38 Hours Without Sleep: Emirati Runner Completes 174km Race Across Three Countries

Ahmad Al Janahi had been running for 16 hours when the climb from Italy into Switzerland became almost too much. Exhausted and suffering from severe stomach pain, the Emirati runner began to wonder whether two years of preparation would end without a finish.

“I was telling myself, ‘Ahmad, you waited two years and now you are here, but you cannot finish it.’ I was very negative towards myself,” he told Khaleej Times. He kept going, eventually completing the 174-kilometer UTMB World Series Finals course in Chamonix in 37 hours and 50 minutes.

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I was telling myself, ‘Ahmad, you waited two years and now you are here, but you cannot finish it.’ I was very negative towards myself.

The race included 14 checkpoints, each with its own time limit, and competitors had to complete the full course within 46 hours. Al Janahi had prepared for the event by completing three major international races in 2025 before being selected to run alongside about 3,000 competitors.

A thunderstorm delayed the start by two hours. When the rain cleared and sunlight appeared over Mont Blanc, Al Janahi reflected on what it had taken to reach the starting line. “I was in tears,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘I am here. I am at the starting line. I need to focus and achieve this because it is not only for me, but for my country.’”

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I am here. I am at the starting line. I need to focus and achieve this because it is not only for me, but for my country.

He did not sleep during the race. His preparation included overnight mountain training in Ras Al Khaimah throughout the UAE summer, sometimes from 11pm until 6am or 7am. He carried equipment for rapidly changing conditions, including a jacket and gloves for cold, windy summits, while runners faced strong sunlight and high temperatures during the day.

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Coach, I’m suffering. I’m suffering a lot.

At his lowest point, he called his coach, Ole Brom, and said, “Coach, I’m suffering. I’m suffering a lot.” Brom urged him to reach the next checkpoint, eat and reassess. Food and encounters with other runners helped change his outlook. “Everyone was suffering, not only me,” Al Janahi said. “When you talk to someone, motivate someone and they smile back at you, it lifts your spirit.”

Near the finish, Al Janahi expected a friend to greet him with a UAE flag. Instead, Sheikh Omar Bin Saqr Alqasimi had travelled to celebrate the achievement and joined him for part of the finish.

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Everyone was suffering, not only me. When you talk to someone, motivate someone and they smile back at you, it lifts your spirit.