Words By: John Young
The 23rd Salomon Wadi Bih Run was held on 6th and 7th of February 2015 and reached new heights with the increased popularity witnessing over 1,500 runners, some old and some new, enjoying the great outdoors of the wadis and mountains of Musandam, Oman.
Due to the ever increasing interest in the event, it was split over Friday and Saturday to avoid congestion in the Wadi.
To some, the Salomon Wadi Bih Run is a competitive event but for the majority it is a physical challenge and a great social day out with friends. The way the event is structured with a number of stage markers over the route means that each runner runs a series of relatively short stages before meeting up again with their team vehicle, so even the not so great athletes enjoyed the fresh air and environment of the great outdoors.
The Salomon Wadi Bih Run is now firmly cemented in the local calendar for hundreds, if not thousands, of local and regional athletes, running clubs and fun runners. Its far-reaching appeal, when compared to the majority of other sporting events in the region, lies in its uniqueness due to the location and the environment where participants are taken out of their normal comfort zone in the city and face the challenges of a steep ascent through a rugged and dramatic canyon opening out into the high mountains. The run is also a great example of camaraderie between friends, family members and work colleagues who come together in a relay team and support each other through a great physical challenge.
This year, the solo run categories were developed, which are relatively new to the event and was originally undertaken by a very few hardy types about 10 years ago but has subsequently grown into a very competitive race. The original solo category was the full 72km but last year a new 50km solo category was introduced which proved extremely popular, and this year a new 30km solo category was introduced and appealed to serious runners but not seriously mad runners! The organisers are keen to open up the event to solo runners internationally as it’s a great escape from the harsh winter of the northern hemisphere.
For the first year, the solo events were held on the Friday and there were 74 finishers for the Solo 72, 32 finishers for the Solo 50, and 48 finishers for the new Solo 30 route. This year saw a new category event, the Team 50 on the Friday where many of the 40 finishing teams comprised of families and children. On the Saturday, the main Team 72 event saw 214 finishing teams of five.
Everyone who has ever run in the Salomon Wadi Bih event should be grateful to long term expatriate John Gregory, the founder of the event. John has been a stalwart of the local climbing and mountaineering community in RAK and is renowned for his hospitality at the many camps he has arranged and where he is locally known as the Laird of RAK.
The history of the Salomon Wadi Bih Run harks back to the early 1990s when John’s long term passion with the mountains lured him to the Musandam area. John was an ardent climber and mountaineer, and in the cooler winter months used to explore some remote areas of the mountains. On one trip John climbed a large peak overlooking the Wadi Bih road and when sitting having a sandwich the idea came to him that it would be great to run across the mountains. John took this idea to the RAK social running group, the Hash House Harriers, and initiated the first Salomon Wadi Bih Run in January 1993 when 16 teams of five people gathered on the RAK side of the mountains for a social camp on the Thursday evening before heading off very early on the Friday to cover the approximately 75km distance through the spectacular wadi over the high point of the mountains and down the narrow Wadi Khab Shamsi canyon to the finish. John is a really practical easy-going guy and his mantra for the run was to ensure that there was always plenty of hot curry and adequate beverages at the finish.
Since 2007, the run has been from Dibba up Wadi Khab Shamsi to a high point of over 1,000m on the road and then back down the same route. The previous route through the mountains from RAK to Dibba has been closed since 2007 due to border restrictions.
The route was as per the previous few years and traversed the very narrow and deep Wadi Khab Shamsi canyon, which is very susceptible to being washed out in case of a flash flood. The authorities in Dibba are generally very good in repairing and reinstating the road in a relatively short time, but it’s always a worrying period because if the wadi is washed out just prior to the event a change in route would be required and the contingency plan is for a shorter route with two members of the relay team running together to make sure each runners distance is maintained. This year the route and track were in good condition.
For the last few years, there have been difficulties in crossing the UAE-Oman border in Dibba which has involved the organisers in close liaison with the authorities to attempt ensure a smooth flow of participants through the border. This year saw a great improvement thanks to the organisers meetings with the authorities and all runners, friends, family members, sponsors and others involved or participating in the event had submitted their visa and passport in advance and passage through the border was greatly improved.
There are many people who have completed numerous Salomon Wadi Bih Runs in teams and solo in its 23-year history and the question came up when the 20th run was held a few years ago as to who had completed the most runs. Some of the team captains have been coming back over the years and there are a lot of names that could contend for the most runs.
On the social side, the regular competition to find the best named team and also the best dressed team took place with the not so super sporty types putting on their thinking caps to form a team with humorous or anecdotal names, whilst some headed down to the souk to buy some unusual characteristic running gear for the fancy dress category.
The run was very fortunate this year to have some high ranking members of the Oman government attend to present the prizes provided by Salomon and witness the traditional Arabic dancing.
The Salomon Wadi Bih Run has developed into one of the region’s top sporting and social events and last year Salomon joined as the headline sponsor for the event and this year again Salomon continued their support as the title sponsor.
Since its construction in Dibba a few years ago the Golden Tulip hotel and Resort has been a major partner for the event and the hotels setting by the Gulf of Oman , with the dramatic backdrop of the mountains makes a great location for the post run buffet.
Absolute Adventure are an outdoor sports centre based in Dibba who offer people trekking, kayaking and mountain biking in the great outdoors and are a principal supporter of the event providing the marshals on the course.
The Salomon Wadi Bih Run has its roots in the very, very, very social Hash House Harriers local running clubs who enjoy the occasional beverage and in this regard thanks are due to MMI for their support.
The organisers would like to thank the other sponsors: Suunto, Thule, Sport 360, Voss water, GU, Aqualyte, OutdoorUAE and Physio House for their support. A special thanks needs to be extended to Miffy and her team of physio’s from Physio House for helping to alleviate the pain of the long distance solo runners.
Again this year, the support to solo runners out on the course at the manned checkpoints was very professionally organised and staffed by Absolute Adventure who deserve a big thank with very positive feedback from race participants.
From Thursday evening through to the end of Saturday, there was an awful lot of work to be done and the organisers are extremely grateful to all of the volunteers for helping with the registration, timekeeping manning of checkpoints and handing out the medals at the finish.
Over the year prior to the event, there is an awful lot of hard work for the preparation, planning and organisation and the event relies on the services of a dedicated team, the Salomon Wadi Bih Run Organising Committee, so many thanks are due to:
Barbara Young
Neil Young
Tasha Young
Graham Rafferty
Katrina Rafferty
Helen Rodd
Thilan
Adrian Hayes
Looking forward to welcoming people to the next Salomon Wadi Bih Run!
