UAE: Dubai to hold 'first camel marathon'

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Image caption, The planned contest is unusually long for camel racing
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Dubai is preparing to host what's being billed as its first camel marathon later this year, it's reported.

More than 1,000 camels and their owners are expected to compete in the 50-km (31-mile) race on 3 December to mark the United Arab Emirates' National Day, . The first 50 riders to finish will win prizes from a 2m-dirham (拢350,000, $540,000) pot, and the top three will get luxury cars. While camel racing is a longstanding part of UAE's sporting calendar, this is said to be the first one to be held over such a long distance, and could be taxing for both camel and rider. Riders must be over 18 years old, ruling out the younger jockeys often favoured in camel racing for their light weight.

"Training and conditioning will play a big role in this marathon, along with the rider's tactics in pacing the camel over the long distance," says Saeed Bin Sarud, the director-general of the Dubai Camel Racing Club. The race's co-organiser, the (HHC), says its aim is to preserve the UAE's cultural heritage by inspiring Emiratis to breed and care for camels. "Camels were a key means of livelihood for the people of the Arabian Peninsula," HHC chief executive Abdullah Haman bin Dalmook . "They taught people patience and endurance and even had songs and poems written about them."

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