Hamed al Harthy, a spirited 65-year-old trail runner has accomplished a unique feat of scaling up and down the popular Sa’al Steps, at Jabal Khoneh, on the outskirts of the capital near Rusayl, 19 times not-stop within 29 hours. “There is an Omani saying – You can either wake up and chase your goals or continue sleeping and dreaming about your goals,” he tells Muscat Daily in an exclusive chat

When he was up, he was up…when he was down, he was down. And when he was only half-way up, his spirit remained neither up nor down!

The trek to the top Jabal Khoneh and back – aka Sa’al Steps – around 30 minutes away from Muscat, near the Rusayl industrial area, is challenging, yet not a difficult task. Hikers scale up and down this stretch within 20-30 minutes every day.

What makes it interesting is the fact that many people challenge their own potential and fitness level by aiming to scale the stretch in the shortest possible time or to do it several times together to attain a record of sorts for themselves.

While many athletes have done loops of the Sa’al Steps 10-15 times at a stretch, Hamed al Harthy, Oman’s popular trail runner, last week did so consecutively19 times, within a time-frame of 29 hours, to create one of the most ambitious records so far. Initially, he had aimed to do 24 loops, but had to stop after 19 on being advised not to adversely affect his health.

“Life is meaningless without challenges – one must set goals and strive hard to achieve them. There will be plenty of challenges and reasons to turn back or give up, but if one is determined, one can achieve one’s goal at least get nearest to it,” said Hamed in an exclusive chat with Muscat Daily after completing his latest challenge.

Known for participating and topping many trail runs in Oman, the region, as well as different parts of the world, Hamed, at 65, has a never-say-die attitude and has many new targets before himself. As a piece of advise to youngsters who look towards him for inspiration, he says, “One must always set goals and strive to achieve them. Also, one must dream big to be able to get good results.” In a lighter vein, he adds, “There is an Omani saying – You can either wake up and chase your goals or continue sleeping and dreaming about your goals.”

Hamed admits that he took up this task to challenge his own fitness level. And while many others have accomplished targets of scaling the Sa’al Steps several times on different occasions, he wanted to do it for a maximum number of times at one go. Doing it 24 times was not unachievable but, he admits, that his family members asked him to stop after 19 loops as they didn’t want him to collapse with exhaustion.

About preparing for the task, Hamed said, it involves 50 per cent mental preparation and 50 per cent physical fitness, the former being most important. “If you are not mentally prepared and convinced, it will be a discouraging factor to make you stop halfway,” he said, adding that most of his achievements in the past were a result of his strong conviction that he could do it against all odds.

The trek to Sa’al Steps is continuously uphill for the entire length of the trek which is just under 2km. It starts off as a dirt road wile concrete steps appear around half-way up. There are around 650 concrete steps leading to the top of the mountain and another dirt track leading to the spot where a satellite dish has been installed.

Normal fit persons can climb the Sa’al Steps in around 30 minutes but it might be slightly daunting for beginners who can do so in 45 minutes. The distance from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain is 1.8km and 190m above sea level. It can be reached via Rusayl after Falaj Sham.

Hamed points out that there is lot of talent in Oman for achieving many records as athletes and trail runners, however, what is lacking is able support from the corporate sector. If companies are willing to back youngsters, they can achieve much more in many field which will bring laurels to Oman, he asserts.

As the Sa’al Steps is close to Muscat, Hamed’s aim was to do this feat to encourage youngsters to take up similar ventures. “I have been able to inspire many youngsters during my feat, some of whom took up similar challenges of doing 15-17 loops. But there is no facility to record these tasks so that achievements are documented for future reference,” he said.

Now a seasoned trail runner, Hamed explained the difference between trail running and regular running, like doing marathons, saying, “The main difference is the fact that marathons are done on flat roads in a time-bound fashion while trail running is through varied terrain, varied climatic conditions and often spread over many days when conditions change frequently and one has to keep getting acclimatized through different situations.”

He also said that train runs and solo expeditions require the participant to keep plan A, plan B and plan C ready to take on unexpected challenges. Very often initial plans get altered and one has to approach the journey via a new route or mindset, making provision to handle eventualities. Also one has to also carry extra clothing or requisites for nutrition, hydration, medication or other emergencies during rain, snow or extreme weather conditions.

For the Sa’al Steps challenge, Hamed had a support team waiting for him at the base while some members, including his wife, accompanied him on some loops. There were plans in place for his support team to come in search of him, if he did not return in the expected time on a particular loop, he said adding that there were chances that one could fall off the steps and go down the cliff, especially during the night time.