When & Where
| Date: | Friday, 10.02.2012 |
| Start Time: | 06:30am |
| City: | Dibba |
| Country: | Oman  |
| Location: | Golden Tulip Hotel, Dibba, Sultanate of Oman |
Average ratings
“It's a great day out at Wadi Bih. The start should eb very early in the morning to avoid the midday sun towards the end of the race. The lack of Support Stations is rather insignificant since each team has their support vehicle and solo runners reply on help of other teams' support vehicle. The breaks in between the stages allows to enjoy the great views you get throughout the course all the way from the beach to the top of the mountain where you turn around and return the same route back. Drawbacks: Since the course follows back the route you came up, it has the consequence that support vehicle tend to get held up by vehicles coming from the other side. A round course would certainly eliminate this issue. If one can be found, it would be great.”
“First aid stations during the course, or at the very least at the end of the race, would have been useful. I suffered a bad injury during the race but wasn't able to get treatment until I got back home. There was a massage tent that no one used at the Finish, why not a First Aid tent?”
“Very satisfying day.”
“Great event, with some challenges to address on the cars congestion and co-existence with runners. ”
“This was my first Wadi Bih and it was amazing. Yes, it was dusty but nothing that you couldn't handle. I'm always amazed at the organization that is needed for events like this and how smooth everything runs is impressive. I would like to comment on the switching of runners. My team was not doing this race for a time, it was proposed as a fun day out. We are not elite runners but we try to get out for all the 10K around Dubai. With that being said, we are not out of shape but this was a hard run and we did need to change our runners for fear of death if we left someone out there too long. I think that this should be OK if teams are doing it "just for fun". There are elite groups out there that are going for time and speed but please let the "weekend warriors" enjoy this great event too. Our goal was to start smiling and end smiling and have a few laughs along the way. We did this which is an accomplishment in itself. I would hope that the people who commented about the switching of runners would take pity on those of us who were exhausted on the hills and whose calves were burning. I certainly was impressed at those who were able to run the whole thing - more power to them. I love running because it makes me feel happy and I hope you can encourage the elite runners to let everyone have their fun, in their own way. thanks again for a great event.”
“The only comment that I have is that due to the high number of participant this year, congestion was extremely bad on the return sections. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, some of the drivers were not as considerate to the runners and did not give way to downhill traffic. I think that the numbers of team should be strictly capped for next year.”
“I believe there were 194 teams taking part, and the congestion on the track was bad in places, especially when the majority of the teams were driving up the road and we were on the way down trying to catch our runner. In many cases doors were left open, people double parked making it impossible to pass. A few people were also very rude when asked to move out of the way. I think the number of teams must not exceed 150 in the future. You could have different stop locations on the way up vs. on the way down, this would reduce congestion. I enjoyed the event despite the congestion. You could also ensure teams register their half way point time. Even include a GPS tracking device on the baton - I realise that this might be more expensive. Many teams appear not to have had their runners running with the baton. I admire all those that ran the 72km solo. Now the event is so big you could go back and request the Omani authorities about allowing a special pass for the competitors for the RAK to Dibba route again? This would fix the congestion problem. ”
“After this race, all the other races seem boring and not challenging. I can't wait to do nex years race!”
“A great days running only marred by selfish drivers going too fast along the route. This caused a lot of dust as they went past the runners. Runners were also having to dodge vehicles and be very traffic aware. Due to increasing numbers the event, organisers may have to consider limiting entry numbers as the route cannot sustain the large number of vehicles. Some form of official marshalling at check points should also be considered to assist in safety aspects. ”
“we really enjoy this event, we race for ourselves, but it is really disappointing to see how many people just disregard the relay points through to right out cheating... we watched one grey tahoe full of fit young men swap runners every 500 m or so on "the hill" ... they would sprint, swap and really undid the point of it all... it would be great to see some marshalls in these bits who can disqualify teams doing this... or driving like complete idiots like some were”
“Thanks to John and the organising committee for putting on a great event. Great to get a better quality shirt this year. The support for the solo runners was brilliant and obviously badly required. The only negative is the lack of respect that some drivers show towards the runners. Runners must be the priority people should driver slower up the wadi thus not raising as much dust. Thanks again for a great event and see you in 2013. ”
“The only criticisms are that some drivers drove too fast up the wadi and spread a lot of dust. Also, being a late solo finisher the food was rather sparse. However, these do not detract from the fact that the race was a great event, that I highly recommend to anyone considering entering. ”
“Hotel and bbq too busy no food ready or plates and cutlery. Otherwise a good event”
“The Pink Ladies enjoyed ourselves as usual! The camaraderie of all the participants, and the scenery makes this run particularly special. The wadi did get quite congested, would not like any more vehicles. I was disappointed that we did not finish in time to hear the presentation, which I always enjoy listening to, I understand that we should have started earlier, but with the relaxing atmosphere at the end where everyone is well fed and watered, it is shame that they can't wait a bit longer for the slower teams and solos to finish. Thanks to the Wadi Bih Committee for all the hard work that goes in to make it a great event. Rebecca”
“The handover points and kilometres where not correct and not as visible.”
“The only thing would be the parking at the top of the wall and teams changing runners in the legs. There is loads of parking on left hand side as you go up the wall and too many teams chnaged runners during the legs which is unsportsmans like.”
“Fantastic race and amazing course. My only complaint would be the irresponsible drivers who drove too fast and dangerously, kicking up masses of dust for the runners to run through and also who seemed to lose sight of the fact that priority should be given to the runners! I saw some really stupid people hanging on to the outside of 4x4's - on the drop side of the cliff too! I also had to run through the clouds of dust and nearly got hit by quite a few stupid drivers ... ”
“So unique! kudos to the organizers for keeping it going. However, perhaps the markers could be a little bigger? Noticed a lot of other teams not adhering to the checkpoints! It looks like a lot of the teams would stop whenever they felt like to swap runners!? Dunno what can be done with the massive congestion at the top. So dangerous to both runners and drivers. People have to be reminded not to leave rubbish along the path. Disheartened to see litter in such beautiful place”
“Hi, The beigning of the route was not very well sign posted. Before we got tot he wadi some runners where getting lost on the high way. perhaps some road signs? Thanks”
“can we have two events please. On in say october for solo and duo runners and another in feb for just teams .. we acn then try our hnad at both! ”
“Wadi Bih is a brilliant event. Beautiful scenery and a real challenging track. Be careful on future events, not to allow too many cars on the track and give even more specific instructions to drivers to slow done around runners. This year there was quite some dust, which makes the event less enjoyable. You might consider limiting the number of participants.”
“Overall I love this race, it is always a great socal event in the running calendar! Only negatives were many of the drivers were driving much to fast on the tracks, not only throwing up loads of dust but not showing awareness of the runners or other vehicles in the Wadi. Still loads of people hanging out of the vehicles and driving far to close to each other on the steep switch backs! There wasn't enough seating at the Golden Tulip and the after race food was well below standard! Rant over I did love the race and will be back next year! thanks for all the organisation that went into it.”
“I really had fun that day. Only dark point, no more medals/ muggs...for us ....”
“bathrooms along the way ? ”
“I really appreciate the effort by a few people to make WadiBih happen. It is a big task and they deserve our congratulations. My only comment is the some of the relay team drivers covered the solo runners (me for one) in a layer of road dust by driving too fast with no courtesy. It will happen every year and nothing can be done I know, but it is a shame that these idiots dont think. Anyway this is just part of Wadibih and thanks once again for a really unique experience. I never underestimate what it takes to coordinate all this and make it happen. Well done!”
“This event and the DCS 1/2 are my favorites. Love it!! So well put together, organization at its best!!! And to sit and have a yummy buffet afterwards with all the finishers, what a great feeling. Runners like our team keep in shape all running season for events like this. If I have to complain (rant), we saw one team swap three times on the very congested and tough uphill. In fact several runners were cut-off by vehicles stopping mid road to swap out runners. Several teams swapped mid run-stages throughout the entire race, as in even the last 800 meters. It was demotivating. Personally, I feel it is okay to swap if you can't finish the leg and you are at your running end, as in "can't do it anymore", but to swap for a better finish time is just plain cheating. But, will we do this event again, YES!, "Insh'Allah!" Thanks to the Wadi Bih organizers for a great race!”
“There are more road instruction needed maybe on the roads and not let the competitors only rely on the itinerary. Otherwise it was all well oganized, thank you!”
“This was my first race ever, and I had a great time. Great spirit, fun course, organizers were excellent and fun! Only complaint was the fast drivers. Too many SUVs roared past raising dust. Seemed unnecessary to drive so fast - maybe a speed limit on honor system?”
“Loved every minute off this race, in spectacular surroundings. As the event grows, John is doing a great job of keeping the spirit of the race. Maybe it is time to have two different medals for solos and relays? If only this could be said by the minority of inconsiderate drivers who are not respectful to the runners. There are also a few teams that do not change over where they should- like switching runners four times on the switchbacks. I think a few teams need to be reminded of the rules! However, the encouragement and support from the majority of the competitors was amazing and inspirational. ”
“Great day, it was very long and although I run quite a bit nothing could of prepared me for this and the hills. On the 9th Section with the highest hill...although we read the map and the height of each hill we didn;t realise how high or difficult that was going to be until someone told us just before we did it... we then had to split it between 5 of us..maybe if you had some organisers or people who know the course to advise you on the difficulty of each section if they were there... maybe not at all sections but at some of them and they had a big ASK ME FOR HELP T shirt.. maybe it would help to anticipate the difficulty. The T shirts and mugs etc,, were great. The Food After was awful... a simple BBQ would of been fine... but it really was not nice and after such a long run all you want is some normal food.. Even like.. Hot Dogs or Burgers... something simple would be fine.. I wouldnt take part again... because it was just too long it's hard to stay motivated after 4 hours never mind 6hrs 47mins... but I admire the pros... and maybe I should just leave it to them... well done though it was a good event and an experience il never forget!”
“It was a great race overall, however I found that the cars and drivers were not at all respectful towards the runners. The road gets really dusty, so the drivers need to drive slowly when they pass any runners as it becomes hard to breathe. In addition, I think that runners should always have the right of way and that a car should not be honking at you. The buffet at the end was ok, but I think that it could have been a little better with a couple of more options of food, especially for vegetarians. ”
“Would be good if this event ordered more small and XS tshirts for women. This event - like almost every other event in the UAE - runs out of this popular womens size, then we end up getting large tshirts that we never wear or just give away. Otherwise everything about the event was excellent!!!”
“Great team race that is challenging, hard work but rewarding and differs to other races in the UAE. Great day out but not an easy race so you need to be ready for it, train in advance!”
“I really enjoyed the day. It was great fun. My only comment is that there could have been more signs to direct us on the road before we got to the wadi ”
“Food/buffet was disorganized.”
“Need to manage the total number of team next year to keep the event safe and enjoyable”
“Overall excellent run. The volunteers who worked it were very helpful and organized. My only complaint was that a run like this that makes so much money, is not able to drive a small water truck up some of the course, in order to put down a bit of the dust the night before. It was a very dusty run that left all of us choking and not performing well. In the conclusion of the event, a little bit better organization would help also.”
“The food after the run was disgusting! Teams are cheating along the run by jumping into the car and getting a ride to make better time. Teams are changing runners 3 times during 1 leg to make better time. If they don't want to run the whole route they should not participate and clog up the wadi with the cars. Queue to start the run? That is just not on. ”
“Love the race- lots of fun and very challenging. Good, friendly competition!”
“I traveled late night from Dubai after work just to participate in this event, as it was my first ultra run and got 2010 medal. Very nice! ”
“This is my first Ultra marathon event that I participated here in UAE, the course was challenging, however some instructions are not clear, especially SIGNAGE for the Participants so that the relay and solo runners will not be LOST, poor in support stations, at least adding big tents to the stops for the runners, electronic timings for the runners and up staying solo runners, FOOD--POOR, medals for the SOLO RUNNERS even they are LAST- that is the most important of them all, at least prizes for the SOLO runners who ran out and finish the whole race. and most important they need at least have the current count for those runners who really strive to finish the race and not those runners who cheated just to finish it.”
“Last year I was a member of a team and was inspired to tackle the whole run solo this time. The organisation was superb from start to finish. It was made clear right from the start what support the solo runners could, and couldn't expect. I can't thank John and the team enough. This was my first ultra since 1988 and it was only successful thanks to their hard work. ”
“Didn't see any support stations along the way...but no matter, didn't need them”
“Only one minor thing is there was possibly too many cars/teams on the course which makes it difficult and possibly dangerous for some runners at times.”
“I love this race, and would be delighted to do it again next year. The only shame this year was that there were almost too many teams entered. Frankly, there were too many cars, and they kicked up so much dust that the runners were choking at times. Two thoughts - either a new route (one-way) that would not kick up as much dust, or (sadly) limit the number of teams to keep the dust down? Oh, and drivers should be better briefed on how to drive to minimise dust (i.e. under 30kph)...!? Cheers!”
“amazing day, course start caused some confusion. checkpionts needed better signposts , only a suggestion but would have apreciated km signs(as a princess), Although didnt need medical support and am a nurse (our team was fine), i think some medical points would improve things , most obviously after the wall. also may be the odd water station for the harder routes, all beit thats nitpicking. Am being picky small improvements to a fab day, would have made it perfect ”
“Having competed in the event now 4 times, this year I felt that safety on the course was not as high as previous years. I don't know if it was due to more people taking part or what but one of our team members was hit by a car door and had to have stitches and I saw several incidents where runners were almost hit by cars. Quite often people were stopping in places which blocked traffic, especially on the hill stage 11 to 12 to take photos, encourage their runner and even swap runners. I really feel this area needs to be tackled much better and based on the numbers taking part and the populatrity of the event then i am sure the stage transitions could be marshalled and more instruction given to all team members regarding driving and safety on the route. I hope this comment is taken on board as my concerns over safety have seriously made me consider making the long trip again next year.”
“Registration process was a pain for teams. Needs to be looked at and simplified. I only rated support stations zero because I didn't see them. Can't really comment on how they are cause I never needed to use one. And I rated spectator support zero because this route isn't really set up for spectators.”
“It's a fabulous event - really great fun - but breathing in dust and fumes detracts from it all. There are too many teams accepted. I feel particularly sorry for the solo runners who contribute 0 fumes and breathe in fumes all along the way.”
“A terriffic event, the team will definitely be back.”
“Good organisation start and finish. Highly recommended for all trail enthusiasts. Only complaint some support vehicles not very considerate towards runners and other vehicles. I would support the move to have less vehicles on the road or to encourage supporters to be more considerate ( a code of conduct would be good )”
“Great event. Can't wait til next year. Not for spectators, just for crazy runners who want a great day out in an amazing country. Camping the night before adds to the buzz. Marked low in my ratings on spectators and support stations purely as the race doesn't need them. Designed for runners for runners. One plea, any chance of a brew in the morning before the start that the hotel could arrange??”
“A wonderful day and a very well organised event. The combination of trust, self-reliance, support, wonderful scenery and a great race format make this an event I will always want to come back to. Just brilliant, thank you.”
“I have taking part the second time in the race. Great team event !!!! Unfortunately to many selfish people in the wadi. Especially the teams who change there runners between the stations are a danger for others as well as very bad sportsman. We had one team in front of us who changed at station 12 every 500 meters .... If people are not fit enough to run a hill they should stay at home !”