Omani trail runner Hamed Al Harthi takes up France Côte d’Azur challenge

Muscat: Hamed Al Harthi, one of Oman’s best and most experienced trail runners, will compete in the first ever Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB®, taking place from 22-25 September 2022 in Nice, France. Hamed will be running the100-mile (164km) race, which takes athletes from the snowy peaks of the French Alps to the clear blue seas of the Mediterranean Sea.

An iconic trail running distance, the race begins in the ski resort town of Auron and quickly reaches the highest point of the course at more than 2,650 metres above sea level. From there, the route weaves through forests and along the meandering Tinée river and Mercantour massif, the glacier-covered dome of Mont Blanc, before tackling four more mounts amidst spectacular landscapes and ending on the world famous Promenade des Anglais along the seafront in Nice on the shores of the legendary French Riviera.

Speaking before leaving Oman for France, Hamed said, “This an exciting new challenge in a truly awe-inspiring location. The Mont Blanc region is the home of the UTMB®ultra runningraces, so to be able to take part in the first edition of Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB® is a great step in my career. My training has been going well, but each race is a new challenge, and I am looking forward to testing myself on a variety of terrains. I am also hoping to gain more knowledge from this race in preparation for the main race, the UTMB® Mont Blanc in 2023”.

64-year-old Hamed is a lifelong runner and has conquered many of the most challenging races in the world during his career. In 2018, he competed in OMAN by UTMB® and Ushuaia by UTMB® in Argentina in 2019, UTMB® Mont-Blanc 2021 and reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro the same year. In March 2022, he completed the epic 560km ‘Border to Coast’ challenge from Um Zumul, on the border of Oman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to Sur in eight days and plans to continue taking on epic challenges all around the world.

Supporters and well-wishers can follow his progress through his Instagram account (@hamedalharthy1).