After taking few weeks off for the end-of-year celebrations, the jockeys and camels are enthusiastically back on track to prepare the second half of the season, with thrilling races ahead.

In winter, the trainings happen at least twice every week, at night when the other camel farms are already done for the day and the racing track (that we call the red track) is not crowded. 

During the racing season, the little town of Lisaili, which is the centre for camel racing, is impressively busy! 

After reaching the track, we are gearing up and when our feet are touching the cold sand, the adrenaline is intensifying. The next step is to get on the camels, followed by intense minutes of action. Trainings consist of different exercises, from short sprints to 2kms canters or a long 5km trot to work on technique and stamina. 

The team constantly sees new ambitious riders joining the group and the training elements are built around the level of individual riders.

We measure the timings, top speed and even our own heart rates, to understand the tactics of the race. Some camels we need to slow down at the start, so they don’t blow their steam in the first 1000 meters, others we know will build towards the end. 

The trainings always end with few minutes’ walk with the camels until the heartbeats go down, as well as a debrief with the coach.

Come & cheer the team on for the upcoming races:

• January 20^th in Al Marmoon, U.A.E.
• February 16^th in Riyadh, K.S.A.
• February 24^th in Al Marmoon, U.A.E.
• March 16^th in Al Marmoom, U.A.E.
• April 9^th/10^th in AlUla, K.S.A.