Dubai – 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.
About Bloomberg Square Mile Relay
The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay is a one-of-a-kind, immersive team building experience, which uniquely takes place in the heart of financial districts in 12 cities around the world. You and nine co-workers take it in turn to run an unconventional and exciting one-mile lap, helping raise US$30,000 for The Extra Mile Program in each city, which supports projects in local communities. After you’ve taken on your business rivals and earned your bragging rights for the year, your team can kick back at the after party, enjoy complimentary hospitality in the Race Village and celebrate at the After-Party. Your lap. Your cause. Your impact.
About Square Mile Sport
Square Mile Sport is the event owner and delivery agency of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay – a unique event series designed exclusively to provide businessmen and women with an outlet for their sporting passion. Established in 2007 in London, Square Mile Sport plans to replicate the event in cities across the world. It is also the owner and operator of the Bloomberg Square Mile Virtual Club, an innovative digital platform that brings corporate professionals from across the world together through shared activity and wellbeing.
Square Mile Sport is wholly owned by Benchmark Sport, which operates leading international brands including the Sport Industry Group and Beyond Sport. www.squaremilerelay.com
About Bloomberg
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively.
