Dubai T100 Triathlon concludes successfully with strong participation from 95 nationalities

More than 3,000 amateur athletes from 95 nationalities swam, biked and ran at the third Dubai T100 Triathlon at Al Mamzar Beach Park this weekend, in front of more than 10,000 spectators.

The weekend started on Friday with 800 students at the Schools Aquathlon, up from 600 last year. On Saturday, amateurs raced the new Olympic distance before the professionals took over. Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown won the women’s race to take the lead in the T100 Race to Qatar, and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde took his third T100 win of the season despite breaking a toe coming out of the water. Today, the amateurs took on the 100km and the Sprint.

Athletes across the event weekend ranged in age from 7 to 75, and almost every distance was sold out. The bike course ran on closed roads over the Infinity Bridge and past Port Rashid and the QE2, and the run went through Al Mamzar Beach Park.

AMARAL MAKES IT THREE
France’s Quentin Amaral was the first amateur man home in the T100 Open category for the third year running, after winning in 2024 and 2025. The 28-year-old finished in 3:33:56, with a 30:44 swim, a 1:52:09 bike and a 1:06:36 run.

“The course was really, really nice, especially the run. You felt the atmosphere and the crowd out there; they were really supportive,” said Amaral. “And it was inspiring watching the likes of Hayden yesterday. He makes it look so easy. It’s crazy!”

WORTH THE WAIT
Russia’s Diana Trubkovich, also 28, won the women’s T100 Open category in 4:05:40, with a 31:18 swim, a 2:11:32 bike and a 1:17:29 run.

“It was amazing, really. I had an injury last year but T100 were really loyal to me and let me compete this year instead,” said Trubkovich. “It’s a super-fast course, which I found very cool.”

AL FAHIM FLIES THE FLAG
Emirati F1 powerboat driver Ahmad Al Fahim, who races for the Dubai-based Victory Team, completed his third Dubai T100 and his second at the full 100km distance.

“It was actually a great race. It started very well with the swim. I was ahead and came out of the water well,” said Al Fahim. “On the bike, I tried to save as much power as I could, because I knew I would struggle on the run, but I got a bit excited and pushed a bit. When I got to the run, I paid for it. My legs weren’t there and I started to drop the pace every lap. But I finished, and obviously I’m planning for the next one.”

The 100km was also a qualifier for the Qatar T100 World Championships next month.

“We’re always looking forward to T100, especially in Dubai,” he said. “There’s another one coming up in Qatar, so hopefully I’ll make it to that one and prepare well for it.

“If you watch Formula 1, you’ll see a lot of drivers actually do triathlon, and they do a lot of cycling. You have that level of speed, but you need something to switch off and calm you down, and training like this is much calmer. You do it for a long time at an easy pace. It keeps your heart rate low, so you’re always chilled.”

“You can see a lot of pros moving to Dubai now and wanting to live here, because of the amazing facilities and the infrastructure for training. Go to Kite Beach; it’s unbelievable now, it’s so busy. That tells you how well prepared it is and that people love to do sport here.

“Our leaders are always encouraging. You see them doing sport; they’re into cycling, they’re into the gym, and they used to compete on horseback. So it’s a culture here. When you see your leader competing, you want to follow him and do the same. We’re very, very lucky to be here.”

EVEREST, THEN DUBAI
Canada’s Dan Mallory, 75, made his Dubai T100 debut. In 2008, he and three of his children became the first family of four to summit Everest.

“It was absolutely fantastic. It was right up there with my expectations,” said Mallory. “I’d been told about this race by a friend of mine who holds the world record for the most Ironman triathlons. He did it last year and he says it’s a good one, so that’s probably the main reason I picked it. I’ve just been totally blown away by everything Dubai has to offer.

“In my mind, I’m still a young man. With a lot of the activities I’ve done, including this one, it’s a mindset. You get yourself in that zone and you control your breathing, you control your effort.

“I’ve only scratched the surface here in Dubai. I’ve already recommended it to a number of people back in Canada, and all I got when I showed them some pictures was, ‘Wow, where are you guys? Where are you staying?’”

O’FARRELL’S MISSION
Dr Catherine O’Farrell was hit by a car while cycling in Dubai six years ago. Today she completed her third T100.

“Today was probably my best race of the season. I’m feeling really strong,” said O’Farrell. “T100 is iconic. It’s probably one of the most recognised of all the triathlons, and it’s long enough to feel like it’s impossible, but not so long that you’re going to die.

“This is part of my mission, and part of the reason I opened my organisation, Incluzun, with my partner. Because I was told I may never walk again, I wanted to prove to myself and to others that if you really put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want to do, and your body can really surprise you with how far you can push it.”

Incluzun supports children with disabilities in UAE schools.

“I’ve been in the UAE for 17 years, and the investment the government have made in fitness and promoting a healthy lifestyle is huge,” she said. “The bike tracks in Dubai are second to none. I’ve been to cities all over the world, and here you can cycle right across the city safely on enclosed tracks. No other city has that.”

DUBAI DELIVERS
Reflecting on the weekend, PTO CEO Sam Renouf said: “Dubai certainly delivered over what’s been a very busy weekend. From the 800 students who took on the Schools Aquathlon on Friday morning, to the incredible professional races yesterday morning and the pulsating wins for Georgia and Hayden, to the 3,000 amateurs of all ages and abilities who came and took on the challenge of swim, bike and run with such gusto. A special thanks to our partners, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Dubai Sports Council (DSC), for their continued support, and to all the thousands of supporters who created such a great atmosphere this afternoon in the Event Village.”

ON TO QATAR
The season finishes at the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final in Lusail City, with the women racing on 11 December and the men on 12 December. Taylor-Brown leads the women’s standings and Wilde the men’s.

The Dubai T100 Triathlon Weekend is supported by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Sports Council, and is part of the 10th Dubai Fitness Challenge, which runs until 29 November. For more information, visit t100triathlon.com/dubai