The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
Getting down to the nitty gritty
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 06.12.2009
A wide variety of gaiters were seen at the starting line, ranging from ones carefully sewn on to the shoes to ones that looked like bin bags. Taryn Mc Coy from Sleepmonsters.CO.UK earnestly explained the extensive research her team had done before the race in order to choose the proper ones. Throughout the race this team has been a breath of fresh air, their enthusiasm about racing here evident in every step.But no matter what type of gaiter was chosen, and no matter how carefully the shoes were sealed, the sand seeped into every crevice. The French race doctor, Sara, said that several racers were likely to find this stage excruciating as the sand aggravated existing blisters.
At 07:00, the start of section D, the teams raced into the rising sun. This grueling section will take them through the Rub Al Khali, otherwise known as the Empty Quarter. The Rub Al Khali is the worlds largest uninterrupted body of sand, the size of Holland, Belgium and France combined, with sand dunes peaking at over 100m. Words are inadequate to describe this desert that the racers fought their way through in scorching sun and now into a chilling night. Every extreme description comes to mind; grandiose, terrifying, majestic, infinite, and the list goes on. The 9,000 liters of water for the checkpoints had to be flown in by military helicopters before the race start and anything left behind will be burned; there is no going back.
The strategy of the lead teams was to push hard in the first part of the day in order to disperse the pack of teams and enable the lead teams to head out from the last CP before sunset well ahead, using the cover of night to mask their tracks, making it harder for other teams to follow. The pace was incredibly fast in the heat of the day. At one CP a racer gestured towards Qasr Al Sarab and said, “I wish someone would tell those guys to slow down!� Those teams vying for a place in the top ten did not dare let up for a moment. This fast past got the best of one team as the race had its first withdrawal; team number eight, Al Masar Salomon, called for medical assistance and one of their team members was airlifted out in a helicopter.
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