“Bloody hot day. Cramped super bad on the run and swam an extra 250 yards for effect. Had a great time and they treat you super well at the race and the volunteers were awesome.” – Mark Loeffler’s Facebook post following his race
We thought that racing IM Dubai 70.3 deserved a little more than this cryptic post, so we tracked Mark down to find out more about what it was really like.
It turns out that the Crown Prince of Dubai actively participates in ‘adrenaline’ sports and supports Ironman events, so it’s not surprising that this is a premium event. From the pre-race six course banquet to the generous swag, they do it right.
Flying business class on Air Emirates isn’t a bad way to start, either. Mark arrived a few days early allowed for some time to experience some of the sights while acclimatizing to the dry heat of the desert.
Mark traveled to Dubai with a group of guys who had convinced him to do his first triathlon at IM70.3 St. George a few years ago. Their goals were to lose weight – Mark’s was simply to have fun and take on the experience of a new challenge. So when they proposed going to Dubai, he quickly agreed (after running it by his wife, of course!)
One month before the race, his training took a hit due to the holidays and getting sick. When you have three young kids (11, 8 & 6) seasonal colds seem inevitable. Despite the break, Mark arrived in Dubai determined to have fun and do as well as he could, given his training. His positive and laid-back attitude resulted in a race that wasn’t a PB, but he was happy about his experience.
And why not? When the swim course starts from a beautiful sandy beach in the Palm Islands of Dubai, and the bike course goes through city and out into the Arabian Dunes, it promises to be scenic.
The rolling swim start into the Persian Gulf went well – in spite of the rolling waves that made sighting a bit of a challenge. Mark views the extra 250 meters he covered on the swim course as a more scenic way of avoiding being bumped and thrashed by other athletes. The ride was a single loop – slightly up hill and into the wind on the way out. With temperatures in the mid 80’s, he felt some cramping towards the end of the ride, so was happy to have the company of another CLPT athlete (Maged Mounir Doss) to keep him company.
It was about 1 mile into the run course that Mark realized that the cramping in his legs was going to be an issue. He stopped and did some stretching so he could carry on. At 3 miles in, he discovered the magic of flat cola that ended up saving his race. A visit to the medical tent at the finish was just a precaution to make sure his dehydration was only mild – nothing that a little ‘Pockari Sweat’ (Japanese equivalent to Gatorade) couldn’t fix up. He does remember thinking that perhaps his next race would be in a location that isn’t so hot, even if it has more hills.
The post-race awards banquet was another six course meal, which helped a lot with recovery. Mark spent a few days following the race doing typical tourist things like sandboarding and dune driving in the Al Khatim Desert, touring the ancient cities and mosques, and even managed to get back on a bike to ride on the Formula One speed track, which is open to cyclists a few days every week.
For Mark, his races are all about gathering experiences with friends and taking on challenges – just for the fun of it.
What’s next on his list for the coming year? Maybe a trail race, and a couple of adventure races, including a second attempt at the 24 hour Wilderness Traverse in August, where he hopes it will be warmer than last year’s ‘hypothermic’ experience.
So long as Mark has buddies to get out and enjoy the challenges with, he’s pretty much up for anything. Stay tuned…
Note: Race photos courtesy of FinisherPix. Written by Sandie Orlando.
