Two UAE-based Filipinos have taken long-distance skating to new heights, gliding for four hours straight from Dubai to Abu Dhabi on longboards. Much of the ride passed through open desert, with no shelter and no easy way to stop once they started.
Distance skaters Agoe Ray Manzano and Kyle Custodio began their journey at Marmoom Mosque in Al Qudra and finished at the cycling lane’s end at Mawasem Park Green House in Abu Dhabi, covering 66.12 kilometers in 4 hours, 27 minutes, and 49 seconds.
“We trained for months to be self-sustained without any support,” Manzano told The Filipino Times. “The route has no shelters, no convenience stores, no stopovers, and no water refill stations. Powered by energy gels and electrolytes, we trained with the goal of ‘no going off the board for 5 hours.'”
Even with months of preparation, the ride tested their endurance. Cold breezes, scorching sun, and headwinds pushed them to their limits. But what kept them going wasn’t just the physical challenge, but the idea of doing something unique: being the first in the UAE to travel between the two emirates on a longboard.
“For us to go far, we need to maintain a heart rate where we can fully have a good conversation or a funny one. Need to maintain such speed so we can conserve energy. Focus is the key. Everything is calculated,” Manzano added.
Longest distance
For Manzano, the Dubai–Abu Dhabi skate marked a personal milestone built on years of curiosity-driven rides. His previous longest distance was a spontaneous 100 km push from Satwa to Flamingo (D3), Internet City, then back to Satwa.
“Out of curiosity, I wanted to know how a 100-kilometer push would feel like,” he said. “There was no plan or preparation. I just woke up, ate a meal, took a bath, and went on the journey.”
“That’s when it came to my mind—is it possible to do this without break time?” he said, sparking a shift in mindset. “Curiosity kicked in, and training began to get serious. It started moving away from the usual idea of what longboarding is.”
After completing the Dubai–Abu Dhabi route, Manzano said he already has several goals in mind, though he is taking them step by step.
He plans to join the International Distance Skateboarding Association (IDSA) and take part in its virtual races, as well as join New York’s Broadway Bomb, one of the most well-known push races in the longboarding community.
“Not sure which will come first, but these are some items on my bucket list,” he said.
