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Fri, Nov 29, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 27, 1446 | DXB
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Dubai: Meet the ultra-cyclist who has dedicated her career to supporting female athletes
In 2022, Dawn Barnable co-founded The Mettleset, a podcast that features region’s female (and male) sporting trailblazers and now has listeners in 114 countries
- By
- Harriet Shephard
Dawn Barnable at the 1,030-km BikingMan Oman.
While many of us are aware that men’s sport gets more media coverage than women’s sport, few are driven enough to try and do something about it – like Dubai resident Dawn Barnable.
In 2022, the Canadian expat co-founded one of the first platforms in the Middle East to put the spotlight on women’s sports and highlight niche endurance and action sports that are rarely featured in mainstream media.
Now with 84 episodes, The Mettleset has listeners in 114 countries, featuring many of the region’s most exciting female (and male) sporting trailblazers, including Moroj Adil, Saudi Arabia’s first pro cyclist, and Nadhira Al Harthy, the first Omani woman to summit Everest.
Saudi Arabian Pro Cyclist Moroj Adil
“Our success shows that people want to hear from more female voices and diverse perspectives from the Middle East,” Barnable told Khaleej Times.
Moroj Adil and Dawn Barnable recording The Mettleset Podcast
Nadhira Al Harthy, the first Omani Woman to Summit Everest
The 43-year-old researches, presents, and edits every episode herself. It’s a lot of work, especially as she balances it with running her own communications consultancy.
She noted that there has never been a more exciting time to be involved with women’s sport in the Middle East. “Every week there seems to be another woman achieving an amazing feat that will go down in history.”
“For example, this summer we saw Safiya Al Sayegh become the first female Emirati cyclist to compete in the Olympics, while Dunya Abu Talib became the first Saudi woman to secure a direct qualification to the Olympics. It’s an honour to support them and help the region develop its women’s sports ecosystem.”
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Striving for change
Barnable has worked in sports communications for 14 years. The idea for the podcast first sparked in 2019 when she became frustrated by how difficult it was to generate media coverage of a women’s sporting event that she was working on. Her interest in endurance and niche sports increased when she completed her first ultra-cycling event the same year.
She shared: “I went from buying a bicycle to completing the 1,030-km BikingMan Oman in just three months. It was a crazy thing to attempt, but I loved everything about it. It showed me that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.”
Barnable at the finish line at BikingMan Oman
“I love being out on my bike and spending time in nature. Biking has introduced me to so many incredible people and those hours I spent alone in Oman also helped me define the type of life I want to lead, and how I want to show up in the world,” she added.
In 2022, she accepted a new job that she very quickly realised was not in line with her values. It inspired her to quit, go completely in the other direction, and finally take the plunge and launch her own platform.
“I decided to use the skills, resources, and connections that I’d built up throughout my career to create impactful change in the sports industry. I feel like this is my calling in life. When I was younger, I was focused on moving up in my career and I wanted to be the CEO of my own company.
“But discovering ultra-cycling made me realise that there’s so much more to life, and that there are many ways to align your job with your values.”
A life of meaning
In addition to all the above, Barnable is dedicated to advocacy work. She lobbies for change behind the scenes, and she has conducted extensive amounts of research that she shares with sports organisations, brands, and media agencies, all with the aim of gaining more support for women’s sport.
“Whenever women or girls tell me that my work has helped them in some way, it makes me determined to keep going, despite the challenges. But, like the athletes themselves, we need support. I’m having lots of conversations, but we are yet to find a sponsor
“Since 2019, I’ve done three more self-supported ultra cycling races, and I’m getting heavily into mountain biking, too. I want everyone to have access to the same type of experiences that I've had through sport, and feel the magic of adventure, competition, movement and achievement,” she concluded.
“But, for that to happen, we need to make the world realise that female athletes deserve the same opportunities, equity, and support as male athletes do.”
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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