Sixty members of the UAE dragon boat racing team, Dragon Warriors, will come together later this month to play their part in one of the country’s leading sporting events – the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon.
Some 48 ‘Dragons’ have volunteered for the race organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), in addition to 12 paddlers who will test their fitness in the triathlon’s short course relay and sprint distances. The race will be flagged off from Abu Dhabi Corniche on 15th March.
Thirty-eight year old team coach, Nerza Del Rosario, says the triathlon is a must-do race for her crew: “Triathlon brings us together and even though it’s a sport raced individually, we take on the challenge as a team. We train together daily and it’s a great excuse for team building and strengthening the bond between us as a unit. Triathlon brings us together like one big family!”
The only female dragon boat coach in the Emirates is known for her stringent training programmes and is a firm advocate of mass participation sports. “You attend thrilling events hosted in the UAE such as the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and you see the huge sense of accomplishment on the faces of every single participant crossing the finish line and seeing that just gives you that drive to sign up and do the race. I always tell myself ‘if they can do it, then I can’,” added Nerza.
Endurance training is vital for the all-Filipino expat team, who are one of region’s leading dragon boat racing squads.
Allan Duncan, one of Dragon Warriors’ strongest paddlers, said: “Sport has become a way of living for me after I quit smoking after 19 years. I thought I had caused my body irreparable damage and that sport wasn’t an option for me until I met the Dragon Warriors. Getting into triathlon was much easier after I’ve come to realise that it’s never too late to dust off your running shoes and get started.”
The Dragon Warriors was formed in 2011 and its first race was at the Volvo Ocean Race’s Abu Dhabi stopover that same year, which gave it a taste of competing as a team.
The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon has three course distances; the 223km ‘long course’ (3km swim, a 200km cycle and 20km run), the half-length ‘short’ course (1.5km swim, a 100km cycle and a 10 km run) and the ‘sprint’ course (750m swim, a 50km bike and 5km run). Both the ‘short’ and the ‘sprint’ can be run as a team relay.
