Dubai Sports City has announced the launch of its new athletics track by hosting a unique event in partnership with celebrated Dubai athlete Marcus Smith.

Starting from 4pm this Thursday (November 21), the event will see Smith running non-stop for 24 hours on the track located in the Sports Village hub. Smith challenged himself during last year’s Dubai Fitness Challenge by successfully running 30 marathons in 30 consecutive days, and is now inviting Dubai residents to participate in this run with him for as long as they can during his epic 24-hour run around the new 400m track.

Khalid Al Zarooni, President of Dubai Sports, said: “Dubai Sports City has become an integral part of Dubai’s sporting culture and this new and improved facility will help to significantly enhance everyone’s experience, no matter what fitness or sporting level they are at.

“To celebrate this special occasion we wanted to create an experience for the whole community to enjoy and participate in, whilst also inspiring people to live a healthy lifestyle.

“We are delighted to be partnering with such a fitness powerhouse in Marcus Smith who is aligned to our vision of encouraging Dubai residents to stay active.”

Speaking ahead of the run, Marcus Smith added: “I am thrilled to be partnering with Dubai Sports City to celebrate the launch of the new, fully revamped race track. When you complete a challenge like running non-stop for 24 hours, you naturally feel a great sense of achievement and something like this fuels my ambitions to conquer more challenges. I invite the residents of Dubai to join me for this challenge and I look forward to achieving this goal together.”

Also receiving a major upgrade was Dubai Sports City’s football pitch. The new facilities have been upgraded with the latest modern materials to continually meet international standards.

The renovation process included the complete removal of the existing football pitch and running track, as well as the rectification of the base to meet international standards. The athletics track was made using products from EPI Synthetic Surfaces & Material B.V., a specialist sport surface manufacturer from the Netherlands and approved by the IAAF. The installation of the athletics track, which was completed in three weeks, was also supervised by IAAF approved specialists. The artificial turf for the football pitch was installed by ACT Global, a US-based FIFA preferred manufacturer.