Dubai, UAE, October 19, 2017:  More than 1,000 people are expected to line-up for the fourth running of the Dubai Desert Warrior Challenge this Friday at Dubailand, the event being a part of the #30x30 Dubai Fitness Challenge this year.

Supported by Dubai Sports Council, this year’s Dubai Desert Warrior Challenge will be an official qualifying event for the 2018 Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) World Championships as well, but only in the individual 10km category.

The first three heats of the day, starting 7.30am, will be reserved solely for ‘pro’ athletes and only these heats will count towards the Desert Warrior Challenge individual competition - male and female - and the qualifying for the OCR World Championship.

To be considered a pro athlete, male participants should have completed a 10km sand-based obstacle course in under 65 minutes, while the ladies should have done it in under 95 minutes. The top five males and females from the ‘pro’ heats and from each age group – 16-17, 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 and 50-plus - will qualify for the 2018 OCR World Championship.

The Desert Warrior Challenge offers fun and challenging obstacle courses, designed to test the physical strength, mental toughness, team-work and overall fitness of every participant. The courses are divided into four categories. The toughest of them, the Extreme Warrior, is more than 20km with 30-plus obstacles.

The Extreme Warrior is also the only category that is a race to the finish line and each participant will be wearing a Champion Chip timing device that will give his overall course time. There will be two different categories within the Extreme Warrior - the Individual and the Teams events - and it is entirely up to the competitors to choose whether to enter as a team or an individual. For each of these categories there will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awarded.

The other categories are: the Ultimate Warrior, which is a 10km race with 20-plus obstacles; the Fearless Warrior is a 5km track with 12-plus obstacles; the Junior Warrior is about 2km long with eight obstacles.

WHAT: The Dubai Desert Warrior Challenge

WHEN: October 20, 2017

TIME: From 7am to 3pm

VENUE: Dubailand District

HOW TO GET THERE: Driving down the Dubai-Al Ain Road, take the exit for Dubai Outlet Mall and when you reach the roundabout, keep going straight, passing under the archway. There will be Dubai Desert Warrior signs to guide you along the way.

REGISTRATION: Still open on their website