“Every sporty challenge should have a bigger idea behind it. Sports benefit not only on a personal level, but can also be a great contributor towards goodness. If one can do some outstanding challenge that
garners public attention, then why not dedicate it to matters that really deserve attention,” observes Olga Zolotova, who is all set to take on her next challenge!
Challenges are not new to Olga. In October 2015, Olga took up her first challenge of cycling 400km across seven emirates in 24 hours. Next, came the 200km solo run in 24 hours in December 2015. And coming May will see the twenty-five year old Russian ultra-athlete brace up for her next charity challenge – 7 ultra-marathons in 7 emirates in 7 days! Slated to take place in the first week of May 2016, this solo challenge is dedicated to Jusoor, a charitable organization working for the education of Syrian kids.
Olga has always dedicated her challenges for social causes. Earlier it was to support kids’ education in developing countries and for the treatment of children in a cancer hospital in Pakistan. This time, she will be focusing on raising awareness for the education of the Syrian refugee kids. For Olga, there is another aspect of seeing the challenge – a great opportunity to explore each emirate in a different way (as she has never run marathons in any emirate except Dubai). And lastly, a challenging aspect from the physical perspective as she has to run literally every day with hardly any time for recovery.
“My next charity challenge is dedicated to supporting Syrian kids’ education in cooperation with Jusoor. Jusoor is an NGO of Syrian expatriates who help refugee children to receive primary education. They are currently running two schools in Bekaa Valley (Lebanon) where 650 kids are receiving primary education. It costs approximately 700 USD per year to educate one child and both schools are running entirely on donations. Some of these kids have lost their families, others missed years of school due to the tough political situation in their country. For most of them these refugee schools are the only chance to get educated.”
Olga will be running 7 ultra-marathons in 7 emirates in 7 days in order to raise awareness on this matter. “My target is to collect at least 25,000 AED (7,000 USD) which will hopefully help ten children to complete a year of education,” says Olga who had recently travelled to the refugeecamps in Lebanon (on the Syrian border). “I was moved to see children as young as five years old selling tissue boxes on the streets!These kids are so happy to come to the school, they are happy to mingle with other children and most importantly, they have a hope for better future. I want to help them because these children, for sure deserve a far better life!”
When asked, what Olga aims to achieve from this challenge on a personal level, she replies, “The main idea is self-development. Challenge is a great catalyst of evolution. You need to step out of your comfort zone and expand the boundaries in order to develop yourself and grow. And every tomorrow we try to be better than what we are today.”
Details of the 7/7/7 Challenge
Date: 5th May to 11th May.
Time: 2:00 A.M. until 8:00 A.M. daily (due to weather conditions, Olga will start her run in the wee hours of the morning)
Route: Starting from Abu Dhabi-Dubai – Sharjah- Ajman-Umm Al Quwain-Ras Al Khaimah and finishing in Fujairah.
Distance to be Covered: Olga plans to run 50km each day in each emirate, which she will finish in six hours, so the total running time within the week will be 42 hours and the total distance to be covered is 350km.
Running Technique: During first 20 km, she will take a break once in 10 km. After that every 25-30 min, she will take a five minute break.
Hardships in Olga’s 7/7/7 Challenge
• Physical challenge – Olga will be running continuously for seven days, so she barely has any time for recovery (because the body experiences pain and soreness the day next to marathon)
Olga says – “The challenge is to train my body to be able to take that pressure and to recover as much as possible under the constricted time frame.”
• Logistical challenge. For the ultramarathons, a straight route is always preferred, avoiding routes in circles and sharp turns as that puts extra pressure on the legs.
Olga says – “It is quite tough to find such a route in some of the emirates, so most probably I will have to sacrifice my convenience and adapt to the situation.”
Training: Olga runs for 3-4 days per week which is a combo of interval trainings with long aerobic runs. Another three days are allocated for the gym where she practices strength and general physical exercises. “But the preparation goes far beyond physical aspect… it is more of dedication, discipline and perseverance,” reckons Olga.
Words + Photos by: Bandana Jain
