Last Saturday, the ultramarathon scene finally, quietly, reached the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There was no fanfare and certainly no media
coverage at this first organized footrace of more than marathon length.
The course involved 50 kilometers of dirt, sand, gravel, and rocks in
the hills northeast of Jeddah. An amazing group of more than 100 people
showed up, including solo runners, relay teams, and many competing in a
concurrent mountain bike race on the same course. My hat is off to the
organizer Fabrice and all the volunteers who made this historic event
possible.
So, without further ado, here are the top 10 signs that you may be
running in the Hejaz 50 Ultra:
- You arrive at the starting line 20 minutes before the race starts –
and you’re the first one there.
- The race starts half an hour late. Nobody is upset or
surprised.
- There are more sheep than people on the course. Not all the sheep
are alive.
- After 15 kilometers, you get passed by women running with
headscarves and long, baggy pants.
- You’re running in a severe sandstorm in the middle of nowhere. On
purpose.
- At the start of the race, your competitors are all different colors.
By the end, they are all the same: sand-brown.
- After 40 kilometers you discover that you can still sprint, thanks
to the adrenaline rush of being chased by angry sheepdogs.
- You’re still in a sandstorm. Still running. Still on purpose.
- You arrive at the last water stop to find nothing. Later you learn
that it was pillaged by local farmers.
- Nobody is at the finish to get your time. Later, you get an email
from the organizers asking you to tell them what your
time was.
Oh, and the top sign that you’re running the Hejaz 50 Ultra?
You made several new friends while running 50 kilometers, and can’t
wait to do it again next year!
(but maybe without the sandstorm)
