Ferrari World Ladies Run 2026: How to Train for the Emirati Women's Day Race and Take Part

A women-only race for Emirati Women's Day

Ferrari World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi is staging the third edition of its women-only Ladies Run, and its timing on Emirati Women's Day weekend is no accident. Emirati Women's Day is marked on 28 August every year, celebrating the achievements of Emirati women and their role in the country's progress, and a mass-participation run is a fitting way to mark it. The event is open to women of every fitness level, with three distances to choose from: 2.5km for beginners, 5km for recreational runners and 10km for experienced ones.

The course itself is the clever part. It is set entirely inside a fully enclosed, air-conditioned area, weaving from Ferrari World Abu Dhabi through the park, into Yas Mall and back via the Italian Village to the finish. For a late-August morning in the UAE, that means you can run in comfort instead of battling the heat — one of the few races where the weather is never the problem.

Race day: distances and times

Check-in opens at 6am, and the three races go off a few minutes apart, so plan to arrive early, collect your race pack and warm up properly.

The podium presentation follows at 8:30am, so the whole morning is done well before the day heats up.

How to take part

The Ladies Run is a paid event, with entry priced by distance, age and how early you register. Reported fees vary between listings, so sign up through the official organiser to see the current price for your race rather than relying on a second-hand figure. If you are new to racing, the 2.5km and 5km are the friendliest places to begin, and there is no pressure to be quick — finishing is the win. If a solo 5km feels daunting, a women-only running group or a training buddy keeps you accountable and makes the build-up more fun. Prefer to train indoors first? A women-only training floor is a comfortable place to build up before race day.

How do you train for a 5K as a beginner?

You do not need to run the whole way in training to run it on the day. The most reliable route from the sofa to a 5km is a walk-run build-up: mix short jogs with walking breaks and let the running slowly take over. Aim for about three sessions a week, with a rest day between them.

1. Weeks 1-2: jog for one minute, walk for two, and repeat for about 20-25 minutes. Keep the jog slow enough to hold a conversation.
2. Weeks 3-4: jog two minutes, walk one, for around 30 minutes. The walking breaks are doing real work — do not skip them.
3. Weeks 5-6: stretch the jogging to five minutes at a time, then eight, until you can cover the 5km with only a couple of short walks.

Simple habits make the difference: warm up before every run, hydrate well in the UAE heat, wear proper running shoes and build distance gradually rather than in one big jump. Listen to your body and ease off if something hurts rather than pushing through pain. A little strength work helps too — some run-specific drills and leg work protect your knees and make the miles feel easier, and a couple of group classes each week keep the training social and steady.

Get 5K-ready at GymNation

The Ladies Run rewards a few honest weeks of preparation, and that is exactly what a gym is for. Beat the heat, build your engine indoors and book into a conditioning session at GymNation to get race-ready — then line up on 30 August knowing you have put the work in.

Sources:

gulfnews.com
curlytales.com
mediaoffice.abudhabi

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.