First woman to run up Jebel Akdhar Road
First woman to run up Jebel Akdhar - sets new personal record - on June 28th 2022
Rahela , age 32, sets a new personal record in 3 hours and 50mins hours as she reaches new heights, ascending to 2090 m on the Jebel Akhdar Road.
A 21.5 km run might not seem like much to the seasonal runner, but when you add a 2090 m vertical ascent, a 3.30am start, and temperatures in their mid to high 30’s to the mix it becomes a grueling challenge. In the early hours of the 28th of June 2022 in Oman; in the heat of summer, Ultra Runner Rahela couldn’t be stopped as she made her way up the mountain. With Waleed Al Fahdi by her side on a bicycle for support, Rahela Having support is such an important thing when you do these kinds of challenges, I did the same challenge last year and wanted to improve my time and altitude. It’s definitely not for the faint hearted as you just keep running uphill! Having someone there to make sure you are doing ok and keeping you motivated is a must!”.
As a wife and mother of runners - Rahela’s lifestyle revolves around running and achieving, she looks to inspire others to prove that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. Her daily runs are between 10km-20km in either Wadi Saal or in Hamriyah, near Qantab in Muscat, along adventurous single track trails. As she explains her first taste of running came from her friends inviting her to run in the mountains just outside of Dubai; she had been cycling since the age of 17 and running on roads here and there, but when she went to the mountains and ran on trails, she was hooked. She mentions “ I couldn’t resist, it gave me a sense of adventure and challenge that I couldn’t get anywhere else”
As she accounts during her most recent personal challenge of ascending Jebel Akhdar, “Reaching the top felt wonderful, it was such an achievement, I had no sleep and seeing the sunrise was amazing. It’s hard work though! I remember the first 5km being horrible, it felt so heavy, but the next 10-15 km I was in the flow. Once I got to the last 5km my hamstrings started to lock up so I had to take it easy for 10 minutes, rehydrate with electrolytes and then keep pushing. There were tears but I kept going. Waleed was pushing me and I was pushing myself and when I reached the top - pure joy!”
Rahela aims to come back next month and see if she can increase the altitude and reduce her time.
Congrats Rahela & Good luck
