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Traveling Runner: The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon in the United Arab Emirates
By Clay ShawMarch/April 2010
For the Washington Running Report
Adding Asia to Your Seven Continents Checklist? Try Dubai
After a nine-year hiatus, it was time to check off another race in my seven continent marathon quest. The last one was Algeria's Sahara Marathon (Africa) in 2001. How was it that I just happened to be on this side of the world? I took a four-week volunteer vacation to teach English and math at a school in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. I saw three possible choices for an Asian marathon: Tiberias Marathon in Israel on January 7, The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in India on January 17, or the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon in the United Arab Emirates.
After checking logistics, I chose Dubai. It gave me three weeks to get into better shape running in the Ethiopian highlands at nearly 9,000 feet. Shortly after arriving in Addis Ababa, I bought an airline ticket on Emirates Airlines.
January 19
I left Addis Ababa and one of the most famous runners in the world was on my flight: Haile Gebrselassie. We landed at the fancy-beyond-belief Dubai International Airport at 12:35 a.m. and, after clearing customs, I took a cab to the Grand Midwest Tower in Media City that I booked on www.priceline.com.
After some sleep and a short run to loosen up my legs, I grabbed a quick breakfast, plus snacks and drinks from a nearby convenience store. I proceeded to the host hotel, the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, for packet pick-up. It was easy, but I have to warn you, there's no real expo for this event.
At the pre-race press conference the big buzz was whether or not Haile Gebrselassie would break his world record of 2:03:59 (2008). He commented that in order to have the perfect race, everything needed to be perfect and that the race essentially starts at 30K.
I predicted no new record since the weather was about 10 to 15 degrees too warm. A world record, however, would surely put the Dubai Marathon on the world's running map. Maybe it will come in 2011 since this course is one of the flattest in the world.
January 21
At the packet pick-up I met LizNoel Duncan from Baltimore (an expat living in Kuwait) and her friend Linda (an expat from Virginia) and we headed to the Mall of the Emirates to check out Ski Dubai. This is the first indoor ski facility in the Middle East- a mini ski resort in a mall with chairlifts and a downhill slope, set at 29 degrees. We found a nice Italian restaurant, Carritos, and the spaghetti and meatballs were a good pre-race dinner.
January 22-Race Day
While I had been training at nearly 9,000 feet, I was realistic about the weather and used caution for my race strategy. I was fit, but apprehensive about the desert sun in the second half of the race. LizNoel and I met at 5:30 a.m. and got a cab that put us as close as possible to the start.
Unlike many U.S. races, men outnumbered the women 3-1, if not more. Thus, a rare sight: a longer line to the men's rest room. About two minutes before the start, the race officials began to shoo the 10K runners back. The course is a basic out-and-back on the divided road, with a short out-and-back 10K.
I started conservatively, drank plenty of water and stayed in the shade as much as possible. At 13K, I saw Gebrselassie coming back and it was the spot where the day before he had said the race truly begins-30K. The pace truck had a 2:05:37 projected time and I knew there would be no world record.
Along the way I passed plenty of mosques and caught a few glimpses of the Persian Gulf. My halfway time was 2:22. By now, the desert sun was quite high, offering little shade. I drank Vittel bottled water and poured the remainder on my head. Many of the marathoners were from all over the world; a real mix of ex-pats living in Dubai and those who traveled from afar to run this flat January marathon.
Finally, I could see the 60 story buildings of Media City in the haze with 10K to go. I just concentrated on my own race, held my form, and finished with a negative split in 4:42:01. It was far from my prime (2:53:51 in 1984), but my third best since having my Achilles tendon rebuilt in 2006. I talked with a 100 Marathon Club member from the UK, as well as some Ethiopian gals who live in Dubai. They informed me Haile won in 2:06 (no world record) but it was his third consecutive Dubai win.
Later that day, I met LizNoel and we went to photograph the Jumeriah Mosque, the Iranian Mosque, and nearby Iranian Hospital (nice tile workings). We visited the Dubai Mall (the world's largest in total area) complete with an ice rink, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, and a fancy fountain show, like the Bellagio in Las Vegas. All of this was in the shadow of Burj Khalifa, the new world's tallest building. We had Lebanese food; I especially liked the hummus. Finally, we took the metro to the Mall of the Emirates for ice cream, a special treat, earned by conquering the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.
I would recommend this race for runners seeking a unique January marathon, but keep your expectations low. If I had more time, I would have taken a trip across the border to Oman and camped out in the desert or a trip up the Burj Khalifa on a clear day. Some more adventures for another visit.
[Photo of] LizNoel Duncan and Clay Shaw at the Jumeriah Mosque. They found time to do some sightseeing after they ran the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.
Clay Shaw is a regular contributor plus race photographer, race director, and elite coordinator for events like the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon. He last wrote about running in Mexico in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue. For more information about this race visit: www.dubaimarathon.org.