30 triathlons in 30 days: 11-year-old Emirati to sprint, bike and swim daily for Dubai Fitness Challenge

She said that sports make her feel better, healthier and clears her mind

By Lamya Tawfik

Published: Tue 1 Nov 2022, 2:37 PM

Last updated: Tue 1 Nov 2022, 8:59 PM

A supersprint triathlon is a 375m swim, 10km bike ride and 2.5km run all completed in succession and in that order.

Afraa Al Majar will do that every day for the 30 days of DFC. Her goal is to encourage others to get active but also to raise money for cancer patients at Al Jalilah Foundation.

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“Afraa has already known many people affected by cancer and she wanted to do something for cancer patients. So we linked her initiative to the Al Jalilah Foundation and set up a Yalla Give page for the cause,” said Zoe Neill, her mother.

Here is how it all began.

“Two years ago, in 2020, I completed 7 supersprints in 7 days during DFC. I was only 9 years old then so this year, I wanted to push myself a bit more and thought why not complete 30 supersprints in 30 days?” said Afraa.

She said that sports make her feel better, healthier and clears her mind. “You start small, and you do a bit more. It gives you more energy and gives you a sense of achievement. You also make good friends doing sports, there is a great community of triathletes that I’m part of.”

During the year, she is supported by her sports-loving family. In fact, her mother Zoe was the one who got her started into sports right from the beginning. Initially she tried gymnastics, ballet and taekwondo but they weren't interesting enough for her. “I would just get bored with them after one month but then when I saw the Team Angelwolf triathlon races with people of determination, I felt that this is what I wanted to do,” she said.

“Every weekend after that became race weekend. It just became part of our lives,” said her mum adding that the race season is usually from mid-September to mid-April.

Working with people of determination is something that comes naturally for Afraa who has a nurturing nature. In fact, she helps her mum as a junior coach for swimming and cycling, especially with people of determination.

Afraa, who is home-schooled, said that she would normally do the supersprint triathlon either early morning on Kite Beach or in the evening. “The swimming part of the supersprint can either be in the sea or the pool. What’s important is to complete the distance,” she explained.

During the evening, she would sometimes also join her mum during the Race Me night runs but after having done her supersprint, she would use the time to have a relaxed run, cycling session or go on her scooter to cheer everyone and to support them. “Some people want to do sports, but they think they’re not good enough or they can’t do it. It doesn’t matter though. They can try and maybe they’ll win someday.”

It is common for Afraa and her family to do sports together, whether it is cycling, swimming or running. During DFC she will also be taking part in the Giant duathlon, Fujairah triathlon, Kalba triathlon, and Ghantout triathlon. “We want her to have quiet days and not push herself too much. She’s only focused on doing the distance on most days unless it’s a race then she pushes herself a bit more,” said Zoe.

In the future, Afraa hopes to take part in the Olympic games and the Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. She also wants to be a coach for people of determination.

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