Expat plans to eat 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.

- Nasreen Abdulla [e-mail]

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."

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.