Indian environmental activist runs 104-km marathon across Dubai to promote climate action

In an effort intended to further continue the momentum of spreading climate awareness after COP28, a 34-year-old Indian marathon runner and environmental activist ran 104 km in 17 hours and 20 minutes, covering important landmarks throughout Dubai.

Aakash Nambiar, a Keralite from Bengaluru, aimed to sustain the momentum generated by COP28 by running a marathon across Dubai's cities, beaches, and deserts. Along the way, he interacted with locals and talked about how they could contribute to reducing climate change.

Aakash, who is known as the 'Barefoot Mallu' due to his unique style of running barefoot, began his run at 6.40 am Saturday, December 23, from the Love Lake in Al Qudra and passed past famous sites including the Palm Jumeirah, the Burj Al Arab, and the Etihad Museum before finishing his marathon in front of the towering Burj Khalifa at midnight.

“I feel alive when I run on streets and meet people. It’s a great way to spread the message I wish to convey on environmental conservation. I planned this run after COP28 to take forward the message of reducing emissions and saving this planet for our generations. We only have one Earth. I am trying to promote the message of the leadership from the UAE, India, and other heads of state who made the UN Climate Conference a success. Our leaders have done their job, and now it’s our turn to take small actions,” Aakash told Khaleej Times.

“The route was flat, and the weather was manageable despite the hot temperature in the afternoon. There were a lot of people who knew about my run through my social media posts. While at Kite Beach, Jumeirah Beach, and La Mer Beach, there was one full stretch on the beach when people joined my run,” he added.

This was not the first time Aakash ran a marathon for a cause. In the UAE, in 2020, he ran from Abu Dhabi to Dubai during the pandemic to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Akash has run similar marathons in Sri Lanka, Spain, Portugal, and various parts of India—from Himalayan mountain passes to deserts in Rajasthan to the northeast. Last year, he took part in a mini-marathon to promote fitness in the tourism season in Kashmir.

Talking about the interactions he had during the marathon Akash said, ”The people I met were friendly and curious, and I had an amazing conversation on environmental preservation and the UAE’s net zero efforts. We exchanged views on how people can contribute individually. How to reduce, recycle and reuse. A simple initiative is carrying a steel water bottle to refill rather than buying a plastic bottle every time. Reducing food waste is another climate action to reduce emissions.”