When & Where
| Date: | Friday, 11.11.2011 |
| Start Time: | 08:00 am |
| City: | Dubai |
| Country: | UAE  |
| Location: | Beach Facing Burj Al Arab |
“Overall great organisation! Only shame my daughter (12 years old) got NO mention for bringing in a fair amount of donation money which she collected all by herself. Also I prefer the 2 starts (competitive vs. non-competitive) as my 15 year old daughter got kicked twice in the face this year by slower swimmers in front of her. We were "family" swimmers, not for the race but for the charity and got stuck at the back during the start when entering the water (as I think there were too many people for one start) and thus stuck behind much slower swimmers than us for most of the swim.”
“eventually make one race longer 2 km will be great also. but keep this kute ambiance with kids and familly..”
“First time competitor and enjoyed the occasion and did better than I could have hoped. I would have preferred it to have had a staggered start so its not such chaos at the start - perhaps have an elite start and other groups - as long as you time from a certain point there would then be more chance to get your best swim. I would also suggest a category that recognises the younger swimmers? Under 20 years category is not one the young kids can compete in. The official photographers were so unorganised it was a shame as it was so unlike the rest of the organisation. Having to sift through piles of photos or queue to get a look at the vast amount of shots was unworkable from the start. Also, why couldn't they make the photos available online afterwards - they have lost quite a lot of revenue, I'm not sure if any of the proceeds were going to charity but if it was, it was a lost opportunity. Maybe re-think the photo providers next year or get them to be more organised. Its a shame I don't have a photo souvineer of my achievement as I don't know whether I will be in Dubai at the right time again to do this swim. All in all a fab event, just a few tweaks and it would have been perfect. Thanks to the organisers and I hope a fantastic amount of money has been raised.”
“Need women fitting t-shirts! Need more draw prices! Only 3?? Disappointing! Digiphoto was so disorganized! Would have loved a photo. Crowds searching through randomly printed photos were crazy! Need to put photos online! Bouncy castles were great for the kids!! Started on time :-) Beautiful venue! ”
“Very expensive to enter as a family Digi Photo were disorganised Need a powerful fog horn to mark the start”
“A remarkable swimming competition in a dream location, simple and well organised. I will bring the family along next year! ”
“Not many raffle prizes this year! But still a fantastic event.”
“Great race again as expected!!! See you in 2012!!!”
“It was great fun. Thank you!”
“Please find a better way for competitors to view and buy/order photos. Otherwise, a fantastic event!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this event for the first time as part of the Time Out Dubai team. I will definitely be participating next year. The MC and crowd were also great fun and great motivators!”
“The family race is not really a family race. Could you make it a parents and kids race? Raffle prizes were so much better last year.”
“First, congratulations for tihs great event, managed and organizated with a very high level and procedures were excellent. For the next year, you could take in consideration to do 2 different travesies; one as this year, 800m and the other one longer than this one, about 2 klilmeters or something similar! With this, probably more professional swimmers will come to participate in this event and obtain mor money for this foundation. Thank you so much for organizing this event every year. Regards, Sergio Candela”
“I brought a group of 32, mostly young swimmers age 7 - 11 It would be good to see some prizes for novices and young swimmers and not just elite swimmers / fastest finishers. How about - youngest team. oldest team, ladies, over 50's, 8 and under etc. T shirts would also be appreciated in child sizes. Earlier publication of the race date. ie by August 2012 for next year and coordination with other organisers. This year 5 major events across 4 consecutive weekends in Dubai, in November, was cost and time prohibitive for many families. Allocated area for teams with water? Fabulous organisation again - Thank you Jordana We had a great time and we will be back next year Thank you”
“Really enjoyed the event. As an old timer any chance of an over 50's age group next year? I think there were circa 96 in the over 40's age group and as I grow older a lower ranking seems more inevitable each year! Event prep and org great - huge thanks to the lifeguard team for looking after us and to all the organisers.”
“Especially the kids found it a little of a disappointment that the T-shirt, unlike other years didn't say "I swam the Burj al Arab". That line is what other people make ask them questions and praise them. Now it was just a sponsored T-shirt with a text of 40 years MSF that anybody donating to MSF could have got. Text must come back next year.”
“Too many people on the start of the individual race. Maybe split men and woman to make the start less congested”
“Website missed to mention where to park the car. Giveaways are unnecessary, better to spent the amount spent on giveaways on charity itself”
“Loved the T-shirt, but wish there was a medal in the pack! Great atmosphere - perfect morning.”
“Whether you go as a family or as an avid swimmer, whatever you age, you will find the Wild Wadi's Burj Al Arab swim the perfect event. It is smoothly organized. The weather has never disappointed and we have thoroughly enjoyed participating for the past 3 years. Looking forward to next year!”
“Great event....lots of fun....good charity event....should have had the start in "waves" of entrants rather than all at once...too many people entering water all at once....”
“This time a little bit more waves than expected!”
“Any idea when the chip code details will be uploaded? Really curious about my time to beat for next year :)”
“Couldn't fault it! Only small problem was the badly organized picture kiosk”
“The organisation was slick and ran to time and the staff are great, friendly, helpfull and supportive. Only criticism is that the prizes were low on the ground this year - I know times are hard. It was a shame though as it is such a high profile event. You all did a fab job and looking forward to next year already! Thanks”
“All great, but just some constructive thoughts - At the start line the starter couldn't be heard. With so many participants now, perhaps the event should be split into several aged-based or proficiency-based runs - there are so many swimmers fighting for a small area of water in the 1st half of the swim that it is not pleasant. The coffee and food giveaway was not great. The photographs seemed to eb a complete mix-up. ”
“It was my second time I participate in this competition and I find the organization and support is excellent! However I reckon the snacks provided in are very poor.”
“more car parking needed next year I think!”
“the photgraphers stuffed up thier organanisation and I did not bother wading through 1000s of photos to find myself - a big disappointment as now i do not have a record/souvenir of the event”
“Thanks for the whole team for helping me get to the start in my wheelchair... And for the triomphant finish ring carried out of the water!!!”
“i swam with a group of people, all of whom would have liked to buy photos of themselves. we were all photographed at the finish but the system of finding your picture on a small screen, with the sunlight and every single person having to look through each photo from start to finish is almost impossible. only one of twelve of us was able to find it. it is a good momento and a lost oppertunity for the company selling them. there must be a better way to do this, perhaps on line. we would have all been quite happy to go through them on line and pay for postage as well. i don't know if some of the money from the sales is donated but just my group would have been an extra 600dhs in sales and i heard many others complain. it could raise more money for the event if people could look on a wesite and order.”
“Only issue was the disorganisation of the photographs. Still dont know how to view them on line for purchase.”
“Thank you Volonteers !”
“Awesome event for the whole family with fabulous atmosphere. For beginners and experts alike! ”
“Need to reinstate non-compet section for the bulk of swimmers. Will improve safety and quality of the swim. The timing was strictly enforced this year and that worked a treat. 275 entry fee per person is steep. Be more reasonable. I bring in minimum 2k sponsorship each year..so do many others. Make the entry fee more reasonable and customized for groups, families individuals. It's an excellent event. It is one of the few challenging yet achieveable evants for charity in Dubai. It is a unique setting and a great cause. Hats off to the organizers and long may this wonderful swim continue ”
