Racing in Dubai (Anne Bester)
Gigi & I decided to do the RAK half marathon this year as an easy training run. We did a couple of kilometers warm-up before the race. We wanted to average just under 5m/km for the first 15 kilometers and then up the pace to 4min45/km for the next 5 kilometers. After that it was a free for all and run as hard as you can to the finish! It was a great race & I really enjoyed not racing for a change. We also managed to chat the whole way. After the race we finished off with an easy few kilometers warm down run.
The route is very flat & at one part we got to see the leaders, or should I say the lead ladies as the men had already passed by. It’s a popular race and we get to see quite a few of the fast elite athletes running.
The start is separated between "Elite" (those that can run under 1h30), Preferred (those that can run under 1:45) and then the mass start. It makes the start much better as you don’t trip over slower runners and walkers that may get in the way. If you can’t do the full distance they also cater for a team event. They take the runners to their points on the route. This is great as we get to have people cheering us on along the route. Unfortunately there aren’t too many spectators on route as RAK is about an hour’s drive from Dubai and we mostly get just the runners driving through for the race. Definitely worth the drive.
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