Saturday, January 18th saw 550 competitors coming together to take on the fifth installment of the Wadi Adventure Race – a gruelling 10km obstacle race hosted by Wadi Adventure in Al Ain.
Faced with a stiff morning breeze and temperatures barely reaching double digits, the kaleidoscopic mass of 550 racers was led by race creator Sean Kinsella to the starting line – an abandoned service road that sent runners into the vast emptiness of the desert. That emptiness was short-lived as each runner approached the dreaded “Sandbag Pick-up Point” – a nasty 30kg for men and 15kg for women.
Having kept dry for the first 3kms of the race, athletes were then forced to fight the currents up the Wadi Adventure whitewater channels, ending up at the familiar “Raft Leap.” Keeping to the classics, Sean relied on a number of tried-and-tested obstacles, but also introduced a range of new and exciting obstacles to keep the runners guessing. New obstacles included enlisting the help of our friends at the Emirates Fire & Rescue Company – hosing runners down as they passed; a new “Tire Pull” challenge – set up by the Reebok LifeSpark crew; and 2.5 tons of ice dumped into the “Ice Pit” and “Plunge Pool” below the monkey bars. As always, runners had to scale the three-metre high “Wall” before stepping onto the finishing mat and collecting the coveted WAR medal.
Lifting the trophy in first place for the Men Category A was Olympic kayaker Kilian Foulon, with a time of 55:20. In second place, Ryan Jucker with 56:41, and just one second behind, Boris Rajencikz in third with a time of 56:42.
Winning the Ladies Category A for the second time in a row was Eva Clarke in a time of 1:00:27. In second place with a time of 1:02:16 was Frances McNally, and Sylwia Zacharko in third at 1:06:52. Winners in the Men and Ladies Categories B and C were: Martin Healy and Kamil Kapkaev, and Jelena Tustic and Kelly Fray respectively.
Overall, runners and spectators were treated to a day full of fun and giveaways, generously provided by event sponsors (Gold Level sponsors including: “Active Life” from Daman Insurance, Al Noor Hospital, and Eastern Motors), and music on the beach provided by the One To One Hotel in Al Ain. For images of the race, please visit www.facebook.com/WadiAdventureRace.
