January 7th, 2010

Singapore’s Catwoman Sinks Her Claws Into Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon!

Dubai (UAE): When Jenap Said lines up at the start of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, the Singaporean runner will no doubt catch the eye of the other athletes – for the 50 year-old is making an 11,700km round trip to run… dressed as a cat.

While it is not unusual for local runners to compete in fancy dress, those who jet in from around the world to compete in the US$2 million race usually do so in more sporting attire. But complete with cat mask and whiskers, this is one Asian runner aiming to sink her claws into her first ever Dubai run.

“I’ve never run in Dubai before but I have heard so much about it on the internet and through the media in Singapore,” said the dedicated mother of two, a celebrity in South East Asia for her outrageous marathon outfits.

“Dubai is my dream marathon city in the Middle East and I entered because it’s a Standard Chartered race and I wanted to experience running in that part of the world. I planned to run Dubai in 2009 but it was going to be too expensive so I saved up to run this year instead.”

Jenap, who has also competed dressed as a skeleton and an Asian princess, will be making her second marathon run of the year after competing in Xiamen in China just three weeks earlier, while in 2009 she completed an astonishing thirteen marathons. “I always dress up in costume when running a marathon to make the race more fun and memorable,” she added. “I did the Honolulu Marathon in a Santa Claus outfit but Catwoman is my signature costume!”

For her first visit to the Middle East, the skeleton, Father Christmas and princess outfits will be left behind in Singapore as Catwoman takes to the streets of Dubai determined to lick her own personal best.

“My best time was last year when I ran 4h:50m,” smiled Jenap, who fits her running schedule around her job as a Quality Control Manager of a market research agency. “Why do I do it? Well, I want to have experienced running marathons all over the world and to get ready, I train four times a week running 10-15km each time.

“My message to those who don’t run is start with a light walk and do daily light exercises. It’s good to help you stay healthy, make your life more cheerful and help you look younger.”

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and staged under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is supported by Dubai Holding, Dubai Sports Council, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, ARN and DMI, TNT, Fitness First, Men’s Fitness, Vittel Water, RTA, Dubai Municipality and the Dubai Emergency Services.

Due to increased demand, organisers are allowing late entrants to register online only up until January 12 at www.dubaimarathon.org.

IMAGE CAPTION
No time to paws – Catwoman aka Jenap Said is expected to be one of many runners competing in costume at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.