The Ru’us Al Jibal, which means the ‘head of the mountains’, is a range of the Hajar Mountains partially located within the borders of Ras Al Khaimah. Its highest peak Jabel Al Harim reaches 2087m above the sea level and much of the mountains area is above 1000m. The range is divided by Wadis, of which Wadi Bih and Wadi Khabb Shamsi are the largest. The stretch between Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) and Dibba offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities. Cycling fans will be delighted and some of the most favorable locations for rock climbing - such as Ainee Wall, 90 Metre Crag or Spice World - can be found here. The area is popular with hikers and campers and offers breathtaking views. Historically speaking, the area is quite important. Remains of old stone settlements can be found and some of the prehistoric tombs discovered in Wadi Bih date back as much as 5.000 years.
The Wadi Bih Run claims to be the oldest regular expatriate sporting event in the UAE. It was set up by John Gregory of the RAK hash back in 1993. Having hiked and climbed extensively in the area , the Laird of RAK (John Gregory) was perusing his realm & the Wadi Bih road from a mountain peak when the idea gelled for a cross Emirate relay run. In the past the run followed the route from RAK to Dibba on asphalt roads and graded gravel tracks, passing through Wadi Bih. Due to border restrictions, the route has been changed. In 2010 and 2011 the Whadi Bih Run commenced at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dibba, Sultanate of Oman, and followed Wadi Khabb Al Shamsi to just past the high point of the road and then reversed the route back to the beach in front of the hotel; a total distance of 72k with roughly 900m of ascent & descent and a beautiful scenery throughout.
The Wadi Bih Run is for teams of 5 runners of which each runner completes about 15km to give a total distance of about 72 km. Each team of five shall comprise of at least one female. However, different variations have been witnessed with teams of less than 5 up to hardy individuals who run the entire distance alone.
The 19th addition of the Wadi Bih Run was held on Friday 11th 2011. A total of 155 teams participated in this year’s event. Besides me, 15 other runners decided to dedicate a third of a full day to completing the full distance solo – double the number of 2010! Single runners were initially invited to start at 4pm in the morning (….would I get any sleep at all?) Then, a few days prior to the race John Young, the infamous organizer, informed us that solo racing would commence at 5m (great, 1 hour saved) in order to shorten the time run in the dark. In anticipation of the tough event and considering the 2 hour + drive up from Dubai, I decided with Semra to head to Oman already the previous day. We settled early evening into the Golden Tulip Hotel. At registration, Louise informed us that the solo runners would actually be able to commence at 4.30. After a short meal completed by a couple of energy drinks (Heineken beer), we went to bed early at around 10.30 pm. Sleep was light and was interrupted a couple of mandatory trips to the toilet (you may guess why..).
At 4am my blackberry alarm announced the start of the great running day. After getting dressed I swallowed a banana and some white bread and grabbed my iPod shuffle, headtourch, watch and rucksack. As an inexperienced ultra-distance runner the question of what to take along and what to drop at the 3 drop-off points was challenging. Eventually, I packed into my rucksack a pair of spare socks, a light wind-stopper jacket, eight running gel packs and filled in about a liter of Gatorade. A few days prior to the race John informed us that there would be 3 drop-off points where we could collect items / refill. Those were located at 19km, 36km (turning point) and 53km. So I prepared 3 bags, each containing 2.5 liter of Gatorade and 2 bananas. Only later I would find out that this was far too much.
Semra gave me one last encouraging push and off I was to the starting line just in front of the Golden Tulip. Present were most solo runners as well as John, Louise and Marshals Dave and Robert who would later man the checkpoints for the solo runners as well as the turning point. The temperature was fairly warm and though predictions of dark clouds and even rain had been circling the previous day the weather was holding. While most runners had some kind of support running backpack (some bigger, some smaller), a few runners were equipped “ultra-light”. Guy Vesey had just a water bottle attached to his belt. Darryl Chiles was carrying a minimalistic water bottle and Adam Marcinowicz was just equipped with sunglasses. Probably support on the way or totally from a different planet, I thought. Nevertheless, it struck me that I might have packed far too much but I would find out later anyways. After the induction by John and a team photo we sat off around 4.50am for what was to become a very long morning run. The first 6 kilometers took us through the streets of Dibba, Sultanate of Oman, past the mosque and towards the dam. Though it was dark the street lights and the paved road allowed us to run with the headlamps still switched off. As we approached the ascent to the top of the dam the group had already started to disperse. Leading were Darryl and Adam with another group of 3 to 4 behind. Following the descent from the dam the route flattened out and continued on the paved road. The town of Dibba was behind us, so were the lights. Neither stars nor moon light were visible and we were quickly surrounded by utter darkness. I switched on the halogen power headtourch I acquired just two days earlier. Some 200 meters in front of me I could make out the silhouettes of Darryl and Adam running smoothly along without lights. After a while the paved street merged into a graded gravel road. I was still puzzled how Darryl and Adam were able to navigate the road without light support when I suddenly realized that I was completely on my own. The only thing visible was the light spot in front of me and I directed all me efforts to following the spot. The route started to wind left and right with few ascents in between. The flat valley was behind and the route continued into the canyon leading slowly to the long path towards the summit. Occasionally, some lights from small houses or settlements along the route provided some additional illumination. Darkness prevailed and over 90 minutes into the race I could still not make out the silhouettes of the mountains which undoubtedly were rising hundreds of meters high to my left and right.
I had a quick glance at my watch and still averaged about 11.2km/h. Determining the possible time to complete the race was a nearly impossible exercise for a 1st timer like me. A recommended formula for a 50 miles 1st timer is as follows: Take your marathon time and multiply by 2, then add 2 hours. In my case that would result in a time of approx. 8h.30m. Now, the Wadi Bih Run is about 8km shorter than 50 miles. On the other hand, one has to consider the altitude to be overcome as well as the anything but easy terrain. Net, I came to the conclusion that 8 hours to 8h.15m could be achievable if my legs were willing to carry me to the end. My race tactic, if you can call it as such, was to run at a speed of approx. 10.8 km/h up to kilometer 30 where the steep ascent would start and ultimately shed 1km/h from the average speed. On the way back I assumed I would lose consistently average speed.
So far, the race was going well despite the darkness and the ascending gravel road. Only later I came to the conclusion that at that point darkness was actually an advantage as one could not see the long road which continued uphill infinitely. When I arrived at the 1st drop-off point at 19km, Dave had already arranged the different runners’ bags. While refilling my backpack and stuffing a banana into my mouth, Guy Vesey passed by in an easy trot not even considering stopping. It must have been another 15 minutes of running in the dark when daylight suddenly broke. Slowly, the enormous mountains started to take shape to the left, right and in front of me. However, the sun was nowhere in sight. Instead, dark, heavy clouds where hanging just about the mountain tops. Rain remained quite a possibility.
Then suddenly at kilometer 25 I hit my first serious obstacle. The road continued its unstoppable slow climb while in many sections the surface became uneven, covered by small and bigger stones. Somehow, the continuous navigation through the stony path caused a blister to slowly form underneath my right foot. My brain started to process several important considerations at the same time. First, the recommendation of training on similar terrain suddenly made a lot of sense. Having run solely on paved roads the entire past year had made my foot’s sole vulnerable to lateral movements. Though I anticipated hardship from running such a distance on gravel roads I did not expect it at such an early stage. The second realization hit at the same time. Though I did pack a spare pair of socks it had never occurred to me to pack blister plasters. Third, I used my road running shoes for the trail race. Having completed an accumulated distance of 20 kilometers in intervals as part of a team during the previous year’s race I was confident that the total distance could be covered in my regular running shoes. Now that I could feel every step on a stone punching mercilessly from underneath I came to the conclusion that trail shoes might have been the better option.
At this stage, the mind plays an important role. With the threat of a serious blister forming and another 47km to cover there are not too many options. My considerations at that time were quite simple. I would continue running and if the pain would become unbearable I would simply stop and try next year again – wiser then. What must have saved me at that stage were 2 things: First, the terrain started to become a bit smoother. Second, the blister formation was not becoming worse. At kilometer 28 I was again in a better spirit. At the time I reached the starting point of the merciless 3 kilometer ascent I had come to believe that I could actually still finish the race. During that critical stage between kilometer 25 and 28 another runner, Matthew Novak, overtook me. The finishing position had not been a consideration before the race. However, once into the race one cannot ignore what’s happening with the competition. I had already experience with the steep, 3km climb which I partly covered during the previous year’s race. The road was winding up to the mountain top in a zigzag formation though it was almost impossible to tell where it would peak. The recommendation for ultra-marathons is never to run longer uphill stretches. The time gained is minimal compared to the huge loss of energy. I fully embraced that recommendation. Halfway through the hike at kilometer 32k I passed Matthew who carried, as I did, a backpack. We exchanged a few words. I noticed Matthew saying that no training in Abu Dhabi could prepare for such hikes. “Neither does Dubai unless you decide climbing Burj Kalifa a few times” were the only words I managed to spit out.
Though painful, climbing up to the peak offers great rewards in terms of scenery. Despite the hardship of hiking at a rapid pace I did not miss to notice the beauty of the picturesque rock faced gorge called Wadi Khabb Shamsi behind me to the left. The terraced mountain walls and fields as well as the stone walls are unique and offer a breathtaking view from the mountain tops.
Reaching the summit turned out as a rather unpleasant revelation. Somehow I was certain that the turning point was just behind the summit. During the hike up the mountain I noticed but ignored the fact that the distance covered at the mountain top would be 33km. However, the turning point was set at 36km. After reaching the top, I realized my mistake. The turning point was nowhere near. Instead a long road lay ahead winding up its way to another summit, though much less steep. Following a downhill stretch of around 400 meters I pushed myself up the last 3 kilometer path, interchanging between running and hiking. Just as I started the ascent Darryl Chiles was flying by already on his return trip.
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| Darryl on the way back |
A few minutes later Adam Marcinowicz rolled down the hill in an equally easy looking style. Eventually, the final summit was in sight. 5 minutes later I was on top and could see the turning point at 36.1km just below. My average speed had dropped to 9.9 km/h, the clock counted 3h.48m. Down below I could see Guy making the turn without stopping or refilling. A few minutes later I happily met Robert at the turning point, helping me to refill my bag with Gatorade. Loaded with 2 bananas I was just back on the road when Matthew Novak approached the half point. Slowly ascending the small climb to the top my mind was already preparing for the return trip. At that stage the blister was almost forgotten and reaching the half point in under 3h.50 gave me an additional boost. If I could manage to maintain my average speed above 9.2km/h I would have a good chance of finishing the race under 8 hours. A quick decision was made. I would try to maintain an average of 10km/h for as long as possible. The mathematics was the easy part. How to motivate one to run another 36km was a completely different matter. I decided to partition the return run into 4 milestones. Later, a fifth one was added. The first one would be the long and quite steep decent of approx. 6km. The 2nd would be a further 11km distance to reach the last check-point at ¾ of the race. The 3rd would be a possible rendezvous with Semra, my wife. The evening before Semra decided to run as well on her own. She would start at around 8.30 to 9am and would meet me somewhere between kilometer 53 and 58. We would then finish the last kilometers together.
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| Adam on his way back |
After the long hike up to the mountain top the 6 km descent was certainly better for my legs and mind. The first stretch was fairly easy. On the way I encountered another Soloist, Jonas Zimling Westh who would later finish 6th in a time of 7h. 34m.The 2nd stretch was more difficult due to its steepness. Without having done any downhill running in the months before I could hear my legs screaming. Downhill was still better than uphill, I thought. On the way the first relay runners and 4x4 crossed my path. It was a welcoming sight after hours of running in darkness and emptiness where goats and an occasional “local” would be the only prove that there was life indeed in the Wadis. I reached the bottom of the mountain at 42km. My lungs were pumped up with air again and my average speed was back to 10 km/h. From here it would be a long, winding decent back to the town of Dibba. The beautiful scenery continued. Now, with full daylight available I could finally appreciate the high walls of the Wadi that create a picturesque narrow gorge. The path continued mostly downhill which was also a big advantage. In addition, meeting the many relay runners on the way down brought life back to the Wadi. The encouraging “well done mate” and horning 4x4s helped me to keep the spirit high. Obviously, with the backpack and by now painful expression on my face I was easily identifiable as a Soloist. In all, the stretch between km 42 and 53 was easier than I anticipated. Occasionally, I suffered painful moments when a stone hit the sole of my right shoe penetrating through to the blister. However, with the last third of the race ahead I felt confident enough that the blister would not stop me from reaching the finish line.
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| Guy (left) later at the award ceremony |
On the way to the last check-point at km 53 Matthew overtook me again. Though I still averaged 10km/h Novak looked just fitter than me. Finally, the last check-point was approaching and Dave was already waiting with the refills and encouraging words. Matthew had just packed up when I arrived. I refilled my running backpack (again too much which I notice only later) and forgot about the remaining 2 bananas as I already switched to liquidized energy in the form of running gels. Up and running again the next focus point was meeting up with Semra which happened at approx. kilometer 57/58. Semra, with her own backpack had already covered 14km when we met. She was jumping up and down like a rabbit. In an attempt to keep my spirits high Semra threw a lot of encouraging words in my direction and narrated the events of the morning. My mind, however, has already shut down to a level where regular conversation was not an option anymore. The last 15 kilometers would become the most difficult ones. Having escaped the canyons we finally found ourselves back in the valley separating the canyon from the town of Dibba. From here it would be just flat with the exception of the dam ahead. Flat might sound good to any runner but for me it was anything but inspiring. My legs already started to scream and the openness of the valley revealed the long stretch ahead of us. Few of the relay teams started to pass and I could see the cars disappearing in front of us, quite a long distance away. At this stage I focused my remaining energy on 2 objectives: reaching the dam and then managing the final 5/6 km to the finish. Continuing down the road I suddenly felt a slight touch on my shoulder and a relay runner passed by: “Great job, almost there!” I saw the runner sprinting forward and only then did I notice that is must have been Adrian Hayes who competed as part of the Mountain Goats team. They would eventually finish second. Having Semra running alongside was a blessing. She occasionally ran ahead to take pictures or would continue encouraging me throughout the last kilometers. Somewhere, we passed Matthew who remained some short distance behind us. Just as my moral started to seriously crack, the dam appeared slowly to our left in front of us. In retrospect I evaluate this milestone as having been the most important one. I was close to the point of exhaustion and the sight of the dam gave me the strength to collect the last remaining energy in my body to complete the race. Just as we approached the dam another team vehicle passed and stopped just before the ascent to the dam. It must have been “The Abra Striders Experiment”, a mix of runners from the two well known Running clubs in Dubai. They were about to complete the race in 1st place with a time of 4h.27m. I could only admire how the female runner, it must have been Sonja Ellman, literally sprinted up the dam like a gazelle. The dam, the last obstacle, was tackled by Semra and I at regular hiking pace and the remaining distance was just pure willpower. A few minutes after descending the dam a 4x4 passed by and one of the drivers, Stephen, offered to take our backpacks. We happily accepted. Then the last kilometers: My brain was just capable of processing simple considerations: Ok, just finish the stretch to the junction. Then, just finish the road up to the mosque, then another kilometer to the Shell Gas station and then the final finish to the Golden Tulip. In between I had to put in 3-4 walking units lasting each a minute. My legs were fighting a serious battle with my mind. On the last 2 kilometers Semra was suddenly turning and I heard heart her saying: “Hurry up, he is coming”. I knew what she meant. Matthew was approaching and I knew that he would eventually overtake me and there was nothing I could do. I just returned a simple “Just let it be” to Semra. What I really meant is that you would have had to tie me to the back of a donkey or camel and rush me to the Golden Tulip Hotel if you wanted me to finish ahead of Matthew.
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| Matthew finishing in 7h 23m |
Semra rushed ahead in order to greet me at the finish line and Matthew passed me eventually. Turning the last junction I could see the Golden Tulip ahead on the right side. Matthew was already a good 70 meters ahead of me. The finish was in sight and I slowly turned onto the sand and towards paradise. The last 30 meters or so were pure beach/sand and I put up a mental note to later ask John why on earth a race had to finish on sand. Coming through the finish line was just a great feeling. It happened so quickly that I hardly noticed. Semra greeted me and the welcoming team and organizers handed out congratulations and water. I checked for the time (my Garmin watch ran out of charge some 20 minutes earlier) and was surprised to find out that I finished in 7h.25m – a solid 5th out of 16 solo runners. Somehow, I managed to maintain an average speed of around 10km/h throughout the whole race.
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| Semra helping me out after I finished |
Four solo runners finished ahead of me. Darryl Chiles mastered the 72km in a breathtaking 6h.35m. Adam Marcinowizc came in second with 7h.02m. Adam later told me that he really wanted to run under 7 hours but a cramp during the last 2 kilometers prevented him from doing so. Guy Vesey was third with a time of 7h.17m which meant that he increased the gap to me from 2 to 8 minutes in the 2nd half of the race. Matthew Novak came in 4th with 7h.23.
In 2010, 8 solo runners participated; the winner finishing in 8h.02m. This year 16 runners went solo of which an impressive 7 finished under 8 hours.
It was the 2nd time I participated in the Wadi Bih Run. Both, last year’s relay run and this year’s solo were magnificent events. It has as much to do with the beautiful route as with the great organization. The event succeeds in uniting very competitive running with a fun event. The solo run is one if not the toughest ultra-distance race in the UAE. In the relay / team event you can find groups of occasional / recreational runners up to competitive teams made up of members from established running clubs. To put this into perspective: “The Abra Striders Experiment” finished the 72km with 5 runners in 4h.27m. Each runner ran on average 14.5km with an average speed of slightly over 16.2 km/h – don’t forget the 900 meters of ascent and descent!
The Wadi Bih Run is a great social event and has a great “family & friends” atmosphere. Many of the participants know each other either from previous events or from within the running community. Many arrive the evening before and either camp out, enjoying a nice barbeque and campfire, or choose the more comfortable option of lodging in the Golden Tulip Hotel. As always, John Young with the support of his wife Barbara were instrumental in making the event a great experience but also many thanks to all volunteers within the organization team. According to John, 2011 was a record turnout with over 750 participants. I am sure next year will see another record and I would encourage every runner – competitive or recreational – to participate.
For me personally it was a great experience. I had my bad moments during the preparations as well as the race itself. My inexperience in running ultra distances taught me some lessons. However, learning from mistakes is essential in running as it is in life. Though next year I still won’t be able practice on similar terrain I will certainly make some changes. First, I will include speed training into my program which hopefully will reduce the strain on my legs both during and after the race. Also, I will not use a running backpack anymore but instead will run with a running belt/bottle and refill at the 3 check-points (hopefully there will be 2 additional check-points). This will eliminate considerable weight. As for trail vs. road running shoes I have yet to make up my mind. Finally, I plan to include some longer preparation runs which I feel would be necessary if I were to run under 7h.15m. For anyone interested in venturing into ultra-distance running I can highly recommend Christopher McDouglall’s “Born to Run”, a truly inspiring and equally entertaining read.
