Charlotte McGarry of the UK bagged the top honours in the 10K Run of the second stage of Dubai Women’s Running Challenge, which took place at Palm Jumeirah on Saturday, while her compatriot Kahli Johnson topped the charts in the 5K Run and Oman’s Khlood Al Saadi was fastest in 2.5K Run.

Flagged off from in front of the Atlantis The Palm hotel, Charlotte McGarry crossed the finish line in 42 minutes and 13 seconds to finish ahead of Ukraine’s Olena Romanova (43:28) and Helen Boland (43:54) of Ireland in the overall rankings of the 10km run.

In the 5km Run, Kahli Johnson (21:40) was 13 seconds faster than compatriot Louise MacGregor (21:53), while Kitsy Smith (22:12) of the United States finished third.

Khlood Al Saadi, who finished behind Emirati Shamsa Salim in the opening stage of the Challenge at Dubai Safari Park on January 16, went one better this weekend, clocking the fastest time (11:27) in the 2.5km Run. The UK’s Maggie Parkin was second overall with a time of 12:17, while Emirati Noor Kuhail (12:23) finished third.

“This is my second Dubai Women’s Running Challenge,” said Sarah Jones, who took part in the 10km Run. “It was an amazing race. Strong headwinds but the atmosphere is really good, and really nice to see all the ladies out running, and running hard as well. So thank you to Dubai Sports Council.”

The next stage of the Challenge, which will be a night race starting at 9pm, takes place on Thursday, January 28 at Dubai Garden Glow. The Challenge will then wind up on February 6 at Al Seef, allowing participants to soak in the atmosphere in what is the cultural and historic district of Dubai.

Registration for the remaining two stages of the Dubai Women’s Running Challenge is open on the Hopasports website (Dubai Women Running Challenge | Series 3 of 4 | Dubai Garden Glow) and Merel Kleuver, a Dutch expat, is already looking forward to the remaining two stages.