
UAE: This expat plans to eat over 8,000 calories daily to run 630km in 6 days
When long-time UAE resident Harry Amos begins his epic 630-km run across the country's seven emirates on Friday, he hopes to draw on his military training and prior adventurous feats to complete the trek.
Aiming to eat over 8,000 calories a day, the British expat will have a group of experts travelling with him and a community of runners to keep him company over the six-day-long event. Speaking to Khaleej Times ahead of his run, he said he was feeling like a swan.
"I am trying to look calm and relaxed on the outside, but I'm paddling like mad under the surface," the ex-military man and entrepreneur said. "There are so many question marks on what will happen at various points and how my body will react. I don't know whether all the preparation I've done to date will pay off. The slightest injury, getting the nutrition wrong, or various other factors can change it."
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
The 38-year-old is attempting to set a Guinness World Record by completing the trek in the fastest time and to raise awareness about the global diabetes epidemic, which is impacting the UAE as well. Throughout his run, anyone can sign up to join him at various locations and can choose to run alongside him for short distances.
"I'm inviting everybody to come and join at different legs," he said. "Just like the movie Forest Grump, I'd love to have a trail of friends, family and supporters with me on the road, and that's going to make the time go quicker."
A father of three — the youngest of whom is just 11 months old — Harry has been living in the UAE since 2016. An avid adventurer, he rowed 4,800km across the Pacific in 2023.
From Fujairah to Abu Dhabi
Harry will begin his run at 4am on Friday. Explaining how he intends to complete the walk, he said, "I will start on the beach in Fujairah and will smash up the hill towards Ras Al Khaimah. When we come down the hill, we will head west, across the other side of the Arabian Peninsula towards Ajman. Before reaching Ajman, we will touch Umm Al Quwain just in the top corner. That is about 110km on the first day."
He explained that he would run from Ajman to Dubai via Sharjah on the second day. "By the end of the day, I should be around the Jebel Ali free zone and Ghantoot area. It is all on Sheikh Zayed Road towards Abu Dhabi the next day. For almost four days, the view is not going to be particularly interesting. It will be desert on my right and a bunch of very fast trucks to my left. But at least it's flat. I wanted to get the hill done on the first day."
Harry will have about 500m elevation during the first leg of his journey. During the run, he will have a team of doctors and physiotherapists from health group M42 to travel with him, treating him for injuries. "The physio, Georgina, will use acupuncture to relieve my sore muscles and use different taping techniques to relieve my legs of blisters," he said. "I have told her that as long as there is no risk of life-long injuries, just fix me up so I can continue running."
Packing in the calories
Harry said he will be fuelling up heavily to ensure he has enough to complete his run. From packets of baby food to carb-heavy waffles and sandwiches, he will eat 8,000 active calories daily during six-day run. "My secret weapon is Ella's kitchen baby food, which comes in squeezy packs," he said. "Each pack has about 100 calories, and you can eat an entire one of those in three maybe four gulps. I also get the kind of naughty stuff on top, like energy sweets, chocolate, and jam sandwiches. The number one rule is that your mouth is always moving."
In addition to this, he will also be eating potato salad, pasta, and tuna niçoise packs. He admitted that most of the time while running, he didn't feel hungry and was often "force-feeding" himself to keep going. Spinneys is sponsoring his food during the run.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Etihad
2 hours ago
- Al Etihad
EU, Britain reach post-Brexit deal on Gibraltar Border
12 June 2025 00:14 BRUSSELS (WAM)The European Union (EU) and Britain have agreed on the status of the overseas territory of Gibraltar, facilitating border crossings and resolving years of political territory has had its border arrangements with Spain as a significant point of contention since the United Kingdom's decision to withdraw from the EU in Wednesday's agreement, arrivals at Gibraltar Airport will present their passports to both Gibraltarian and Spanish border British Foreign Office stated that this system mirrors the model used by French police at London's St. Pancras station, the terminus for the Eurostar service connecting Britain with mainland Europe. "We have reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltar's economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again," British Foreign Minister David Lammy said.


Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Eid Al Adha: Dubai records more than 600,000 passengers during holidays
More than 620,000 passengers have arrived in and departed from Dubai during the four-day Eid Al Adha holidays, from June 5 to June 8, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA)-Dubai revealed on Wednesday. GDRFA said Dubai International Airport accounted for the largest share of this movement, registering 581,527 travellers; while 46,863 travellers passed through the Hatta border post, and 1,169 travellers crossed via maritime ports during the same period. The total number of incoming and outgoing passengers reached 629,559. 'This figure reflects the vibrancy that Dubai enjoys as a global hub for transit and residence,' GDRFA said in a statement sent to Khaleej Times. 'We have made it a priority to ensure a seamless travel experience through smart gates and artificial intelligence technologies, which have contributed to speeding up procedures and improving the flow of movement,' noted Maj-Gen Talal Al-Shanqeeti, assistant director general of the air ports sector at GDRFA. 'The travel experience has become part of our commitment to enhancing quality of life, in line with the Dubai government's approach to providing flexible services that meet individuals' expectations and enhance the readiness of its institutions,' he added.


Gulf Today
13 hours ago
- Gulf Today
'The Day of The Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies aged 86
Prolific British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who instantly became a global bestselling author when his book "The Day of the Jackal" was published in 1971, died on Monday aged 86, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. Forsyth famously penned his most famous work about a fictional assassination attempt on French president Charles de Gaulle by right-wing extremists in just 35 days after falling on hard times. "The Jackal" went on to be made into a hit film starring Edward Fox as the assassin. A Netflix remake last year with Eddie Redmayne in the lead role was released last year. "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," his agent Jonathan Lloyd said. Forsyth died at home surrounded by his family following a brief illness, according to Curtis Brown. The former journalist and pilot wrote over 25 books including "The Odessa File" (1972) and "The Dogs of War" (1974) and sold over 75 million copies worldwide. Many of his novels were also turned into films. "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life ... and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived," said Lloyd. "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra (in Nigeria)," he said. 'Spectacular luck' "Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, 'The Day Of The Jackal'," he added. A sequel to "The Odessa File", entitled "Revenge Of Odessa", on which he worked with thriller writer Tony Kent, is due to be published in August, his publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said. "His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh," Scott-Kerr added. Forsyth attributed much of his success to "luck", recalling how a bullet narrowly missed him while he was covering the bloody Biafra civil war between 1967 and 1970. "I have had the most spectacular luck all through my life," he told The Times last November in an interview. "Right place, right time, right person, right contact, right promotion -- and even just turning my head away when that bullet went past," he said. Asked why he had decided to give up writing -- although he later went back to it -- he told AFP in 2016 he'd "run out of things to say". "I can't just sit at home and do a nice little romance from within my study, I have to go out and check out places like Modagishu, Guinea Bissau, both hellholes in different ways," he said. Forsyth had two sons by his first wife. His second wife, Sandy, died last year. Conservative MP David Davis paid tribute to his friend as a "fabulous wordsmith". He told Sky News that Forsyth "was a great believer in the old values -- he believed in honour and patriotism and courage and directness and straightforwardness, and a big defender of our armed forces". Agence France-Presse