The
ultimate extreme sport team event is a unique experience that will
fascinate and move you! It is a massive challenge for all participants!
The athletes are the hardest hit, having to prove their will, fitness
and team spirit in the face of the toughest conditions. High
temperatures in the sun make the blood simmer, deep sand taxes every
muscle fibre, and the never-ending gradients and altitude changes in
the mountains deplete the reserves of strength so painfully built up
during training. The heated, comfortable, luxury hotel room will have
to wait for other customers: here, anyone participating is looking for
pure adventure! The participants sleep in tents or, if the exhaustion
is too great, simply in a sleeping bag on the ground "anywhere in the middle of nowhere". The sporting challenge?
Act One: "Mountain Bike Trail":
- 120 kilometres through rough mountain terrain
- Gradients up to 45 degrees
- 2,500 metres altitude - of which 2,200 metres stretch over 17 kilometres -
- Breath-taking downhill stretches, the speedometer needle nearly reaching 100 km/h
Foto:
Bernd
Schmitz
Foto: Dr. Michael Mittler
Enough to have stories to tell?
Yes, but we've also thought of the grandchildren and that's why we're adding more to the mix!
Act Two: "Desert Run"
- 125 km in three days through the desert
- No shade, but 50 degrees of "pleasant ambient temperature" during the day instead
- 1,500 merciless metres of altitude in soft, hot sand
That's enough?
No, because we want to have a store of pleasant memories of distant lands in our old age! And
that's why all participants experience the fascinating, incomparable
landscapes of Oman, learn to value the people and culture, and cough
mightily after their first puffs on a water pipe!
And the service teams are bored?
Of course, but only when filling up the vehicles, because apart from that they have to:
- Wring out the sweat-drenched towels of the athletes
- Put drinks and snacks at people's fingertips
- Tape up blistered toes
- Tend to the nightly camp fire and tell stories
and leave the athletes from time to time, in order to:
- scout out the wadis
- steer the all-terrain vehicles through the dunes in the desert and bring up provisions
And a lot more besides!!!!!!!
Foto: Bernd Schmitz Foto: Dr. Michael Mittler Foto: Frank Stutzke
Selection Camps
First we have to explicitly warn you of the danger of repetition because participation can be addictive! We conduct exciting, two-day Selection Camps to assess if there's actually anyone who will be taken into the circle. And that will be tough, we promise!!! The athletes sweat for two days and redefine the word "pain"! The service teams have to prove their brains and biceps, control their vehicles and show unconditional team spirit!!
Qualification of further participants
Athletes
The athletes must be at least 18 and no older than 60. Extensive experience in long-distance running and adequate preparation are mandatory. Evidence of eligibility can be proven at the Selection Camps or through current references.
Service Team
Everyone between the ages of 18 and 75 can apply to participate. We expect a clean bill of health physically and mentally, as well as a valid driver's licence, off-road experience and unconditional team spirit.
Ranking and Safety
The service teams are ready at any time to supply the participants with all the necessaries. Athletes unable to withstand the punishing conditions can take a seat in one of the service vehicles at any point. There is no ranking in the traditional sense! However, only those who complete the entire course by bike and with running shoes will be deemed to have mastered the Oman Dune-Up Challenge. As a small but valuable award, each successful participant will receive a medal. All kilometres travelled by vehicle will be written down and made public in a ranking.
Foto: Foto:
Sascha Jurek www.funsporting.com Frank Stutzke