Dubai: Come September and the great outdoors begin to beckon.
Starting September 23, two Dubai residents have drawn up a calendar of adrenaline-pumping adventure trips right here in the UAE, under their banner Urban-Ultra Events to include what they intriguingly call a “Night Rebel” and a “Desert Stinker”.
Briton Louise Adamson and Pascale de Jong from Holland, who have been in the UAE for over 20 years, said the events are aimed at making outdoor sports over different terrains accessible to everyone. The challenges vary to fit people of different abilities and cover everything from sand, water and wheels to road, track or mountains.
Cross-country race
Adamson said, “The Night Rebel is a single stage 10k, 20k or 30k night cross-country race which starts and finishes at Wadi Showka/Helo on September 23.
“The course is a 100 per cent gravel jeep track and rocky wadi bed with short sharp climbs and undulations. It is marked with light reflective material for navigation. There are no hotels nearby, so your options are driving to and from the site for the event or camping once you are finished. No campsite is allocated but you are free to find yourself a place to pitch your tent, there are plenty of lovely areas,” said Adamson. “We had 250 people in the last night rebel race and we’re expecting the same number this time round too,” she added.
The Desert Stinker, which takes place on December 16, is a two-stage desert adventure run.
“For the first time, we will be introducing fat bikes, so participants can go in for a 10k fat bike or a 10k or 20k trail run. Fat bikes are wide with 3.5-4 inch tyres so they can easily go through the dunes.”
Participants will be required to run or ride their selected distance in the dark with a headlamp on a flat but challenging course marked with light reflective tape, then return to camp for food and fun and renew their run or ride over dunes the next morning. More of a family event, the camps will provide ample activities for children.
“It’s no-frills camping which means no showers, so participants prepare to get a bit stinky,” said Adamson, but added, the name of the run comes from the English word ‘stinker’ meaning ‘tough’.
In between these two events are the Urban-Ultra X-Tri 2016 on November 5 and Urban-Ultra Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge 2016 on November 18.
“The X-Tri is the only off-road mutli-discipline event in the region. Swim in a beautiful salt water lagoon, mountain bike your way over the rough terrain, then trail run through the mountains to the finish. Sport and championship course distances are open to individuals and teams,” said Adamson.
The cycle challenge with Dubai Roadsters takes one through the Hajar Mountains across to the east of Kalba, Sharjah and then north to Fujairah and Le Meridien Al Aqah. The route stretches 220km with 1,300m of elevation along tarmac roads, winding through dunes, mountains and the east coast highway to the finish where you can enjoy Fujairah beaches.
For details, go to http://www.urbanultra.com
