The WOM Challenge 2026 in Dubai

The WOM Challenge in Dubai is a women-only sunrise challenge on Palm Jumeirah that mixes yoga, stand-up paddleboarding, strength work, a 5km run and an ice bath into one morning by the sea. The third edition takes place on Saturday 14 November 2026 at The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery, and you can enter on your own or as a duo with a friend, sister, colleague or mum. It is rated easy and designed for every fitness level.

What Makes The WOM Challenge Dubai Different

Most mass-participation events in Dubai are about the clock. The WOM Challenge is built around empowerment, courage and sisterhood instead, and the emphasis is on taking part, supporting each other and finishing together rather than chasing a personal best. The duo format is central to that idea: the run is completed alongside your partner, and pairs can share a single paddleboard on the water.

The organisers bill it as the Middle East’s first women’s duo challenge, and this year’s edition carries the title “Rise Together”, which Dubai’s official events calendar describes simply as a morning of fitness and fun. That sums up the tone well: a structured, coached morning that still leaves plenty of room for laughing at a wobble on the board or cheering a partner through the last kilometre.

The format has already been tested. An earlier edition, the Pink October challenge in October 2025, ran the same three steps along the beach in Jumeirah: a sunrise paddle with two women on one board, a 5km duo run with coach-led strength challenges, then breathwork and an ice bath. This year’s edition moves to the Palm and adds sunrise yoga, a beach strength session and a longer celebration afterwards.

The Morning, Step by Step

Sunrise yoga and breathwork

Check-in opens at 5:30am, and the morning begins at 6am with yoga and breathwork to wake the body and settle the mind before the water.

A 4km paddle loop on the sea

At 6:30am you head out for a 4km stand-up paddle loop, solo or as a duo sharing one board, as the sun comes up over the Palm. If you have never paddleboarded, a wide stance and looking ahead rather than down at your feet makes balancing far easier.

Strength and a 5km run

Back on land, a 30-minute strength session on the beach starts at 7:30am, followed at 8am by the 5km run, completed alongside your partner with strength challenges built into the route.

Recovery and celebration

At 9am it is time to recover with stretching, breathwork and an ice bath. Anyone with a medical condition, particularly a heart condition, should check with a doctor before taking the plunge. A healthy breakfast and the prize ceremony follow at 10am, and from mid-morning a wellness village opens with partner activations and a panel discussion, so the morning ends as a social gathering rather than a finish line.

What Every Participant Gets

Each entrant receives a goody bag, a finisher medal and access to a photo service, so there is a record of the morning. Physiotherapy support and healthy snacks are on hand at the finish, medical staff are present throughout, and there is space for family and friends to come and cheer. Registration closes on 11 November 2026, or earlier if places sell out.

The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery

The venue suits the event well. The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel is a 255-room beachfront resort on the East Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the first MGallery hotel in the Middle East and one designed entirely around wellness, with the Rayya Wellness Centre at its heart and a pool deck that runs straight onto the sand. Its private beach gives the paddle a calm start and finish point.

The listing confirms toilets, changing rooms, showers and parking on site. With check-in opening before sunrise and the East Crescent a fair drive along the Palm’s trunk and tunnel, sort out your route the evening before. Pack a change of clothes, a towel and swimwear or quick-drying kit, since you will be wet after the paddle and cold after the ice bath.

Who Should Sign Up for The WOM Challenge

The challenge is open to women aged 18 to 99. It makes a supportive first event for anyone nervous about joining a race, and a fun way to train with someone you love, whether that is a best friend, a sister or your mum. Experienced athletes will enjoy the variety of disciplines in one morning, while newcomers will appreciate the easy rating and encouraging atmosphere.

For more ways to stay active, see our sports events in the UAE. The same weekend, Down to Earth at Jameel Arts Centre offers a gentler, green-minded afternoon, and our guides to things to do in Dubai and things to do in November cover the rest of the month.