January 19th, 2016

Rio’s On A Mission At Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon

Team Angel Wolf’s Rio Watson will make history on Friday (January 22) when the twelve-year old becomes the youngest-ever competitor in the main event of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.

A special family with a special mission, Team Angel Wolf have been recognised by the event organisers for their outstanding work and invited to add the IAAF Gold Label race to an outstanding array of achievements.

Team AngelWolf’s forces are built by Nick and Delphine Watson and their children Rio (the Angel) and nine year-old daughter Tia also known as Little Wolf.

Rio, who has severe special needs, will be the youngest athlete to have participated in this full Marathon as the aspiring family strive to raise awareness regionally and internationally about the importance of “inclusion” of special needs children in sports and other lifestyle activities without drawing lines and restrictions.

“Team AngelWolf is really honoured and excited to have been invited to participate in the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon,” said TeamAngelWolf co-founder Nick Watson after the two collected their run numbers from Meydan. Nick will push his son in a special chair for the duration on the 42.195km race with the pair aiming to cross the line in around four hours.

“This is a professionally organised race and although we have participated as independent runners, this will be the first time with Rio. It’s wonderful that he has been given the opportunity to experience such a race, one that he would never be able to do independently.”

Rio has severe special needs and was diagnosed with a rare chromosome disorder called ‘1q44 deletion denovo syndrome’. The implications of this condition involve: seizures, non-verbal, severe learning disabilities, gross/fine motor skills disabilities, sensory integration dysfunction, incontinence, amongst many other difficulties.

His father Nick discovered his passion for sports when he was sixteen years old and participated in his first triathlon. Since then, he has been an active participant in several sporting events in Dubai.

For the event organisers, their participation clearly resonates with the marathon’s ethos, especially in the Olympic year when the elite athletes are charting their own road to Rio.

“Nick and Rio are two individuals that are entirely undeterred by words such as obstacles or challenges,” said Event Director Peter Connerton. “Their perseverance and drive to succeed is inspirational to us all”.

Staged under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and held under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will get underway in Dubai on Friday (January 22) at 6.30am.

Around 30,000 runners are expected for the Marathon, the 10km and the 4km Fun Run – last minute runners can still register in person at run number collection at Meydan on Thursday (January 21) from 10am to 5pm with payment by credit card only. In addition to Standard Chartered as title sponsor, the Dubai Marathon is supported by the Dubai Sports Council, adidas, Oasis, Dubai Eye 103.8FM, Dubai Holding, Dubai Police and the RTA.