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Youth Wins First Barbican Arabian Quest

John Falchetto (Mountain Extreme) / 15.11.2005

The 11th November, saw the inaugural running of the Barbican Arabian Quest eco-adventure race where contestants mountain-biked, abseiled, and generally scrambled in the foothills of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.

The first race of the Barbican adventure race series brought together over 100 participants eager to climb, rappel, and mountain bike the Ras AL Jebel. Funds raised through the race will go to the office of the World Wide Fund for Nature in Dubai.

“This was a great success; everyone enjoyed themselves and came back down safely,” said John Falchetto, founder of Mountain Extreme and organizer of the Barbican Arabian Quest race series. \"I think, for the first edition, the race was overwhelmingly well balanced, including a contrast between fast and slow segments, trekking and biking, pain and joy. All the contestants who took part came back tired but exhilarated, and this was a big plus for us\".

Cycling up Wadi Haqeel for more than 15 kilometres, challengers then swapped their bikes for running shoes to race across loose rocks and varied hilly terrain to checkpoint Summit, which was the turn-around point for most contenders. Only teams registered for the Barbican Arabian Quest Extreme continued towards the end of the summit ridge.

In the all-male Barbican Arabian Quest category, the UAE National team of Dubai took top honours, outsmarting and outrunning the competition.

Team captain, Ali Al Khaja said, “It was hard, but we give it our best and finished in two hours 30 minutes. I hope to come back for the next race in January with more teams.”