WATCH: QL Exclusive: An interview with the runner Stephanie Innes-Smith and her Desert Roses team
Qatar Living speaks to the long-distance runner and champion, Stephanie Innes-Smith and her team, ‘The Desert Roses,’ to learn more about their aim to achieve a record-breaking adventure in Qatar.
Stephanie is a Qatar-based Scottish runner, who is working as a teacher now. She previously practiced as a lawyer in the UK. She entered her first marathon in 2017.
Stephanie organized a sporting event where she hopes to run around Qatar with a team of three other ladies for 500 kilometers.
“We are team of four expat women in Qatar, who enjoy running, and some of us do cycling and other sports,” Stephanie said.
“Basically, I had this idea back in August and I asked them who would like to join me to run around Qatar, which has been done by a couple of guys now but not by any women. I messaged the three ladies and expected that to take some time to consider it, but they replied very quickly and said yes sure I will do it and here we are,” Stephanie recalled.
The sporting event will begin on Friday, February 5, 2021, and the ladies are aiming for less than one week to complete it, by walking, jogging and running.
This event is a preparation to feel the sense of community spirit ahead of the National Sport Day celebration on February 9, 2021.
‘The Desert Roses Team’ will be the first ladies’ team to complete a circumnavigation of Qatar.
The group of four women hail from different countries: Stephanie Innes-Smith (UK), Heather Lee (Canada), Isobel Bushell (UK), and Rossyle Ayuro (Phillipines).
All the ladies in this team met each other in different sporting events in Doha.
“The first one I met from the team was Stephanie and then Rossyle in another big event running from North to South across Qatar, and I was new in Qatar and I met new people that were involved in running. Then over the years, we did other events together, and I met Isobel in another crazy event, which was about running 90k East to West across Qatar with other group of ladies,” Heather said.
“We have met through other events and then the running community here is so small, so we became friends through that,” Heather added.
Regarding the gender in this team as they are all females, Stephanie described, “It was not so much about gender, but it was more about who I know more very well in Qatar and I can trust to get it done.”
Three ladies in this group are working as teachers and they intend to use this sporting event as an opportunity to inspire the children they teach, to get involved in sporting adventures, especially the female as they are focusing on improving female participation in sport in Qatar.
“People get to know you because there is so few women that involved in the sport field, so I think it is a responsibility,” Stephanie said.
With this event, The Desert Roses team seek to promote the sense of adventure during the challenging COVID-19 times. , as the team was affected by the separation in the beginning and in the middle of this pandemic, and many events were canceled.
The Desert Roses team have found huge support from many sponsors in Qatar, such as: Coffee District, Qatar Living, ID works, LuluLemon, The International Physiotherapy Centre, SportsMonks, and Doha Bay Running Club.
The ladies aim to send a message to all the women all over the world to stand for themselves and to be involved in all of the sport events.
Isobel concluded with a message to all women in Qatar and all over the world, saying, “Personally, I believe that success is a decision, and the great mindset and determination will make you achieve anything.”
Rossyle said, “just say yes and go, try it because you never know what will happen and you will discover your other self when you only try it. So, just be brave.”
The Desert Roses team created WhatsApp link for anyone who would like to support and track them on Friday February 5, 2021, where a live link will be posted throughout the multiday challenge.
If you wish to track and support them, you can join this WhatsApp link:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DDVWkDJ7JtG2hovaTwzaXN
To know more about ‘The Desert Roses Team’, you can check them on their Instagram: @Thedesertroses2021. Also follow their blogs:www.myhappypills.net , and www.heatherrunstrails.com
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