Video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGzUT4VuFBg&feature=youtu.be

Video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STuKPrtHg2w

Video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8jHwHVW0yU

Video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxjfrMLw3_s

This was one of the richest half marathons in the world and attracted the elite runners from all over the world. The world record was at stake but the winner missed out by less than a minute. The race pack was couriered to us (something that has never happened before). On race morning, I picked Chris Homann up from his place and we drove straight to Ras Al Khaimah for the race. It was an hour away and we got there with over 45 minutes left before the race start. It was quite a chilly day and I had to walk around to keep myself warm. The race start was quite spectacular with the marching band and plenty of TV coverage. There was a helicopter above that tracked the elite runners through out the course. The race was quite scenic taking us around all the nice areas of RAK. The last 10K’s was out and back and I managed to see the elite runners on the way back to the finish line. I finished the race in under 2 and half hours about 45 minutes slower than Chris who was waiting for me at the finish line. The medal was nice as well. The one bad thing about the race was that there was no powerade on the course, just water. Later on we received an email from the race director apologizing us of the mishap and how he was cheated out by the sponsor for not providing the electrolytes. The ones that reached the starting line had the expiry date of 3 days earlier, so had to be removed from the course. This only happens in a 3rd world country. Imagine this happening in States, it would be a field day for lawyers! After the race, we drove back to Dubai and after dropping Chris, I went straight home for lunch. 

It was a small, low key event in a very small town. I drove from Kingston on race morning. Glengarry is a town situated off 401 on the Ontario Quebec border. A total of 38 people were registered for the half and the race was held on quite an uneventful out and back course. The windy over cast weather made the first 11 kms really difficult. However with the wind on my back, the 2nd half of the race was much easier. I met a couple of local women who were competing in their first half, so chatted with them along the latter part of the course. I reached the finish line with a handful of volunteers present. The finishers medal looked like it cost the organizers 10 cents each ! After the race, I hopped into my car and drove back to Kingston. Nadia and her mom were there as well. That evening, we drove back to Toronto.

It was one of those back to back races. After completing the Burlington half the weekend before, I decided to drive to London Ontario on race morning. The journey was a little over 2 hours and the race started from the UWO’s athletics’ arena. The race course was really enjoyable. It was an out and back course and most of the run was through the parks in London. The race time was as usual around the 2 hr 10 minute mark. The post race massage was a real disappointment as my masseuse seemed like a real lazy “B” as didn’t feel like exerting any pressure.  The food stall was quite good though and I got myself about 10-15 power bars. I drove back home afterwards and was treated to a lovely warm bath and a gourmet meal by Nadia.

I woke up an hour before the race and by the time I got out of the house it was already 40 minutes left to the race start. As expected, the 401 on a Sunday morning was empty.  But due to rain I could not speed on the highway. By the time I got to the race start, half an hour had already passed and the place was deserted. The race marshalls had even taken the cones off the road. Luckily I found some people on the street who guided me to the course. For the first half an hour, I was the only runner on the course and twice I took a wrong turn and drifted off the race track. Finally, I saw some runners and even overtook the van that was clearing up the cones from the street. The rest of the journey was by and large uneventful as I continued to pass all the slow runners and walkers on the way to the finish line. The one good thing I achieved by starting late was being photographed at quite a few locations! I finished the race in a little over 2 ½ hours but my race time was around 2 hrs. After the race, I got my medal and even won a bag in the draw!