In line with their mission to promote healthy living 250 du employees along with their families joined an extensive line-up of world-class athletes at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2015, which took place on Friday 23 January.

The event – which began at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah and ended at the Dubai Police Academy – comprised a 10km Road Race, a 4km Fun Run, and a grueling 42.195km marathon. Over 94 employees took part in the 4km race and 150 in the 10km one while 6 brave hearts opted to run in the last category.

Amer Kazim, Chief Financial Officer for du, Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Commercial Officer, and Saleem AlBlooshi, Executive Vice President, Network Development and Operations, were spotted leading employees from the front, in line with the telecom company’s focus on encouraging adoption of a healthy lifestyle among staff. Three employees from du were in the list of top 500 contestants in the 10km category and top 1000 contestants in the 42km one. Two women featured in the list of top 500 runners in the 10km category.

“At du, we have long believed in the power of healthy living,” said Dr Mansoor Anwar Habib, Director - Medical & Occupational Health Services, du. “Through our internal Employee Wellness Programme and various community-driven initiatives – including our Every Step Counts campaign – we aim to spread healthier habits nationwide and pave a shared path towards wellness. du’s strong presence at this renowned marathon is yet another testament to our commitment to nurturing a more sustainable UAE. Ultimately, our goal is to drive the people of the UAE to adopt healthier practices on a daily basis, and our employees are the biggest champions of this philosophy.”

The wellbeing of employees is a top priority within du. Through the enhanced Employee Wellness Programme launched in 2013 as part of Every Step Counts campaign, du has focused on improving the lives of employees, through several engaging initiatives that encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyle habits. The programme received recognition at the Idea of the Year Awards Health and Safety category, making du the only private organisation to be recognised in the health & safety category at the event, held as part of Dubai Quality Group’s Ideas Arabia 9th International Conference 2014.

As part of the Every Step Counts, the telecom company also launched the du wellness app, available on iPhone and Android platforms. Users can find more information at du.ae/wellness or follow @dutweets and #everystepcounts on social media for updates on activities and competitions.