Dubai, Apr 7 (IANS): Dubai residents will be stepping up and putting on their running shoes to participate in a ‘Marathon at Home. The initiative has been launched by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), in collaboration with ASICS Middle East and 5:30 Run club and will take place under the umbrella of DSCs ‘Be Fit, Be Safe and #stayhome campaigns.

It has been especially designed to keep members of the UAE community in running shape inside their home.

The first of its kind in the world, Marathon at Home will be a timed 42.192km race open to people of all ages and abilities, and will take place on Friday between 8am and 6pm, UAE time, with a 10-hour time cap.

Participants can decide the shape of their running course but running on a treadmill or any other training equipment will not be acceptable. Running in public areas is also not allowed - the participant will need to physically run on ground and inside their house.

The participants will also have to make sure that they have a fully-charged smartwatch or smartphone, with the Strava app installed and activated. They will have to join the 'Marathon at Home' group on Strava and stay connected as the app will detect their movement and will assist in keeping track of their timing and distance traveled.

The top three men and women to finish will receive a fully equipped running kit, as well as a finisher medal and an entry ticket to the Moscow Marathon, which is set to take place in September.