Muscat: More than 2,000 runners of all ages and from 68 countries will take part 170 race which is widely regarded as the world’s most challenging mountain races, the 2019 OMAN by UTMB, at Al Hajar mountain range on Thursday. 

The events will get under way at Bayt Al Rudaydah, a mudbrick fort in Birkat Al Mouz, at the mouth of the Al Hajar mountain range. Over the next few days, runners will test not only their physical endurance but also their mental toughness, as they take on the heights of iconic Jabel Al Akhdhar run through ancient, deserted villages such as Wadi Bani Habib, navigate stunning ridges and plateau edges at Sharaf Al Alamayn, before finally descending into the spectacular mountain village of Misfat Al Abriyeen and on to the finish.