Dr. Mariam Saleh Binladen – a Saudi dentist and humanitarian – added to her tally of world records, as she crossed the Dubai Creek and the Dubai Water Canal swimming a total distance of 24km, on Friday.
The special event was held in collaboration with Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Maritime City Authority, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Police and Marine Rescue.
This event was part of Dr. Mariam’s continued pledge to support Syrian orphan refugees, was attended by a delegation from the Dubai Sports Council and other supporting partners, in addition to marine safety, rescue and coordination teams.
Dr. Mariam set off at 05:00hrs, starting from the canal’s Dubai Creek entrance in the Al Shindagha area of Dubai’s historic district.
She achieved the feat at 14:10hrs, finishing at Al Ghubaiba Station next to the Four Season’s Hotel, swimming for a total nine hours and 10 minutes, battling strong currents at the entrance and mouth of the canal and navigating through a number of challenges along the way, passing through some of Dubai most striking touristic sites.
“I want to extend my warmest appreciation and gratitude to HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) for his gracious patronage of the event,” said Dr. Marian.
“And to the team members who worked really hard over the past month to make this great event a memorable success. I would also like to thank all the people who turned up just to cheer and encourage me throughout the day.”
“I am thrilled and delighted to become the first person to complete a 24km swim along the wonderful yet challenging Dubai Water Canal.
“It was a very challenging experience indeed, given that my preparation time was extremely short – barely one month of preparations to make this event happen.
“So I am really happy to have completed the swim successfully, which would not have happened without the amazing support of my family, my crew, my trainer Fiona, the team from DSC, and all the other parties involved in this event.”
In support of her cause, Dr. Mariam is inviting people to donate through her website: www.mariambinladen.com.