park. The first few times was at the Oasis Mall, it’s so much more pleasant to do it here, especially with the fresh weather. I brought my children this time as well. My son was even more excited than I was. He was the one who woke us up even before the sun was out. He was particularly happy to see the batman-costumed participant. We took quite a few pictures with the superhero group.”
George said that he encourages new participants to take part in the initiative and do their part to fight the disease.
Indian-national Manish G., 27, said: “I did not expect this many people to turn up. A friend of mine, who has participated every year since the walkathon began, encouraged me to attend the event. I’m glad I did. One of my uncles has diabetes and I’m thinking of him as I complete the walkathon.”
