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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Runners take to the inside of malls.Alamy Stock Photo MALL MARATHON As temperatures touch 50C, Dubai runners turn to indoor marathon Record-breaking temperatures makes outside exercise almost impossible. 1.15pm, 9 Aug 2025 Share options EARLY ON SATURDAY, as temperatures soared outside, a sprawling shopping centre in Dubai echoed to the squeak of sneakers as hundreds of people joined “Mallathon” – an indoor, air-conditioned race. The government-backed initiative aims to encourage exercise during August, often the United Arab Emirates’ hottest month, and make use of Dubai’s giant malls which are otherwise empty at that time. Running outside during summer in the Gulf, one of the world’s hottest regions where temperatures sometimes top 50C, is unpleasant and even unsafe for many. “If you run outside, it’s not healthy at all because temperatures are around 40C to 50C,” said one runner who gave his name as Rai, his platinum-blond hair pulled back with a headband. Participants wearing “Dubai Mallathon” T-shirts and sports gear ran and walked past closed stores along vacant, marbled halls that were set to be teeming with shoppers hours later. Throughout August, nine of the city’s shopping centres — including the cavernous Dubai Mall, one of the world’s biggest — are open daily for runners and walkers from 7am-10am. On weekends, runners can enter organised 10km, 5km or 2.5km races at designated malls, complete with podium presentations and prizes. During Saturday’s race at the City Centre Mirdif mall, two robots buzzed around the participants, who paused to take selfies with them. Advertisement Others waited in line to use electric bikes that powered blenders to make healthy smoothies. Mallathon is backed by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 42, whose public profile projects him as an exemplar of active living. It is one of a number of attempts to steer Dubai’s car-loving, mall-rat population towards exercise, including the 30×30 challenge, where residents are encouraged to exercise 30 minutes a day for a month. Obesity rates in the energy-rich Gulf country regularly top global charts. A study published by The Lancet in March predicted a staggering 94 percent of UAE males would be overweight or obese by 2050 — the highest in the world. Partly to blame is the furnace-like heat that ravages the region for several months a year, and is steadily growing more intense. The UAE had its hottest April on record this year, and then breached its May high two days in a row. On August 1, temperatures reached 51.8C, just shy of the national record of 52C. Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here. Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “As temperatures touch 50C, Dubai runners turn to indoor marathon”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “As temperatures touch 50C, Dubai runners turn to indoor marathon”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. 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