Planning the viral initiative
The team initially considered creating a 200-metre-long banner but decided against it to avoid affecting the crowd. Instead, they purchased a ready-made UAE flag from the Irani Market in Deira.
“This idea was proposed by one of our core team members, Hidayath Addoor, and we gladly accepted his suggestion,” Ikram said.
Other members included Samad Birali Uchila, Shamsuddin Piligudu, Fatima Addulla, Ashraf Shah, Saleem Moodabidri, Abdul Rahiman Honnavar, Muhammad Ashiq, Nawaz Bajar, Akbar Nadupadvu, Razak Busthani, Nawaz Kotekar, Shukur Ullal, Yusuf Sheikh, Mohammed Ayub, Nazeer Wamanjoor, Firoz Ahamad, Naufal Madantiyar and Sannan Siddiq Moodbidri.
Around 1,400 participants wore custom-made red Beary T-shirts for the Dubai Run, creating a striking visual presence among the massive crowd wearing the blue T-shirt for this year’s event. The core team used a Google Form to track T-shirt sizes and manage distribution.
Early morning coordination
On the day of the Dubai Run, the Beary participants reached the Dubai World Trade Centre area by 5.30am to ensure smooth coordination.
“The excitement was so overwhelming that many of our participants, including women and children, could hardly sleep the night before, eagerly waiting to be part of this grand event,” said Ikram.
“Managing a group of over 1,600 runners among more than 300,000 participants was a challenge. We instructed all our members to gather at Al Garhoud Metro Station, where ample parking and access facilities were available. What we witnessed on the day felt nothing short of a national celebration,” he added.
The enthusiastic team holding the flag received a special shoutout from presenter Katie Overy who described it as an “unbelievable sight.”
The Beary community across the world is now proud of the initiative, said Hidayath, who came up with the flag idea.
“It has become a proud, unforgettable moment for Bearys around the world. Sheikh Hamdan’s video featuring our initiative felt like the best reward for our weeks’ of hard work. When the video hit millions of views, we became prouder and happier. It is so nice to see the visuals of the flag getting circulated when we are proudly celebrating the UAE’s National Day, Eid Al Etihad. The whole experience has inspired us to plan even more events,” he said.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Dubai for organising such an inspiring initiative and for continuously encouraging residents to embrace fitness and community spirit,” he added.