JIRI in Middle East

One fine year

2012-01-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Would you believe that? Another year has passed!! Anotherand already third year in Middle East, first full year kind of focused onracing, another year without boredom…another year of my life J

Maybe for someone it would be an important year, because of the30^th birthday I had, maybe even more important that the others,because they would feel they are getting old and would try to catch up withthings they haven’t done yet. But this definitely doesn’t count for me!!Without my friends I would have even forgotten that I had some birthday. Btw…Thanksyou guys for arranging the cake…I have never been the one the restaurantpersonal are singing “Happy Birthday” to J

For me all the years have the same goal, either I’m 18 or 30and I believe even 40 J.Do things I like, be satisfied with myself and be happy. Of course, indifferent years I like different things, so I do them. If I don’t likesomething, I don’t do it. If I’m happy, I stay. If I’m not, I go. Like this,there is no need to look back and say “Man…I missed that…I should have done it”.

Definitely you cannotdo everything you would like to do for various reasons…that’s fine too! Butthat’s why we have future and dreams to fix it J

So what’s my future, my plans, my things I like to do now? Iwant to compete more and try to win some more trophies. Can I do it? Yes, I can…Check…solet’s do it! And what are my dreams? That I would like to keep for myself forthe time being ;) Can I realize them? No, I cannot…at least not now I mean!!But it is fine like that, otherwise there wouldn’t be anything driving usforward…anything telling us what we like…anything reminding us how to be happy.

!!!One fine year 2012 to everyone :) !!!

Asia adventure trip Part 3: The Chill

2011-12-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

From Borneo I continued full speed in my plan and afterthree hours sleep I flew with the first morning flight to Kuala Lumpur to spendone day with sightseeing and take then the evening flight to Bankgkok. I hadeverything prepared so I knew how to take a train from the airport to the city,how to go with elevated monorail from train station to Petronas towers andwhich way to walk back to see the city’s highlights. Spotless!!

Petronas towers, once the tallest building in the world werespectacular, but I knew that the better view than from its connecting bridge isfrom the slightly smaller TV tower, but which is on the hill, so you canactually see the towers from almost above J Amazing!! I spent a while there too. Then I slowlywalked through the city streets to Chinatown, Sri Mahamariamman temple, Centralartisan market and finished next to National mosque and the world’s biggestcovered bird-arium!

There unfortunately some stomach bug from a Chinese burgeron the street came to life and after spending an hour on the toilet I had justenough energy to take a taxi to the train and back to airport!! When I landedin Bangkok I was still somewhere between, so the three hour drive to Pranburieven in spacious private van was a nightmare. But the next day after a goodsleep in a fresh beach and jungle air I felt quite ready to finally relax,recover, enjoy and have proper holidays!

Pranburi is a forgotten small village on the east coast ofthe Thailand gulf. But they have good and reliable wind conditions, so that’swhy one Swedish entrepreneur Jay set up a kiteboarding center there and wasorganizing ITC courses to become kiteboarding licensed instructor. So actuallythese were not “proper” holidays…I came to study J I had nine days in there to do couple of preparatorytrainings like First Aid and then five day ITC course.

“Jiri…you should get a bike when you are here…that you canmove around” said Jay and I had to agree that it was a good idea. “I call onefor you” he added and I was making myself ready to pedal on a crappy citybicycle. What was my surprise that a lady brought a Yamaha 125cc scooter!! Ihave never in my life driven a motorcycle before so I was a bit cautious andafraid, but after a day I was fully enjoying riding slowly on the villagestreets with the wind in my hair. Holiday in Thailand couldn’t be completewithout a scooter. Like this I was easily going from my jungle bungalow to havebreakfast in open air restaurant, then pick up my kite gear, ride to the beach,then for Pad Thai noodle lunch…relax next to the pool, do some homework study,have Pad Thai dinner and go to a bar to have some beers…wonderful times and Ifelt sooo relaxed and kind of careless and free J

Even when the ITC course started, which was more intensivethan I thought with theory and practical real teaching sessions from 9am to5pm, I didn’t feel bothered or tired. The peaceful and easy going atmospherespurting from everything around you made the course really fun and enjoyable.Of course it was mainly because of an excellent and experienced instructor Ikafrom Serbia, who made all the information interesting and useful, so I feltthat after the course I didn’t only get the Level 1 instructor license, but Ibecame better kiteboarder and learned a lot of things about the equipment,environment and teaching techniques which will make feel better about theinstructor job I’m planning to do back in Qatar over weekends.

In such conditions as on Thailand beach the days easilymerge into one, so before I could realize it there was my final day anddeparture back home, to Qatar, to work… L I had an overnight flight from Bangkok so I had onemore morning to left. I chose to finally go to a dominant rock at the end ofthe beach and try to climb on top of it. Fortunately here was a nice trail upso I could enjoy the view and breathe the peace of that place once more fromabove.

Standing on the top of the mountain and looking to thedistance I recalled what happened in the last two weeks. Everything was great,the race, the climb and this chillout and went far beyond my wildestexpectations!! I wish all my trips are like this…but wait…happened once, so itcan happen again! So let’s do it…Let’s do another Veni-Vidi-Vici holidays J

Asia adventure trip Part 2: The Climb

2011-12-23T00:53:00.000-08:00

My holiday schedules tend to be always very tight andespecially when I travel alone I give only little to no time to rest. Here itwas no different, but I felt that after running 100k I should recover a bit, soI gave myself one day before climbing Mount Kinabalu, 4095m high Borneoprominent mountain and highest peak in the South East Asia.

Because the mountain is a National park you are obliged topay many fees, hire a guide, sleep in a mountain lodge and purchase meals fortwo days. Agencies online or in Kota Kinabalu wanted 1500 ringgits, which wasway over my budget, because I’ve read a blog that a guy did it all for 500!! Sowhen I didn’t find anybody in the city to arrange the tour for that much I said“Ok then…let’s go to the park gate and see how is the real situation there” andon Monday early morning I took a shared taxi up to the mountains.

By chance two Finish girls Iitu and Jenni were alreadyinside on the same quest, so the two hour ride flew by nicely. Even biggercoincidence was that we met another two Finish guys Ville and Jarkko and Davethe Australian at the gate arranging the trip up. And this is the spirit oftravelling J Iwas ready to do it on my own, but his was just excellent. More people, morefun!! I paid all the fees, booked a bed in the top lodge, which was supposed tobe booked out, we hired one guide together, picked up a packed lunch pack andheaded up. And with no commission to anybody the trip was exactly what Iwanted. There are a lot of traps set for uninformed travelers. I luckilyescaped this one ;)

The climb itself is very easy, so a lot of people go up.Fortunately it was low season so we, all strong and fast hikers, didn’t have tofight our way up through a crowd on a narrow and steep trail full of steps. ButI was definitely not the fastest. I had quite a hard time going up. Feet fullof blisters, muscles still aching from the marathon and full backpack ofsurvival gear for two days (just in case it wouldn’t go well at the gate)didn’t help either! But in around four hours we climbed those 6km and 1200vertical meters to Laban Rata lodge and were waiting for dinner. Beer I wascarrying up and the warm sleeping bag were well welcomed J

As it is at almost all the big mountains, the ascent startsduring the night to be at the top for sunrise. We had 2km and 800m more toclimb so we started at 2am. And it was freezing cold with constant drizzlingand quite strong chilling wind, but we were happy that we were allowed to makethe climb. The guys from day beforecouldn’t do it because of heavy rains!! And it was the same smooth and easyhiking up a wet stone slopes occasionally holding onto a fat white rope lyingon the ground. This also served as an excellent lifeline that you don’t getlost in the dark as many hikers had none or very weak torches J

I knew that were arestarting too early and we would be waiting up there for the sunrise quite awhile, but what to do…better early than sorry!! And it was work it…I had enoughtime to position my camera and film and watch the sunrise come up between theclouds. Because of the cloud cover it was not that spectacular, but stillmagical when the clouds were flying just around you and you were looking downup to the sea. I spend a lot of time up there and didn’t want to leave despiteshaking cold, but after 45 minutes of recording flying clouds around I followedthe lifeline back down to have the second breakfast with the other who leftlong time ago. I just love heights and mountains and was enjoying every step.

After having some more food at the lodge we headed down backto the gate. Lower were getting more I felt that those awesome four days inBorneo are getting to its end. We regrouped once more at an Indian bar at KotaKinabalu promenade, but because we were all quite tired from the climb wefinished early, said goodbye and everyone continued its own direction of a freetraveler. Dave flew to Vietnam, Ville and Jarkko back to Malaysia, Iitu andJenni to Singapore and me to Kuala Lumpur and then to Thailand J

Asia adventure trip Part 1: The Race

2011-11-28T12:22:00.001-08:00

“Have you thought about becoming kitesurfing instructor andearn money by teaching? Kind of cool life right!” asked me Rune during our nowrare games of Magic. “Hmmm…actually I haven’t” I replied and focused on thegame. “You can run a kite school or a water sport centre” he added, but I wasbarely listening. When I got home the next day, I started thinking about whathe said, then thinking a bit more and then I realized that it is an excellentidea. Some kind of backup plan JNo surprise that in a week I booked a kitesurfing instructor course inThailand and was going on another two week holiday! Sponsored almost entirelyfrom the 2012 leave, but I was sure it was worth it.

“Hmm…maybe I cansearch for some adventure races in the area too…once I’m going there” I thoughand started googling. “Wow…100km ultra trail marathon in Borneo…that’sclose…never done anything like that…but fits the schedule nicely…so let’s doit!!” I decided and arranged for a small detour!

The Most Beautiful Thing is Malaysia’s first 100k UltraTrail Marathon. I would prefer to do a real adventure race, but getting teammates and all the logistics is a big hassle, so I chose this as an easysolution. Did I say easy? I was never even close to running 100 kilometers in asingle go. I ran one classic marathon so far and completed 90 km hike in twoday during Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. I felt like that I would probably getto the finish, but had no idea when and how! So on the beautiful Saturday morning, 5^th ofNovember, I stood on the start line along with 80 other ultra marathoners. MountKinabalu on the horizon, nice dirt track ahead…perfect day for some running J5…4…3…2…1…GO!!! And I was off…

My strategy was to forget about the others, run to finishand enjoy. And at the first kilometer it was exactly like that. I started witheasy pace 10 km/h. Around 10km it started to be a bit hillier so I was walkingup a lot and running down and flats. “Man…like that I will never get there…Ihave to start running up the mild slopes also” I decided and started slowlypassing runners on uphill still keeping my pace. From the Coast to Coast race Ilearned how easily you can lose time on check points and transitions, so I wasshortly stopping only at every second check point to refill water and waseating power bar every 1.5 hour while on the move.

At around 30km I started to feel pain in my legs and felttired. Fortunately the terrain changed to nice narrow trails through grassfields, forests and jungle using several hanging bridges to get across rivers,so I forgot about the pain and was enjoying the run still keeping my pace. Butwhen I got out of jungle onto a wide gravel road along the river I wasfinished. My legs were in big pain and I couldn’t run. It was on 39 km, so Idecided to rest and walk 2km to CP 4 and see what would happen next!

“Do you know how many guys are in front of me?” I couldn’tresist and I asked the time keepers at CP4. “There is him” he pointed to a guy nextto me I caught on the steep uphill to the village, “Then him” showed anotherguy just entering the CP, “And there is one more ahead. You are second!” headded. “What???” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. But this information together with a bit of rest I got during the last 2k somehow gave me the power to pushforward. And I started pushing hard.

There was nothing much flat to really run, but I at least kind of stumbling/jumping downhill and was walking quickly up. Now I think it was my strength,because I was walking much faster up than many others. At CP 5 at 50km I had 5minutes lead over my pursuers. I ran into the CP, signed up, grabbed a waterbottle and was off again. I didn’t know that there was food available. That’s probablywhy I haven’t seen them ever again J

Further and higher I was getting and narrower and moretechnical he trail was becoming, more strength, speed and fun I had!!Surprisingly the 15km jungle section around CP6 and 7 was the best part of therace. 20 centimeters wide trail cut into a steep grassy slope slowly winding upthe valley, muddy path full of roots through a jungle bottom or a downhillslalom in a thick cover of trees and bushes wiped out all pains and refueledme with fresh energy. I was running fast and enjoying it with full breaths.Just wonderful feeling of complete freedom J

There was food on CP6 and CP7 (they were both the sameplace), but I resisted a boiling stew or fresh pasta and only grabbed a coupleof bananas and ran away. “What?? Am I running the wrong way?” asked me a guygoing up to CP5 when I was heavily running back down to CP8, which was the sameplace as CP4. “No no. You are right. 5km to your checkpoint. I’m alreadyrunning back!” I replied. “Aaaaha…OK…so you are first then?” he continued. “I’msecond. There is one guy in front” I shouted back over my shoulder. Just beforeCP7, at CP6A, I knew that the leader was 15 minutes in front and because I didn’tpass him yet, so he had to be still somewhere ahead.

“No no…I’m second” I told another girl going up. “Cannot be!I’m sure you are the first one coming down I’ve seen” she replied surely. Ididn’t believe her much, but this information gave me an extra push to CP8where I would find out the truth. What I didn’t know was that the leader wassitting at CP7 having his stew when I rushed in, signed up, grabbed a bananaand was on the move again in less than one minute! So when on CP8 at 75km I wastold that I’m the first, the time for the final step came! 25km to the title!

Power bar, anticramp tablet and sack ofelectrolyte I was saving for the finish came in and I was running down theriver to start the final uphill. I started walking up with a good spirit, butwhen curve after curve were passing I was slowly losing my enthusiasm. After 45minutes I was finally on the top and was stumbling down to CP9. I thought thatit was over. But when I saw the orange tapes pointing up another super steepclimb, I started to break down. Walking up, whole legs in pain, swearingaloud…the climb was endless! After another 30 minutes I was KO. The climbclaimed me! I wanted to run the nice flat gravel road on the ridge top, but Icouldn’t. Eventually I made couple of quicker moves, but that was it. And whenthe night came, descent became same steep as the climb and when the routemarking tapes spread to one every 300 meter bringing navigation uncertainty, Iwas down! Shouting into the night, wobbling slowly down on loose stones wantingto stop and rest in every abandoned hut along the way. I was desperate. But Inever stopped moving no matter how dire I felt. I kept going. These were one ofthe longest 10km in my life. After the neverending 2 hours I made it to CP10 at90km mark. I sat down, refilled water, had a coke, took a deep breath and setoff for the last 10.

The route became a bit flatter, so I managed to increase thespeed by running some portions. I smelled the finish, but was thinking more andmore about how far behind can the others be. I knew I was going slowly and Iknew that if somebody catches me now I wouldn’t be able to keep up. That waswhat my brain was telling me. My body had a different opinion!

When I reached a village school I knew was very close to thefinish, I got stuck in the garden unable to find out where the trail went next.“Ahh…it’s you!” I heard from the back. I turned around and responded“Ahh…Anthony! You caught me at last”. What happened next was not my decision.It was a decision of my body which acted independently to my mind! “The trailgoes to the left” one lady showed us a way and Anthony ran for it and I closelyfollowed. The trail led into the jungle again and just when we got in the trailsplit. Anthony went right, but stopped because it was a dead end. I saw markingon the left and took the turn and lead. Once nobody was blocking the narrowtrail I sprinted forward. And I was really sprinting. All pain vanished insecond, senses sharpened and I was leaping through a night forest only with mytiny headlamp with all the speed I got. Roots, branches, boulders, streams orhanging bridge…nothing slowed me down. It was a real suicide run. One wrongstep and all would have been lost!

After a kilometer the forest ended and I sawtorches marking the way around some houses. “Come on!! BE HERE!!” I shoutedstill in full speed. And really…after another 500 meters I saw the arch. Ijumped though the finish line with fist high in the air. Unbelievable!!! Notonly that I made it to the finish, I won the race!!! Anthony took it easy andfinished 7 minutes behind. Other guys came one hour later, but at that time Iwas almost on the way back to the hotel.

I don’t know if 13:47:30 is a good time for trail ultra. It was definitely tough, but when I woke up the next day after 10 hour sleep, went downstairs for breakfast and just saw one guy coming back from the finish after nearly 30 hours out there, I had to think that he was tougher! He didn’t give up. And that it is all about. Keep going and don’t give up. It’s worth it to be in the finish and the feeling pays for everything. And if you are good (or lucky) the prize pays for something too J

One week in a year

2011-11-28T12:02:00.001-08:00

One problem with all holiday is that they are never enough. Four weeks of leave a year is not much and apart from that Qatar is one of the countries with the least number of public holidays. We have only 7 days a year. So its five weeks a year! One week for small single days off, three week expedition holiday somewhere around the world and we have one week left do go home L

Because with all this racing I just couldn’t fit everythingI wanted into these five weeks, I cheated and took leave form the next year!But even then I after I came back from Coast to Coast I had only one week tospend with my parents, Jan and see my friends back home. Not enough, but Ithink we made the most of it!

During summer there are many more possibilities what to dowe went bouldering to Vesec, a small locality next to “my city” Liberec. Idon’t have to tell you how badly I sucked after giving up climbing for morethan a year, because there is really nowhere to climb in Qatar. And especiallyon razor sharp granite rock I basically didn’t finish a single boulder. Nexttime J

Then we went for a day 80k bike ride around the house.Picturesque clouds on azure sky, green grass and forests and couple of nicesingle track descents reminded me how riding bike can be diverse anddifferent!! Sliding silently through smooth forest paths, crossing streams andmud pools or climbing up the road between the fields cannot possibly be boring.In contrast to that, everyday riding through the same yellow dry flatwasteland, jumping over same stones everywhere you go and not having the needto shift gears more than twice per hour can be a bit dull. Here…we had a greattime increased by stopping for a beer and ice cream on the way J

When we started to miss driving the car again we went toFrankenjura, one of the most famous rock climbing areas in Europe. Jan wasgoing there the whole summer, so he knew that without a 1000 page climbingguide with description of 10 000 routes, we would be lost! And it was wellworth it, because we found many beautiful routes and had two days of excellentclimbing. I still sucked, but a bit less than last time. Limestone, big holdsand overhangs suits me definitely better J

With couple of days I spent at home with my parents andhaving a drink with old friends from high school, there was soon only one dayleft. We, actually it was only me, wanted to go to the Czech highest mountain,where I still haven’t been!!! But because the forecast was bad we chose to gofor a shorter hike onto another mountain Smrk, which was closer, lower andwhere we both haven’t been yet. The weather was not that bad so we enjoyed thehike a lot. Especially me, still being amazed by all the green color around me,hills with not a single flat place in the sight, rivers with waterfalls…justbeautiful and exciting.

It was nice to be back and I realized that I enjoyed it muchmore than in winter. I really don’t miss winter and snow in Qatar! So I’ll bedefinitely back next year…don’t know for how long…but a week for sure J

Coast to Coast adventure race 2011

2011-09-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thepurpose of all the holidays is the same…to relax, forget about all the troublesand enjoy your time. What is different about the holidays is how you relax ;)

WhenI landed in Prague at 11am, my brother Jan picked me up and we went straighthome, but there were no chilling out or cold beers. We packed some more gearand at 7pm we were already driving to England. Why the hell we were driving1500k to Lake District? Because we had a race to do!! That’s how I relax J

Adidas Terrex Coast to Coast adventure race isa four day multi discipline race, when you in 4-5 consecutive stages every dayrun, bike, kayak or swim through unknown countryside (for me unknown, but forsome local heroes quite familiar!) for more or less 6 hours without break. Forthe most of adventure races you need a team, which is quite difficult to get,especially in Qatar, so I chose this race because it was possible to go soloand it was also a good opportunity to find out how good and fit I reallyam…competition was tough! And because you have to bring your own bike, kayakand be able to move between the transition points and change the gear fromstage to stage, I needed a car and a support person who would drive meanwhileI’m racing. That explains why Jan took his car and we extended the race for two24 hour road trips J

Soon that day we smoothly crossed Germany, Belgium, lightened up for couple ofEuros in the Euro tunnel (never go there without pre-booking your ticket!),rented a green kayak in Leeds and crashed for the night in a scout camp in LakeDistrict. We had luckily one extra day for additional preparations so wemanaged to buy a smoke flare in Windermere, to realize that our kayak spray deckis too small, to buy another spray deck (I got it one hour before the startfrom a guy from Windermere kayak shop who I called and who was by chance in themedia coverage team coming for the race) and to scout the bike route for theday one a bit. We met up with my friends Andy and Jake doing the race too andthat was it. The time came to make all the training worth it. LET’S RACE!!!

Day 1

Mygoals were to finish. This was not an objective, I simply had to do it…noquestions about that. In the back of my realistic mind I thought to finish inthe first half from the 19 guys in my category. In the back of my dreaming mindI wanted to on the podium, which obviously vanished just at the first day!

Ibrought a good weather from Qatar with me so the race could start with 10.5ksea kayak section. Everybody lined up in the old harbor in Whitehaven and whenthere was a zero on the clock, passed the buoys and headed along the cliffs toSt. Bees. I had a 5m long sea kayak which I believe was reasonably fast, but Icouldn’t compete with guys with elite surf ski boats which were flying throughthe waves like sharks. I was not very comfortable with the new boat, especiallyon the wavy sea, so I was a bit struggling and I finished somewhere within thefield.

Ourfirst transition was flawless. Jan took his role more than responsibly, andwhen I jumped off the boat in the racing mode flooded with adrenaline I heardexactly what I needed: “Leave the boat, run to the flag to the bike…” Hefollowed me up, reminded to put on the race jersey and punch “Transition out”and I was off again in less than 4 minutes. Not perfect 1 minute like theleaders but not bad for the beginning.

Thenext 30k road bike section I knew from the previous day so I was fast. Wethought that doing the race support would be easy, that Jan would have time tofollow me, make pictures and take it easy. When I came to the next transitionjust couple of minutes after him, we saw that we were wrong. So for the rest ofthe race, except for one sad section during the second day Jan was same busy asme driving, loading and unloading the boat, assembling the bike, filling camelbags, preparing clothes, giving orders and making sure I don’t forgetanything…with basically not time to spare J

Thenext section was 5.5k kayak on the lakes Buttermere and Crummock water with a1k portage between them. I took a bit complicated route and with 25kg kayak onmy back it was quite painful. I felt a bit cheated when I saw videos of thesurf ski guys lifting their boats like feathers and running with them on theirshoulders.

Afterthe next transition and with the racing field quite spread up I was heading onfoot up 700m to Robinson with little company. Seeing another 3 days of racingahead I was not going 100%, but almost. But when I got to the top and startedto run down 13k to the finish I decided to slow down a bit more. All the hillswere so steep that going up you had to go on all four sometimes and you canimagine how hard is to run huge boulder steps down. So after a while, when Istarted to feel my knee I took it a bit easier.

Therewas one surprise at the end yet, 400m of swimming through freezing lake. Withthe final energy boost of a Turbo snack I jumped into 15 degree water withoutthinking and actually came out on the other side also. I started shaking, couldn’tspeak, but put on the shoes and ran the last 1.5k to the finish. Without ajacket Jan left there for me, I would have been turned into ice I guess!

Thefirst day was over and it was tougher than I expected. If somebody heard mesaying that 6 hours of racing is a piece of cake, I was wrong! But still, Imanaged to finish 8^th in my category and was 11^thoverall. There were some really crazy guys in “Men solo” which were just out ofreach, so I focused more on keeping the guys behind me in check, especiallyTarquin who caught me on the running stage and was 7 minutes back.

Atthe camp we spend couple of hours with preparing the gear for the next days,studying map in which I terribly failed, eating whatever was around and afterthe race briefing we went to sleep.

Day1: Time 6:22:12, Distance 65km, Elevation gained 1760m

Day 2

Anotheradvantage of being fast was that you could sleep longer. So with staggeredstart every 4 minutes from 6am and with 35 slower racers behind I was on around8:20 with Tarquin just 4 minutes ahead. First 9k road bike stage was lightningfast and with a blink of an eye I was already paddling on Thirlmere 6k downsouth. I caught Tarquin at the beginning of another brutal ascent to Helvellyn duringthe next 15k running stage and in the same time I was caught by Adam who was 7^thand starting right behind me. I outran them a bit on the way up…and then I screwedup!!!

Navigationis usually one of the most important things in adventure racing and this racewas no different. Only difference was that the route was known several weeksbefore and it was the same as the Coast to Coast 2009. Therefore the local andreturning racers almost didn’t need a map. They just knew where to go. Here wasmy disadvantage. The navigation in this race was quite easy, going on publicfootpaths and ways often marked or well visible, so during the first day I hadno problem and up to the top of Helvellyn was smooth also. That was probablywhy I lost a bit of focus and concentration, didn’t check the map and followedthe team just ahead of me. Two mistakes in the same time. They went the wrongway and when they stopped to check the map, I said “The lake down there is theone from the map…only dried up!!” Silly right? When I checked the map in theevening, I immediately found that dried up lake with a dam there…just in theother valley!! So I don’t have to tell you how I was crawling in the mud, wetgrass and dense shrubbery across the ridge back to the correct side and how Ilost around one hour by doing that!!

Inthe transition areas there was a screen with GPS tracking of the competitorsshowing their position. When I reached finally the transition point, Jan kneweverything. “I screwed up there!!” I said quietly. “Have I lost a lot?” Hesadly nodded. But as a real support he added “Jiri!! Let’s go!! The race isstill long…come on!!!” With all motivation lost a paddled 13k alone across thelake dreaming “How nice would that be to catch Tarquin on the bike and finishsame as him”.

Weplanned well the road bike section and picked a good route, so after the kayakand pushing the bike over a steep hill at the start I was flying 30 km/haverage speed to the 44k far finish. You will probably not believe it, butdreams sometimes come true…even the racing ones. So immediately after when Icrossed the finish line and turned back I didn’t believe my eyes!! “Tarquin!!What the hell are you doing here…” Apparently I was not the only one who made anavigation mistake that day J

Atthe end of the day the cards were on the table. Adam on 7^th was 1.5hour ahead and Chris on 10^th was 1.5 hour back. It was just betweenme and Tarquin still separated only by 10 minutes.

Day2: Time 7:08:08, Distance 85km, Elevation gained 1930m

Day 3

Iwas getting tired. I though kayaking would be my strongest discipline, butbecause kayaking in summer is almost impossible in Qatar I didn’t train muchand without surf ski type boat I would be slow anyway. Then I thought I wouldgain some time in running, but my legs now were hurting, sore, heavy and I wasrunning slow. I also thought I would be good in mountain biking but going steepup and down on gravel or wet mud was not exactly my style and I was going quitecarefully (read “slow”). So to my surprise it was the road bike sections onmountain bike with road tires where I was gaining and was faster. Day 3 wasexactly like that.

First20k running section through flooded meadows, streams and tons of black stickymud, I took too easy and a lot of people gained on me. I tried to speed up fromthe highest point down following a guy who was 3^rd in standings, buthe ran away also. Adam caught me at the end of the stage, which didn’t help atall. The following section on mountain bike I really felt I can’t find strengthto push harder. The track was bumpy and tricky, I was a bit afraid to go fasterand when I did, I lost it right away with some small navigation error.

After wechanged wheels came the road bike part again. With straight forward navigationI somehow managed to find energy, speed up and finish the stage couple ofminutes faster than Targuin. Everybody was getting tired I guess!!

Ididn’t feel good about my performance that day. “I could have fought more andshould have done it!!” I admitted and I promised myself to give everything thelast day and defend my 8^th position and try to gain something in theoverall ranking.

Day3: Time 5:41:43, Distance 89km, Elevation gained 1180m

Day 4

Still13^th overall I had the luxury of starting 7:30am in contrast to thelast guys going off at 5am!! In the middle of the initial 17k road bike sectionI caught the 2^nd best lady and during the next 14k running stage Iovertook couple of teams. I was trying to go as fast as I could but I wasfeeling that there is just little energy left. I passed couple of more peopleat the beginning of the 31k MTB stage, but then I lost my map, due to not verysmart design of my bike map holder. “Shit!! I have to try to follow up somebodyor wait until somebody catch me up and shows me the way!!” I though. I didn’thave to wait long for the solution. “Hi Adam” I greeted second of two MiddleEastern competitors in the race. “You don’t have a map?” I asked. “No!” hereplied. “But you know where you are doing?” I asked again. “Yes!” he saidclenched in the aerobars and fighting against the head wind. “Next left”he added. “Thanks Adam” and I rode forward.

Atthe end of the stage, during fast downhill section Adam overtook me anddisappeared on his fat MTB tires together with couple of teams in my sight. Ichose to have road tires and was cautious. “Alone without the map…not good” Ithought when I arrived to the village where the transition should have been.Luckily I remembered a bit from map and with help of a typical car with kayakon the roof coming from the right, I turned right and found the transition. Janhad ready a new map for me and within a minute I was climbing a steep hill ofthe last 22k stage of the race.

Itried to give everything what I had, but there was nothing!! No energy gels,power bars or Turbo snacks helped and I was riding like a ghost to the finish.Whole day Jan was telling me that Tarquin is was couple of minutes ahead, sowhat was my surprise when 6k before the end he passed me from behind. “I took adifferent route” he said and kept going. I tried to follow, but I justcouldn’t. Fortunately he was not gaining much so I could have stayed calm whenhe caught green on the road crossing and I had to wait J

Thelast 600m meters to the finish Jan ran with me. He diplomatically didn’t crossthe finish line, but he made it too. We made it!! After 24 hours, 14 minutesand 24 seconds and 320km of racing we were on the other side of England. Wefinished 8^th in Men solo category and 12^th overall, just45 minutes behind 3^rd ranked team and being 10^th overallout of 47 racing formations, 14 hours ahead of the last one, but over 2 hoursfrom 7^th and 5 hours behind the overall winner!

Day4: Time 5:02:56, Distance 84km, Elevation gained 1640m

Iwas happy that Andy and Jake camped with us until the next days to have someenergy for our long drives home. We were all super tired, but only physically.Mentally we were fresher than ever and already making even tougher plans forthe next year J

Youdon’t have to ask me…It was definitely worth it and if possible I will do itagain in two years and if I liked adventure racing before, after the race I washooked!!! I was also happy that Jan liked his role and didn’t regret joining either…but next time he’ll be on the track also!

Seeyou soon again in another adventure J

You can check out the Google Earth view of the race route in case you plan to do it in 2013 :)

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1443442#Post1443442

Busy summer

2011-09-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ithas been a while since my last blog post, my last race or since the last timesomething extraordinary or exciting happened. Why? Simple…the summer came downto Qatar!!

Whensummer months come to any of the Middle Eastern countries everything slowsdown. It’s too hot to stay outside of air conditioned space, so almosteverybody take their holidays. Then the rest of the people are waiting for theHoly Month of Ramadan when literally everything and everybody stop. Shops andrestaurants are closed, bars are closed, offices are closing early, decisionsare postponed and the whole country hibernates. Did I say everybody? Of courseI meant everybody except me J My summer was busier than normal! Iwas working, studying and training full time…to spare time left.

Yes…you’veheard correct…I’m studying! I signed up for Project Management certificateonline from University of California. I have to do six courses to complete thecertificate. In each of three terms in a year I can choose to take one 12 weeksof two 8 week accelerated courses. For the summer term, because I thought Iwould have plenty of time I took two fast ones when you have weekly homework,assignments, message board discussions and projects for 8 weeks in a row(actually 16 for me) with 2 day break in between. Lot of work!

Apartfrom that I had to start training hard for my racing highlight of the year, theCoast to Coast Adidas Terrex race in England at the end of August. It is a fourday multi discipline race from the west coast of England to the east, 300k oftrail running, biking kayaking and swimming.

Sofrom the beginning of May until the end of August I was working from 7:30 till5:00, doing homeworks 10-15 hours a week and training the rest of the time.OK…I still had my Thursday Magic night and a few week days when I fell asleep,got drunk or watched movies, but still…I was really busy J

ButI have to admit that I couldn’t have chosen a better time to do all this. Withlittle temptation and disturbance from the summer world around I had the peaceto concentrate and finish just in time all what I’ve planned!

Soon the 23^rd of August I sent the last email to my colleagues withthe list of what they should follow, cleared the last item in my TO-DO list,switched off the mobile phone, packed my 20kg hockey bag full of sport gear andwhen I heard “Please close your laptop we will be landing in Prague”, I hit theSAVE button of my final project for the last time…and then I was ready to enjoymy holidays JI was free!!

Racing Qatar 2011 - Going adventure

2011-05-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

That day after the Abu Dhabi adventure challenge something clicked in me and I got really excited about the whole concept of adventure racing. Several days of long distance racing on foot, bike or kayak through usually unknown, unexplored and wild territory. Depending only on your map and compass puts you beyond marked tracks and the whole thing become personal. I felt that this is the right sport for me. I like endurance events and I like running, mountain bike and kayaking and here I can do all. I like exploration and here I will be put exactly into a position of a scout. I like competition and this is just all about challenges J

“So let’s give it a try” I said when I came back from Christmas holidays and I wrote down to Google search “Adventure race”. And from there came my 2011 racing plan. As the main event I chose Adidas Terrex Coast to Coast 4 day stage adventure race in England in August. “What? I have to have an English kayaking certificate for this?” I was looking surprised at the race requirements. “Hmm…what to do” I said at the end. “But I really want to do this race, so I guess I just have to get it!”. And where is the best place to go, when you cannot do it in Qatar? England of course. “But I just can’t go there only for that” I thought. “Let’s do also something else once I’m there”. And that’s how I signed up for Questars Q2, two day adventure race in Dorset on the south coast of England. “I will need a holiday anyway!” J

So on April 14, I took my hockey bag full of sport gear and flew to the old continent. The first stop was in Bristol where I arranged with watersports coach Joe a kayaking training to get UKCC Star 2 certificate that I can ride kayaks and canoes. I was thinking that I would be paying just for that piece of paper, but during those four hours I actually learned couple of new things and was happy that Joe didn’t just take my money and gave me a stamp after seeing that I can paddle forward! So we played under unusually sunny sky with various crafts in cold and still water of a small river just outside of Bristol lined with trees and with a wye, doing capsizes, rescues and several paddle techniques. Perfect day and great fun!! After he took me to a train station and I left southwards to Dorset.

I was lucky to “hitchhike” a taxi standing next the station to the intersection from where it was just 5k to the race base camp. 5k is nothing with small backpack, but not with 20 kilo bag on your shoulder and English drivers let me feel it hard when not picking me up hitchhiking for more than half of the way!! But at the end one nice driver took me up to the campsite, so I had enough time to put my tent, enjoy hot burger from the food stand and get decent sleep. I had some racing to be done!!

The race morning was quite typical. I got my hired bike delivered at 9am, so with trying to fit all gear onto it, breakfast, race breefing and general race packing and preparations I was running almost last to the start with no time to prepare or think about what I’m going to do there!! They gave us the map for the first 200 minutes MTB stage before, but the time for kayak stage we received after the start and also there were two additional checkpoints (which I couldn’t mark to the map because I didn’t have a pen. I had to remember!) and some additional rules announced, so all strategy from evening was worth nothing.

So I just took the bike, with bike computer fitted loose inside the map board (I didn’t have ties long enough) hanging only on two of three supports (because I didn’t have time and tools to fit it on properly) and just start riding south to the optional checkpoints. Fortunately the navigation looked quite easy, when I stopped and focused on the map because it was so shaking, so found first checkpoint and after I asked some other racers where were the optional again, I found those also. “Damn…how do I continue?” I asked myself on the second optional. I didn’t think that I wouldn’t have time to go around the mountain as the best way, because I had to be in 30 minutes at the kayak section. Simple route planning mistake. So I turned back and rode full speed to the other side of the map to the sea J I managed to collect couple more points on the way and arrived to the transition point exactly the minute my time for kayaking started. Incredible!!

Kayak was super easy on flat water and in 15 minutes I was done. I left the others on the sea struggling to keep going straight and continued biking. After some more collected checkpoints without major problems I probably relaxed my concentration a bit because suddenly I found myself on the golf Course. “Purbeck Golf Isle? There is nothing like this here” I wondered looking checking map around the spot I wanted to be. “Whaaat!!! I’m here??? Cannot be!!” and I was screwed. I kept fighting and rode as fast as I could back to find the point I wanted, but with some additional searching it took me 35 minutes instead of 10 to get there. Novice!!

What to do. I still had some time so I continued to most expensive point and was coming back riding on the top of a ridge collecting more of the expensive ones. When I got to the before last I realized that I had really little time for getting back and not suffering penalty for late arrival. So I rode steep downhill from the ridge on stairs for people going up, joined asphalt road and was sprinting back to the camp. And again…I incredibly managed to arrive only 70 seconds late. Very strange, how can you possibly do it after 3 hours, 2km kayak and 55km bike…just strange!!

There were 2 categories in the race, Masters and Novice. When I registered I really didn’t know what to expect, how good are the guys in England, how good I’m in comparison with European competition. The criteria for being Novice was “to attend not more than 3 adventure races” which I complied with and because I don’t like competing where I have no chance, so I chose the safe side and signed up as Novice.

And I was quite surprised when I saw results after the first stage, where I was first Novice with 443 points (out of 550) and 13 points ahead of the second. Among Masters I would be 13^th. “Even with half an hour error I came first?” I was asking myself while eating everything what was around me to get calories for next stage starting in 2 hours. “But good” I smiled. “I just keep going and maybe there is a chance J”

2.5 hour second stage was only running, my stronger discipline, because you go slower and have more time for good navigation. And exactly as I though it went. I started running in a spiral around the camp from the furthest and most expensive points around and closing in. I had strength enough so running the ridge and forest trails was quite easy and fun. I collected first activity point where you had to tie knots and also the second where I had find a secret checkpoint, which was luckily just around the way I wanted to run anyway J Just before the finish I realized “Wait, I still have 5 minutes…let’s try to find No.19” which was the closest to the camp. So I went off the trail jumped a barbed wire and was on the road where the checkpoint should have been. But which direction!! “Right or left?” I thought quickly. “Heey there it is!!” I heard somebody shouting from my right. Simple J

I finished my around 25km stage comfortably 1.5 minutes before the clock with 376 (410) points, which was the third best score overall!! So not only that I kept my first place between novices, but I also increased my lead for another 59 points.

I was really wasted after this stage, so I went to my tent, put all my clothes, lied down in the sleeping bag shivering cold and started eating. Energy bar, energy gel, milk rice, bananas, muesli bars…just everyting what I found around!! After an hour I went for a burger to the stand and then lied down again. There was one more stage to do.

Stage 3 was 1 hour 20 minutes and 10 k of night running. Just before the race I bought a super powerful MTB light, which can be used for running also. So when we started I lid the forest (it really shines like a car J) and easily found all checkpoints in the best time out of all 1:01:21, also because a lot of locations I already knew from the previous stages. I didn’t do the activity, because it was something with letters and guessing a word, and I might even not have known the word, because I’m not English native speaker, so I skipped that. I was in running mode and not in thinking one anyway J But I was the second best overall anyway, I gained another 21 points of lead and I went to sleep with optimistic feeling “Man…I think I can do it!!!”

The last stage 4 hour stage (5 hours for Masters) was everything combined. “OK…let’s play it safe. Just to control the race” I ordered myself and started with running, which were sure points because I couldn’t get lost. Getting lost and losing time was the only way how I could possibly lose the race. It was not the way how to collect maximum number of points, but “What is home, counts” I ran to the furthest running points along the ridge (after the race I found out that nobody else was there that day J). But after around 2 hours and another 20km of trail run I felt I was just too tired and running too slow so I went to transition and changed to bike. I collected couple of bike points on the way to kayak transition, collected all kayak points in 30 minutes and…and I realized “OMG…I completely forgot about the activity point!!!” When I got back to the bike and the map I immediately checked where the activity point actually was. “Damned!! It’s on the other side of the map!! I was just 2km from the point during the run and it’s on the top of the ridge!! Stupid!! Novice!!” I swore and started sprinting back to the AP.

I had 15 minutes left when I got to the top. I was not really in the mood of searching in the map for “Giant’s hall”, “Tumuli” and various ranches, so I was a bit struggling. “It’s the end of the day anyway” said the race marshal on the checkpoint. “I don’t care!!” and he helped me to find the secret location on the map and gave we extra points for completion J

“Once I here, let’s collect one more. If I come 5 minutes late it’s still worth it” I said and went down along the ridge. I came 2.5 minutes late, but it didn’t matter at all. I won the Novice stage with 454 (810) points, 94 point ahead of the second!! And then I was the winner!! “WOW!!...I made it” I cheered and opened a beer I brought for the end of the race and was carrying whole way up to here!! Then I looked at the overall standings and counted “If I had that one extra hour as Masters had, I could have collected 100 point more and I would have been 4^th overall”. “Maybe I really am quite good” I thought. “But there is still room for improvement and I can be and want to be better!!” I closed the subject and went for price giving.

It was great feeling standing there in my ENVAC racing shirt, your name said aloud, getting a certificate, winning 40 pounds of vouchers one online sport gear store (really valuable prize ;) and having the photo for official web. I don’t know if you can have enough of winning, but I definitely don’t and I’ll try next time again J

I wouldn’t mind to race the next day again, but everything has to end. So I asked Andy and Jake if they can give me a lift to the bus station and after Fish&Chips and couple of ciders and took the bus to Gatwick airport and Emirates plane back to Qatar.

If it was worth to fly that far for 3.5 days? Hell yeah it was!! Another unforgettable memory, trophy, experience and fun. Please give me more…I’m really looking forward to coming back for Coast to Coast and go another adventure…living adventure…being myself J

Racing Qatar 2011 - On the winning wave

2011-05-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Short Friday Intividual Time Trials were originally organized by road bikers, but because mountain bikers wanted to have fun also, there has been introduced MTB category with separate offroad track. But one time trial showed that going across all those stones and bumps alone and only against time is not the fun we were used to, so instead of having second ITT we changed it to normal MTB race with mass start, still on the same track but with 5 laps instead of 3. And the race could begin!!

I started again from the middle, I don’t why I’m still doing that when I know that now tactic will stop me from going full speed no matter what! So with my usual speed “Go 5 laps and die” I caught Davy on the lead in the first quarter of the first round and followed him until the second half, because I just couldn’t pass him on that stony technical part. But once we got onto the second half of the track which was pretty straightforward dirt road, I overtook him and took the lead. Davy kept the pace for the rest of the lap but then, as he said “…then it was time for me to let go of the “Beast from the East”, that’s how they were calling me after the Zikreet race J So I was alone in the lead again, just passing people one even two rounds back.

“Juhuuu…” I shouted with clenched fist in the air when finishing the last lap. “Jiri..don’t stop…one more round…” scorekeepers yelled at me. “What? It can’t be…I did 5 laps!!” I responded in disbelief. “No Jiri seriously..one more to go”. With no watch, bike computer or GPS I couldn’t argue, so I kept going. I should have been dead by now, so was going much slower.

“Hey Jiri…you do one extra lap?” asked me one rider when I was overtaking him. “Hey Jiri…you do a lap of honor?” asked me David when I overtook him. And then I realized that I was right. I really did 5 laps and was sent to the sixth!! And then I got a puncture ripping the tire and tube apart.

“OK…whatever…I guess this is a price for winning last 3 MTB races J” And not giving much chances to the others. This time I finished 54:36, 3 minutes ahead of the second.

Racing Qatar 2011 - On my ground

2011-05-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

The next QCR MTB race on schedule was the famous Zikreet Rambler in the beautiful “Film city” peninsula with high dry cliffs, rocky hills, sandy roads and plenty of dirt tracks to play on. I volunteered again to help built and mark the course so some of the technical sections were creations of my twisted mind J I arrived on spot at 2am to be able to wake up at 6am and help putting flags and be 100% ready at the start line at 8am. This was quite rare that I was not doing anything on the last minute. I should try to do this more often, because I felt great…emptied, hydrated, motivated, excited!!

BANG!!! And 80 bikers started for a 32k course. I’m very bad race tactician. I just can’t go easy, stay with the lead, see how it goes and then attack. My strategy is different. I start right away with tempo “Finish the race and die” going basically 95% with little reserve for chasing somebody who is faster than me. I push on the other’s nerves by forcing them to keep up from the beginning, which few are used to, or see me disappear, which is kind of frustrating!! I always have the intention to change this, but it just never works and I push forward as hard as I can. “I can always slow down” I say, “Let’s see how far can I go!!”

This race was no difference. I started in the middle of the field, but quickly progressed to the front, where Davy was leading the pack. I overtook him and he tried to keep up for 1k more, but then he fell back. And I then was alone, in the lead, on my playground!! I helped to build the course and I did it twice before the race so I knew exactly where to go and could focus only on cycling. Initial short technical sections I overcame fearlessly with adrenaline in my eyes and the rest was just basically straight flat sandy and rocky track, which is exactly where is my biggest strength!!

So after 10k at the first checkpoint I had 6 minutes lead J And then there was the finish, 1:19:22. The scorekeepers were almost not yet ready for somebody’s arrival, so I had time to get my camping chair, camera and comfortably sit in the finish line to take pictures of the others. First of them arrived 13 minutes after me J

Racing is the best training and I felt I improved a lot in since my first race. Actually I improved to such position that the “Weekly QCR newsletter” was saying “…and JIRI won the MTB race…no surprise here” J

Racing Qatar 2011 - Until exhaustion

2011-05-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Aspetar sport medicine hospital in Doha is a world class medical facility with world class funding and therefore with world class scientists doing world class research related to sports and human performance. Like the one studying effect of altitude on body performance and trying to determine whether it was your head, breath or muscles what stopped you from pedaling further. Why I know all this? Because through Qatar Chain Reaction I volunteered to be a subject in this study J

The initial session was easy and fun. I sitting fixed to a special chair and with around 20 different sensors attached to my body measuring various body function like muscle contraction strength and electrical activity, pulse, brain activity, expired gases analysis, etc. I was looking like a Christmas tree!!

First I had to push with my leg against metering arm to determine the muscle maximum strength. In the mean time I was getting “stimulations” (small electric shocks to my head and groin). “Look at the curves” said scientist Olivier He meant of course the muscle activity curve on the computer screen. “Perfect subject” agreed Sebastien. Then we moved to cycling pressure chamber where I had to pedal at 80 rpm with increasing the machine resistance 25W per minute until exhaustion. “Until exhaustion? How do I do that?” I asked naively. “It’s very simple. You cycle until you cannot keep 80!” replied Olivier. “Hmm..we’ll see” I still couldn’t imagine how I could feel J

And really…around 350W I started to feel that it is getting tough and at 450W I was just done. Breathing like a steam train I couldn’t push my legs forward. “So this is exhaustion!” I though. Definitely not a pleasant thing!! But this was nothing in comparison to the other three sessions.

Starting with quite tough 8 min warm-up we went to the pressure chamber simulating to me unknown altitude 0, 2000 or 4000 meters above sea, I had to do sprints. With resistance around 160W speed up as quickly as possible to 115 revolutions, keep up for 15 seconds, stop and rest for 45 seconds. Until exhaustion of course!! When I was done we moved to the chair for some pushing and stimulations. And guess what next? The same exhaustion sprinting again in 0 altitude outside the chamber with more “stimulation” at the end as a cheery on the cake. All this usually took around 3 hours.

Unfortunately I don’t know the complete results yet, because the whole study and data evaluation from all 15 subjects will take couple of months, but from what Olivier told me you could guess how it was.

My first altitude was 2000 and I did 33 sprints. I really pushed to my limit and when I got off the bike I was barely walking and dizzy from breathing 170 heart rate through oxygen mask. Awful feeling. After that I did around the same at 0 outside. It was a bit better, because of the altitude, but I was dry like a desert, couldn’t stand, but at least not dizzy from lack of oxygen. There I think it was really the muscle what stopped me.

The second session was at 0. In the chamber I felt more comfortable, so I kept pedaling…and pedaling…still going…pretty easy…man it’s boring…I wanna be exhausted already, but I didn’t want to give up so I kept going. But at the end I think it was a bit of my mind that said “Finish of this nonsense”, because I was there way too long and felt desperately bored. I did 91 sprints there!! 1.5 hours on the bike in the small room J But what was the surprise when I did only 14 after!! So I guess I was not cheating after all and I really drained my muscles in the chamber so there was nothing left for later.

The last one was at 4000 meters. To make the story short I did 15 sprints in the room only J But I still felt terrible. Out of breath, dizzy, a bit stomach sick…you don’t get up to exhaustion often in normal life or training and especially not four times in two weeks!! But as a “Perfect subject” I did 61 after. “This is how it should be” said Olivier and explained “Because you didn’t have enough oxygen at 4000 for your brain it stopped you early to protect itself from being damaged, but muscle was still fresh so that’s why when at 0 there was oxygen enough, the muscle gave the rest”

At the end, when everything is behind me I have to say, that I’m happy that I participated. It was excellent training, I learned something about myself that will help me improve more and have some data to compare with statistics…especially those QCR ones ;)

It was kind of painful, but you know...

“NO PAIN, NO GAIN” J

Racing Qatar 2011 - Back to the roots

2011-05-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Right the next day after the MTB time trial there was a 10k road running race in Al Khor compound. This was probably the only running race in Qatar this year so I couldn’t miss it.

Similar to the Dubai Marathon I guessed from the training that I could do 10k at 16km/h which would be 37 minutes per 10k. I actually never achieved this during my night runs, but I felt it was real, because I know that during any competition I can somehow force myself much further…but this is common for everybody right? The goal was set, but still I was not giving me much chances, because rumors were whispering that Al Khor community crazy triathletes are doing it at 33!!

Anyway I geared up to the front start line in my white ENVAC racing shirt. I would like to know what the others were thinking about an unknown “sponsored” guy J

3-2-1-GO!! I started with the leading group for the first 300 meters, but then a teenage boy speeded up and started to get away. That was exactly what I didn’t want to happen, but I had to try to keep up. I still wanted to win no matter what rumors said! But soon I realized that he was going too fast. “Wait a minute” I thought, “He has a different running number color!” And then I got it: “He is running 2.5k only!!” and immediately slowed down to keep mu goal speed. But by that time we outrun the main group quite a bit and in front was only one same colored guy giving tempo. That boy was already gone…actually only until the time we saw him running back, because he missed the turn J

The leader was running exactly my speed so I followed closely and we finished the first 5k lap still with decent lead to the rest. I was waiting for the right moment to attack and get to the lead. This moment came in the middle of the second and last lap, but in different fashion than I wanted. One tall guy from The main group around 200 meters back decided that he saw enough, speeded up and with such an ease overtook both of us in the front. Fortunately for me this completely wrecked the leader and he slowed down terribly and I he finished somewhere in the middle.

So I was still second with a big gap behind me and a comfortably running leader 100 meter in front, which I felt was controlling the race with plenty of reserve, so I didn’t even tried to push it. And like that it stayed until the finish! I came second in 34:24 for 9.6km (the actual course length) which would give 37:03 on full 10k. Exactly the speed and time I was aiming for. Mission accomplished J A trophy and 600QAR vouchers to Lulu hypermarket we just a nice bonus!! Local triathletes didn't have their day I guess ;)

It was a great success to finish second between around 100 runners, which many of them were the ones of the best what Qatar can offer!!

Racing Qatar 2011 - Birth of ENVAC Racing

2011-05-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

For the Dubai Marathon and Abu Dhabi Adventure challenge I was training running much more than bike and the first contest with QCR guys showed it. So as per my new battle plan I switched and was focusing “like a pro” on upcoming challenges which were mostly on bike.

And “like a pro” I also got a proper racing outfit J As a thanks to my company ENVAC for support for Abu Dhabi Challenge and for their excitement about my adventure activities, my brother Jan designed a team logo and we made a proper “sponsored” racing dress…and ENVAC RACING was born J Definitely good to have some sponsor’s logos on…rivals will get scared!!

So better trained and dressed I stood on the start of the next challenge – Lusail Intividual MTB Time Trial, 3 laps on 4km long track with first half quite technical and extremely bumpy and with relaxed second half on a dirt track. We were starting in 30 seconds intervals and I was around 10^th to start. I felt strong and confident, because I helped to build the tract and had already a trial lap.

I started as fast as I could. “I can always slow down” I said and was pedaling quickly over the stones. After 300 meters I saw Davy, the strongest rider in the field walking sadly back with punctured tire!! It was a shame, but deep in my mind I heard “Hmmm…good...now I have a very good chance J” But in got easier only in my head, because I kept pedaling still as fast as I could, which means “Do 3 laps and die!”

At the end I had the fastest time with 31:25, 7 minutes ahead of the second, which earned me a small spot in QCR history, slightly bigger place in subconscious of other MTB riders and big rise in my confidence. Training was paying off. “This might also be only a beginning” I smiled J

Racing Qatar 2011 - Modest beginnings

2011-05-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Right after I came back from Christmas holidays I joined Qatar Chain Reaction (QCR) cycling group, more precisely the mountain bike division. I shortly met few bikers, Davy, Greg and Dave during one Friday ride to the Firing range and jumped straight into one of several races organized by QCR during the year, the 2^nd Duhail MTB race on 4^th of February.

There were 3 laps of 6 kilometers and it seemed to be just over small hills and humps. After some bike training I did for Abu Dhabi Challenge I felt strong and stood in the front line at the start with expectation not smaller than podium J

3-2-1-GO!! I bolted forward and was immediately in the lead rushing through flat sandy road and outrunning the others. But after around 1.5 kilometer I heard “Heeeeyyyy…” from the back. I missed the turn, because I was not familiar with the route, markings and terrain and because I saw wrong flag on the other hill. I got back to the race only thanks to Davy shouting at me J But for the price that about half of the field overtook me again.

I started to make my way back to the front and then it came. The rest of the track was much more difficult and technical than I was expecting. Running steep up and down, turning sharp right and left over small and big stones and sandy patches. That was definitely not my kind of playground and for the rest of the race no matter how much I tried, and I could try much less that I thought I would be able, I was slowly losing on the leading group, unable to catch them.

I was happy that those three rounds were over and that I finished. 3^rd place in Open category and 6^th overall with time 59:29 and 4 minutes after the overall winner was quite a surprise. “Maybe I was not that bad” I thought and together with the schedule for couple of more MTB races in the near future I went home with a battle plan…”3 time a week bike training and maybe I’ll have a chance here” J

Racing Qatar 2011 - Finding myself

2011-05-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

I know that I’m very competitive person. I’m not sure if I was born with it or got this attitude “Be better than the others” from my mum telling me that when I was young, but I just am!! And basically in everything, everybody and always. Maybe sometimes I’m not showing it, but trust me…I’m thinking about it J

Especially in physical activities, because it’s the easiest. I was doing sports whole my life, but nothing and never on competitions, although I tried to win whatever small unofficial race or simple strength challenge I got in to. And I used to take all those very seriously, because only then it got that extra twist, those last 10% and the enjoyment was complete!! But somehow I’ve never thought about getting into real racing. I was always up to any competition somebody offered me to join, but I was not pursuing it on my own…until December 2010 when I was offered to participate in Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.

Why this sudden change of attitude came now and not before? Because it’s not fun racing when you have no chance to win J Last two years my lifestyle and environment around me changed, I slowly found more and more time to do sports and some focused training and my physical condition improved to a level I’ve never been to. And seeing that I could keep up and measure myself with international competition opened my eyes, showed me the way and filled with motivation…I saw a chance to be better than the others, compete and win…so I grabbed it and went for it!!!

And my first challenge was not far away, Dubai International Marathon on 28^th of January 2011. And let’s face it…this was not a race I could possibly win. This would be just me against JIRI and time!! Last two years I did the 10k version and set a company record with 39:56. I don’t know if 62^nd place overall is especially impressive, but I felt that longer I go, better I am, so after going 80k in Abu Dhabi Challenge I tried my first 42k MARATHON.

During night training in Qatari wasteland I was able to do twice a week half-marathon at 14km/h so I said myself a goal “Let’s try to do it at 12km/h…should work!”

And it worked J As always I ran late to the start, didn’t have time to “drop off” some extra weight, Ipod battery was flat and I was starting from the end of the field, but somehow it didn’t matter. I watched my speed every kilometer and constantly progressed forward through the field lined up with cheering spectators.

Drinking Gatorade every 10k and eating one energy gel every 45 minutes I was feeling great and enjoying the run. After the half turn I even speeded up a bit, but exactly as Jaro said the crisis start coming around kilometer 30. Somehow I feel weaker, closer I’m to the finish and 10k to go is pretty close…in comparison to the whole thing!! So my legs started to hurt, pace shortened, breath rate increased and felt I’m draining last bits of energy. But the goal was there and was sure that I can make it. I suppressed the pain and pushed my numb legs forward.

3:24:45 means I completed my goal, made a decent result and 124^th place from 1100 I value more that 62^nd from 3150 in 10k last year J I was happy, but not 100%, because I knew I could do better…next time!! That’s the racing spirit J

The Year of the Wolf

2011-01-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia says: “Wolf packs are often portrayed as strictly hierarchical social structures with a breeding "alpha" pair which climbs the social ladder through fighting, followed by subordinate "beta" wolves and a low ranking "omega" which bears the brunt of the pack's aggression. But there are also Lone wolves, which were driven from the pack or left it and live independently. Typically these lone wolves are stronger, more aggressive and far more dangerous than the average wolf that is a member of a pack. Occasionally, a lone wolf will encounter another lone wolf of the opposite sex and the two may start a new pack” And the circle closes.

Quick question. When did you realize that another year has passed…again? I found out just after I came from Czech back to Qatar and found an invitation for New Year Eve celebration on an island somewhere on the north of Qatar. I thought to go to UEA for New Year weekend, pick up my last things I left there, visit Rune and other friends and sneak into some party, but because travelling to UEA got more difficult and expensive since I’m Qatari resident and I had no “real” business there, I chose the island expedition.

The island is accessible by 4x4 car only twice a day during low tide and low tide is at 7am or 7pm. One way to early and the other way too late. But no problem for well equipped adventurer with own boat J So after sleeping enough I loaded the kayak with everything required for pleasant camp nigh plus kite gear, because there should have been nice wind on the New Year Day and set off for 5km ride to the island. It was beautiful sunny and warm winter day, with no wind or waves, just perfect for some kayaking.

On Facebook there were only 4 other people signed up, so I was expecting to be there almost alone with the organizer Ovi. But what was my surprise when I saw bunch of local guys around an all inclusive camp hut. They had cars, electricity generator, huge speakers, video projector, jet ski and boat. They had everything J And with such a background you do also everything

Welcome tequila shot from Ovi and right to the water try wakeboarding and riding a supercharged jet ski. When it was too cold we went back to the campfire for some gin and deliciously cooked fresh fish my new Bahraini friends caught in half an hour. Yum yum!! After first dinner we took wetsuits and with head lamps went into the shallow water with harpoons to catch some more fish and crabs. I wouldn’t think it that easy to catch a fresh food!! So for the second dinner from even fresher fish we had also toast crab desert J Well fed we put on the video and had some more drinks. Even the coolbox full of cold beer I brough with me came handy…just completely chilled out New Year night.

The next morning I woke up around midday just when we the wind came so after a quick breakfast I pumped up my kite and went to wake up to the sea for the second time. But it was just too freezing for me and I was thinking more about not falling into the water than about trying out some new tricks, so I quit soon and went instead for fire and more fresh fish.

Unfortunately in the afternoon I had to leave this paradise island, where he time was passing so gently and you didn’t have to worry about anything…just enjoying. But when I was paddling in the dusk and fog between the waves back to the car, not able to see any shore and seemingly lost, I realized again where I really was.

Think about it like this…Life is like a wolf pack. You try to fight through the life you have up for satisfaction and happiness, but in one moment you are driven out of your track by others, which are stronger than you or you are just not strong enough. So you leave, hide, disappear and became a lone wolf. But lone wolves have more time, space and peace to train, practice and prepare for comeback. And when they come back to the old pack they are stronger, wiser and ready…and they take reigns!!

Enough thinking…let’s start doing and let this year be

THE YEAR OF THE (lone) WOLF!

And I wish to all of you that this year is also YOUR YEAR J

Czech Republic winter challenge

2011-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Same time, different place. Just six hours flight away from one challenge came another. Although in kind of different sense J

Wherever I’m, I always try to get back home to see my parents, brother and old friends at least once a year. I don’t think it’s enough, but all those virtual technologies and them to come and visit me also once a year, I feel that I’m not that far away. And Christmas is the best occasion to plan this voyage. Although this year it was a bit more difficult decision, because I had no more leave days left for 2010.

“Hmm…I need to take one week from 2011 for Abu Dhabi Challenge anyway…so why not to take another right after and go home for some regeneration, feeding and cool down” I said and let my company book a straight Dubai – Prague - Dubai Emirates flight. Everything was set. “I just hope I’ll survive the winter there” I thought when hearing that there is plenty of snow.

After the Desert challenge I was not that wasted as I expected, but that’s another story, so I arrived full of energy to do something different. And Jan knew exactly what I had in mindJ Right after my arrival we went to a beautiful new indoor climbing wall, which was built in the past year and was opened couple of weeks back…Lucky!! I haven’t been climbing for at least half a year, but it wasn’t that tragic. I was still more or less able to maintain my difficulty level around 6b – 6c, which was good and the fact that I got quite far on some crazy 7a overhang felt even nicer. After we finished we sat in the adjacent bar and some beer…OK I had tea, because I was really cold and was driving home…but even with the tea I was quickly absorbing the cool atmosphere in a friendly place with same minded people around. Relaxing…

Next on the program was cross-country skiing. We live in the mountains so it was close to go for our usual 20km loop and it was just nice…and even the cold was not a problem. “You just need to get properly dressed and no weather is a problem” Jan said and when looking at him covered up to his nose with special winter wear, I felt it was warmly true.

Also twice we went snowboarding for half a day. I was afraid that after not standing on the snowboard for two years or so it would be painful and not fun, but it was exactly the opposite. After few first unsure turns all previous skill came quickly back and at the end of the day I was riding steadily “on switch”, doing small shy 180s and enjoying. I felt I wanted to stay more are learn more, but time was short…

I wanted also to see some old friends, so I ventured to Prague for one evening. I stopped by the Old Town Square for Christmas market, had hot mead (liquor with taste of honey), typical sausages, “langos” and one more mead on the way back J Christmas and friendly atmosphere was touchable. Next morning, after a joyful evening with two friends I hadn’t seen for a year, I was standing on the snow covered balcony of my mom’s flat in Prague, looking far over the buildings and still full of this different state of mind I got into when I landed I was thinking “If the cold is not the problem…then what is?” I remembered when I was leaving to Dubai two years ago how happy I was…

And complete “Cherry on the cake” was a reunion with some of my old classmates from high school back in my town. Good Czech food and beer and mostly the perfect company made that evening hard to forget…even when I might have lost some details at the end J

In the evenings in our house we were playing cards, drinking the best beer in the world and chilling out. We had funny company of our dog and cat always provoking each other, like they wanted to show me that they are also part of this family. And was feeling good…I was home J

But one week is just too short and I had to leave right on the Christmas Day. And my mood was gone!! It was it was also because I had a tricky connecting flight in Dubai to Doha from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and work day just three hours after landing. “Welcome back JIRI!!...Welcome home”

Of course that I missed my connection because of bus driver going 15km/h all the time and I was back in business. “Hello…I missed my plane so I need to buy a new ticket. Can I go out to the booth and buy one?” I asked a guy behind information desk. “No, you need to wait for FlyDubai people to come here”, “Can you call them?” “OK…wait…OK…they are coming” he said after talking with somebody. “Can I please speak to them?” I asked “Actually no, because I don’t have their number…but don’t worry, they have flights here and are coming and going…just wait until 3:30am”. My blood started to boil!!

I had 5 hours before the next flight at 7am so I went behind the corner to have a Big Mac and while eating I was scanning carefully the hall for FlyDubai staff. “So? They have flight in 45 minutes and nobody is here!! When they are coming?” “Oh Sir, we were looking for you. They were here” he was lying into my face again. There was another guy, kind of boss of all the people checking boarding passes. “They are coming in 10 minutes. I called them” he said after I searched for somebody else who could do something. Half an hour nothing happened. Three hours to the flight. I was getting extremely pissed and nervous. FlyDubai was just on the other side of the wall!!

“OK then…nobody is coming…could you just go there? It’s 50 meters?” I begged him. “No..It’s not my duty” “And what the hell is your duty…!!!!” I wanted to scream to his face. I tried to ask three fat Arab ladies doing baggage screening to go back through. “No, you cannot” they didn’t want to bother. “Look…I changed my mind” I desperately chose a different strategy. I don’t want to fly anywhere anymore. I want to get out of here. I can buy visa on arrival. How to get out? “Eeee…” he had no idea.

Fortunately that other “boss” probably did call to somebody and before I tried to jump through the security gate two FlyDubai guys appeared and what was even more lucky…they KNEW what to do and were not lying or trying to dodge unusual situation. As I’m thinking about it now…I could have solved it easier myself…open laptop, get on internet, call them myself, etc…but I got blinded by the virtual proximity of their office and idealism brought from Europe. Anyway...I mercifully got one hour of sleep on the airport and one in the plane and I was ready to go to work. No really, because in the meantime they shifted arrival terminal to some other place, so when I got out of the terminal in Doha I opened my mouth in disbelief that it was not over “Where the hell I am???”

Same time, different place. Just few hours flight away and you are in a different world, different life. Same person, different troubles. Just couple of thousand kilometers further and you have different options, different view.

And which “different” is the best? Only time will tell. Easy to say after going on holiday for two weeks “I love it here. I want to live here”. But only couple of years show all the hidden treasures and flaws. So even when I felt so good at home, I stay on the ground. I know that place for long after all J

Although…I think I’m starting to hear the time telling me something...

Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2010 - The Truth

2010-12-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

It’s Friday morning on Abu Dhabi corniche. Sun is rising above a long row of 100 orange inflatable canoes carefully prepared on the beach. 200 athletes are frenetically running around them, making last checks of inflation, seats and paddles and then slowly walking towards a giant inflated arch…getting ready for start of what everybody was waiting for.

ECO-RACERS are there also, somewhere in the middle of the crowd. Milan is thoughtful, Jaro looks confused, Yasa is laughing with her sister and I’m serious. I have never been doing any sport competitively in my life and attended very few various competitions, but in every one of them I somehow had a strong feeling to get to the limit and to do whatever it takes to be better than the others!! “We trained hard, we are good, we are going to RACE and be better than the others” I’m thinking and adrenaline is pumping up to my veins.

FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE…GO!!! Everybody sprints across the beach, boards the canoes and with geysers of water spraying from 200 paddles all boats are trying to pass around two boys and get back to the beach. We are getting hit from various sides by other canoes, losing speed and straight line. It’s a real naval battle. We arrive back between the last 10 teams. “It was just 500 meters…they are not far” I comfort myself.

We lose another couple of minutes by putting on the shoes (we rode barefoot to have the shoes dry…in contrast to the most of the other teams) so we are between last five teams starting the 3km run to swimming beach. “We take them over easily, they run like snails” I’m sure when watching few teams ahead and lazily adjusting my backpack jogging and waiting for the others to get the pavement. “OK team…let’s race!!!” I shout and I start running with a speed for 10k Dubai race, around 16km/h.

And……and that’s it!!! The race is over. When I turn around after 30 seconds everybody is 100m behind me and I see the speed Yasa is “jogging” forward. I try something like “Come on…it’s just 3 kilometers…we can make it faster…” but nothing changes and I only hear “We shouldn’t burn ourselves out at the beginning!!”. Inside my head I hear what our guru Ondrej said “You cannot criticize a team member during the race. You will make it even worse”, so I only say for myself through clenched teeth “If not now then when? After we rest 4 hours in the bus? Or tomorrow after we rest the whole night?” We are slowly passing another UAE team which looks like they have not been running in their entire lives.

We are keeping pace with last 5 teams through 700m swimming section and during the 3km run back to the canoes. We gain few spots when I almost burn myself out on the 3km canoe ride to a desert island, but we lose it again while walking!! 3km loop through two small dunes. Berserk ride back doesn’t change much. We are way behind my expectations, especially when seeing that the other teams can be beaten…by me L “And that is the sour, but indisputable truth. Team work is not about the individuals. It’s about the team!! And the individuals are as strong as is the team” I dream in the bus to Al Ain and 30km city bike sprint. On the next seat I hear Yasa having fun.

FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE…GO!!! Within 3 minutes everybody is gone and I can see Yasa battling through a roundabout. We are passing a team repairing punctured tire. After another few kilometers she is staring to get cramps to her legs, so we need to slow down even more. Riding in a draft is useless.

“Try to be pushing her” whispers a guy from “Broken tire” team rocketing around us. Experience speaks, because it works and in changing square formation we are catching up teams we think are long gone. Unfortunately on the last 6km rocky ridge crossing to the Camp 1, we have to walk and with cramps coming every 100m we are more standing than moving. With more steps more cramps. With more cramps tears come. We try to carry Yasa, but once we reach the uphill we had to stop.

At the end we made it to the camp. We lost one hour on the team ahead on this stage and ended up the first day on 49^th place!! Out of 50. “What we are going to do tomorrow?” we looked at each other with Milan after seeing the road book full of time deadlines. “Today it should have been a warm up!!” In the distance we hear Yasa coming back from the delicious pasta/salad dinner laughing and making jokes.

FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE…GO!!! In the blink of an eye most of the teams disappear into the beautiful second racing morning. We line up to our position in the field and I’m jogging or walking behind the team of three South African girls. When we reach back our bikes we know already what to do so with Milan we keep pushing Yasa without break all those 800 vertical meters up to Jebel Hafeet on 14km winding road. On the top it surprises that we are still one hour ahead of the cut-off time. We are optimistic. Somebody more.

But we know that progressing on a rocky mountain terrain down the Jebel is not our strong side and a scenic via ferrata with few jams because of even slower teams doesn’t help at all. After our elimination not far from the last cut-off point before another ferrata and hike up the Jebel again, our mood is deadly. We leave with Milan without word towards the rescue bus for losers leaving everybody behind. We talk about what the race organizer Sylvain said when we first saw him in October “It usually happens that couples break up after the challenge J”

With feeling of sadness and envy I watched majestic Jebel Hafeet disappearing in the dusk imagining myself jumping from boulder to boulder, climbing rocks and abseiling cliffs. I thought this would be my strongest discipline, but didn’t have chance to show anybody…not even myself!!

After the second day we jumped to 46^th place mainly thanks to the bike section which we completed in 34^th fastest time!! “Impossible!!” I thought when looking at standings in the next desert camp, but shortly after that it clicked “Wait a minute…that means…that we are strong enough that even if we keep pushing Yasa all the way we might do some recent result”.

FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE…GO!!! This time we are leaving everybody disappear into the night of 90km desert bike stage and continue slowly on before last position. Pushing is too dangerous. Darker it is, slower we go. Slower we go, more tears fall down. Everything changes with the sunrise. “Yasa go…don’t stop” I’m commanding while pushing her up the dune. “Yasa off the bike…on the bike and ride” she hears from the back when we take her bike through the soft sand. I look like a cruel captain in military training camp. I know that, but I don’t stop. I’m finally racing. In a bit different way, but I’m. And I like it J

In this fashion we pass few teams on the way to the second checkpoint and another three resting teams on the checkpoint itself, because of “Refill the water…put isostar…quickly…let’s go…Yasa here is your bike”. After the checkpoint there are no more teams in sight. The field tail is behind us. Only better teams are ahead now. I’m warming up. With more kilometers more commands come. With more pushing more tears are spilled.

After half an hour of obligatory break next to magical Qasr Al Sarab resort we walk in a good mood through castle like huts and villas towards the endless desert and another 90km of pure dune running and hiking. Somebody is in better mood.

I know that the next 22 hours we have to go with average speed of 4 km/h to finish in time so I walk up the first dune in that speed. The seriousness of this fact is not understood therefore I’m taking the rubber leash and clipping Yasa into my train. And I really feel like a locomotive. Desert and heat is my territory. All day long properly hydrated with isotonic drinks and well fed with high caloric energy bars and gels, I’m full of energy and nothing can stop me from keeping up the speed. I’m completely focused and submerged in the race. Even Jaro and Milan need to push a bit harder J “Jiriii…slow down!!” I hear from behind. “Why?” I reply. Silence. “We can gain some time on this salt plain. Let’s run” I suggest. I hear arguments, but no good ones. We run. After a while the tension in the leash loosens a bit and I hear our adventure guru’s voice “The leash is more a mental support and motivation than real pulling device”. When we see our final checkpoint before 8 hour rest I feel the leash pulling me. “Let’s run guys. It’s just there”. I take off the leash and we keep walking. We say nothing.

At the end of the day we are at the checkpoint H4 just nicely with the sunset. After the sleep we will wake up at 2am and will have another 15 hours to finish remaining 55km. We have a good time and the stage looks promising. We are feeling good. Somebody better.

I don’t feel tired when we wake up. Adrenaline still running high in my veins so I take energy bar breakfast and we go again. Same speed. Same style. Quickly following footsteps through the night. At 8am we stand at the Checkpoint H5. “Now 15km straight to H6 and then 15km to finish. 10 hours left” I say, but then we all watch several teams slowly walking to H5+. We were not planning to collect any optional checkpoints and wanted to go the straightest way possible. “But look…it’s only 8km longer and we still have some time. But we need to be fast!!”

With a vision of saving 6 hours of penalty time for optional checkpoint we are running on salt plains and downhill, quickly pacing between the dunes, making correct decisions which footsteps to take and gaining. We are overtaking teams we have never seen before…Americans, Norwegians, even New Zealanders. We make it to H5+. Quick look on the watch and we push forward.

But we are not supermen. 5 kilometers before the last checkpoint is visible that this ruthless trail is taking toll on us. Jaro is slowly falling behind. Yasa silently suffering her blisters under headphones. I’m almost out of fuel and my tireless steam engine is flickering out. Fortunately there is still Milan with some spare strength and he takes Yasa in his train. I’m following and picking up the last bits of energy.

We reach H6 and taking out our ace in the sleeve J From here to finish it is 15km straight across 4 dune crossings and only few plains. But if you know the area from October training session you can chose a way only 5km longer with only one easy dune crossing and the rest on road or plainJ Our progress is light speed. We force ourselves to run almost all the time. Just to be faster in the finish and suffer less. But with more speed comes more pain. And with more pain come more tears.

Just when we could see the typical finish arch on the last plain where we are descending from completely different direction, we saw another bunch of teams we had never seen before. Our “shortcut” worked!! 500m before the arch Yasa suddenly stopped watering the desert, unleashed herself and tried to be first in the finish line. But the fame was ours J We finished this stage two hours before the limit and on amazing 25^th place which catapulted us up to 30^th spot overall.

In the next camp on the beach before the last two day 120km sea kayak section, we were not thinking about celebrations and were preparing even harder for the next challenge. The race was not over yet!!

That unfortunately changed next morning when very strong wind came and the whole stage got cancelled!! I was confident that rough conditions would be even better for us and we could maybe gains something more, because we were familiar with sails and had some sea kayak experience in the waves, but it was a good call. There were plenty of teams not that experienced that much and it would be a hazard.

So the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2010 was over. And not even three 11km kayak loops in Abu Dhabi bay the last sixth day could change that fact or play some role in changing teams overall standings. Such a shame L Was it? Now I’m sitting back in my Qatar apartment and I have already been thinking a lot what happened there and how. Conclusion?

It was the first race of the kind I did and I loved it. I was whole 6 days completely focused and hadn’t thought about anything else. I felt like being somebody else…I felt complete. The race was perfectly organized thanks to oil money of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, the routes were beautifully done, it was tough, challenging and fun, but not a killer. Simply awesome. I also tried how it is to race in a team, which I’ve never done before also, and experienced all the good and bad it brings. And that is the beauty and tragedy of this sport!!

But at the end I have to say that we were good. All four of us. All the team. I don’t think many other teams would do same in such conditions. I did everything I could possibly do for the race and the team. I hope everybody else did the same. Milan was pulling and pushing, I was commanding, Jaro carrying and caring…and Yasa? She did the biggest part of our success. She didn’t give up!! She had definitely a lot of reasons to do so, but she kept going up to the end. I thought this race was not for her, maybe she thought so too, but team competition is not about thinking, it’s about fighting. And it’s not about fighting one personal battle. It’s about fighting four!! If one falls, all fall. If one wins, all win. And we won…and that is above all J

P.S. Apart from personal battles we won 2000USD price money for the team J

Time's up...let's go to battle!!!

2010-12-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Weeks and days were quickly flying past and the last weekend before the race suddenly came. My teammate Milan wanted always to come to Qatar to tick another country from “I’ve been to” list and along with one day UAE holiday, this weekend became a perfect opportunity to do so.

So we planned a two day kayak trip southwards along endless Messaieed industrial zone, Sealine beach resort and the beach itself. First plan included a trip to some lonely island 15 kilometers on the sea, but we quickly rejected it because we I had only one spraydeck and one foot high waves were not keeping us completely calm J But 35 kilometers there on Thursday afternoon and Saturday back seemed to be a decent portion anyway.

I came earlier from the office, we loaded the gear and headed to Messaieed flood plains. The day before I spent 2 hours driving back and forth in the night searching for a way through 5 kilometers of dried up mud and sand banks and making sure we wouldn’t lose much time on Thursday. My night mission was successful, so at 2pm we were already paddling hard south.

Milan as former race rower showed his skill and strength and along with my toughly trained paddling routine we were flying 7.5 km/h downwind along the industrial scenery of oil rafineries, fertilizer factories and gas liquification plants. We stopped for a short break on a small island on the way, swithed positions and continued towards sunset.

“Look!! That boat is coming directly towards us” I shouted on Milan, when I spotted a black speed boat quickly approaching. “Ahhh…there we go...Coast Guard…I’ve told you that in Abu Dhabi they immediately find you if you go further to the sea!!”. “Hello…where you go? Here no boat zone” was the next thing we heard from Arabic sea wolf in Coast Guard boat. After that we told them where we go, from where we go, our names, nationalities…basically everything and they began to call to some superior officers, headquarters and other authorities asking for advice what to do. In the meantime we were holding to their boat, jumping on waves and waiting.

“You cannot continue, this no boat zone” finally he told us. “OK…and where we should go then? Should we go back, you will take us somewhere?” I asked. They start talking between each other and on the phone again. After another five minutes the guy spoke again: “You go!!” and pointed south in the night which already came during that hour we were waiting there. “Fair enough J” I thought. “They had no idea what to do with us and they didn’t want to bother” And we quickly paddled into the night.

After 15 kilometers of silent nigh voyage we landed unseen on the private beach inside of fenced Sealine Beach resort. Wet, cold, in shorts and rubber water shoes we walked in and headed straight around the pool to an open pool bar. Nobody seemed surprised to see somebody like us so we sat down and ordered coffee with whiskey, pizza, beer and cake J

With the last bit of the cake cold come to us again, se we disappeared the same way we came a paddled another 10 km further along the beach and along almost continuous line of “State of art” Qatari tent camps with electricity generators, lid beach volleyball pitches and air-conditioned tents with solid wooden doors!!

It was quite hard to find any spot for camping, because the whole desert was covered up to the highest dunes and steepest slopes with car tracks and plenty of lights and roaring engines were still out there. We didn’t want to be torn out of our dreams by a mad Land Cruiser. So after couple of “Let’s go up to that camp, there will be an unoccupied area”, we found a spot on the top of a dune behind a small fence marking somebody’s camp zone and quickly fell asleep on the soft sand.

On Friday we went back the same way and even same style. Breakfast and beer in Sealine resort and meeting with the same Coast Guard in Messaieed. This time they knew exactly where we are and as soon as we entered the Industrial zone border, two guard boats we coming to us immediately. But this time they were prepared what to do with us and they escorted us to the other side of the zone 15km further. Their escort meant that they were slowly following us with their 1000hp boat with our 6km/h speed against the wind and waves. Actually it has an effect on us. We were paddling without stopping those 2 hours to get rid of them as quickly as possible J

And that was it. We went for a barbecue with Onrej, Milan’s friend and former excellent adventure racer to suck some wisdom, went for a short desert run and the last training weekend was over. We had one week left, but we wanted to dedicate it to rest, energy gathering and meditation J OK…I went only for one last desert night run in a full gear and the training and preparation time was up. We would have to show something real now!!

It has been more than three months since I’ve signed up for this. I haven’t taken it lightly and tried to do as much as possible for being ready for something I have no experience with. But closer the race day was approaching and I knew more about what is awaiting there, more and more I was feeling that I was ready. And when sitting now in Park Rotana hotel in Abu Dhabi, drinking the last beer, thinking about tomorrow’s technical verifications and race briefing and about Friday start…I really feel ready, motivated and excited to enjoy the race and experience something new…something unknown…something extreme J

Out of the box!!!

2010-11-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dear listeners and friends. I’m sorry to disturb my peaceful and honest chain of posts, but I just have to share this and make it public that everybody knows what is going on there…where? In Africa!!

If you ever receive an email like this:

DEAR “put your name”,

Praise our almighty God who has given me this chance to talk to you this day ,and who has also give you heart of good samaritan to stand with me .so be blessed my brothers,and sisters.yours in Christ, I PRAY YOU ARE FINE

How is everything now and how is every one at home? i believe you are getting along because i keep you in my prayers dear. How is family? i send them my love

Now am in needly of help yesterday i was traveling in tax going in Uganda for conference but i got accident i broken my left leg, and my left hand even one of my eye are dameged and my 2 left rib broken .And we got robbed all our thing and phones so by now i dont have phone so dont bother calling i dont have phone lets use email for all cominnication.

Am in Mulago Hospital Kampala Uganda in room 12 bed 14 and i dont know how much it will cost me becouse now its 2days but the bill rising now it is $450 i dont have even a coin,.
The big problem is here in uganda the the tretment is so expensive i dont know what am going to do becouse am adimeted now its 2day, they are asking for money.the Doctor told me that if i get $2,450 they can take me to South Africa or to India for a better tretment that is the advise given by my Doctor i know God is there i will be helped

Now With your heart, I truly understand how painful my problem is to you. The Lord Almighty will always reward you people for all good things you do for this world. I imagine how your attention have been drawn to the suffering people like me now.

I cannot die if I know you might have a medicine to treat me. This is because I now you will help me God Bless you.
Now let me wait for your support .let me ask you if you are sending me some thing let me tell you to use thise details becouse me i can't walk as am sick but i got here my best friend like you who is helping me here in hospital he will go to bank and pick up the funds you are going to send to me i trust him so much as i trust you ,you can use thise details Use Western Union or Money Gram is better safe and farster in Uganda where i am now.OR you can use bank transifer if posible i will get the funds safely

Details for western union blow:

RECIVER NAMES    SEKALO MUHAMAD SEKALALA
qstn             money for?
ans              BROKEN HAND

MTCN NONBER:

sender's names :
Amount sent   :
Now for bank transifer is blow
Account name is           :MEDI SSEKALALA
Account number           :5800118443
Bank and Bank address

                          Barclays Bank of Uganda Ltd
                          Plot 16 Kampala Road
                          P.O. Box 2971 , Kampala
                           LUGOGO Branch
Swift Code:              BARCUGKX

If you need

Correspondent/ Intermediary Bank if needed

                        Barclays Bank PLC New York
Swift code:             BARCUS33
ABA:                    026002574
Its good that here in hospital i got a friend he is a doctor MEDI SEKALALA is working on me he have a laptop connected on internet he is giving me to send you email. I cannot die if I know you might have a medicine to treat me thank you.
--
Mr. “Whoever you might have met around Uganda or Kenya”

Or like this:

Dearest one,
I am more than happy in your reply to my mail, How was your day today?. Mine a little hot over here in Dakar Senegal.
My name is Miss Vero Murphy (23) years old,but age differences matter not. single and never married.i am from Sudan,in Africa and presently i am residing in the refugee camp here in Dakar Senegal as a result of the civil war that was fought in my country last two years.
My late father DR NATHANIEL MURPHY (names vary) was chairman managing director
MURPHY INDUSTRIAL COMPANY LTD, in Sudan the capital of my country,and he was also the personal adviser to the former head of state before the rebels attacked our house one early morning and killed my mother and my father in a cold blood.
It was only me that is alive now and i managed to make my way to a nearby country Senegal where i am living now as a refugee.
And our region is not safe at all because of the rebel soldiers who are rapping women everyday and i escaped through the help of the unicef and red cross and i am now registered with the united nation high commission for refugees Dakar Office here in Senegal.
I choose to come to Senegal because i came once to Dakar three years ago with my late father because he was in oil business I will tell you more about my family and everything about me when i am sure who you are and that i can trust you with my life as true friend and guardian,
My hobbies are reading and watching sports event like football. and I would like to know more about you. Your likes and dislikes,your hobbies and what you are doing presently,
Attached here is my picture I will tell you more about myself in my next mail.

Hoping to hear from you soonest!
Yours love
miss vero.

Never send them anything and don’t waste your time communicating with them!!!

Although in the first case is kind of smartly done, because they somehow stole address of somebody else you know, so at the first glance you actually believe it…I was lucky enough that I ran a simple Google search and uncovered everything before I went too far and luckily they are dumb enough to use the same trick and even wording all the time.

So if you have some way how to put this online that all those poor westerners can Google for help, please do it…other blogs like this saved my ass J

Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge: World's toughest training?

2010-11-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

Once we paid the entry fee there was no way back…only forward. And how to make the race the most enjoyable possible? Easy answer as per an old wise proverb “Tough on the training ground, easy on the battlefield” J

I consider myself as an OK fit guy, but this is not an OK competition!! I needed to get much further. And I couldn’t have possibly been in a better place for quality training than in Qatar, because here, disturbed by nothing and no one I could dedicate all my free time to training, because there is nothing else to do anywayJ

So how an average guy without any experience in such focused training does his best to prepare himself? First I read some basics about nutrition and need for regeneration after exerciseJ How to eat a lot of protein and carbohydrates or how to drink and feed during training and after. That was an easy part. I started cooking tuna and salmon, drinking milk, eat tons of bananas and sleep 8 hours a day!!

For the toughest part of the race, for the desert crossing, I just needed to extend the amount of running I was doing before to keep some shape for yearly Dubai 10k race. So instead of running twice a week 8k I started doing every second day 15km or two hours to reach 50km a week, which according to some literature should be the base for starting with 12 weeks marathon training plan. Running was also the most pleasure part out of the whole training. Rushing in the cool night under the full moon through the emptiness of the Qatari wasteland being pushed forward by rhythmic trance music beating exactly 12km per hour. So tranquilizing, healing, rejuvenating…ahhhh…J

I wanted to buy a mountain bike before, to be able to explore and look for hidden Qatari treasures and now I got the right impulse. And after couple of unsuccessful attempts to reach the Inland sea I felt badly that I haven’t been riding bike for two years!! Biking section is short in the race but I needed to get better at least a bit, so I started to do once a week 30km night ride to Messaieed along the lid highway and a longer weekend ride towards the Inland Sea.

For kayaking I could only add abdominal twist machine and more rowing to my usual three times a week gym workout and hope that it would be enough. Swimming I could exclude completely, because I immediately assigned myself as the weakest swimmer, therefore as a designated carrier of the equipment when the others will be swimming J And for Jebel Hafeet mountain scrambling run? I did nothing because running stairs would be too retarded and Qatar has no high building anyway!! Finish J So I had one day a week rest on Zikreet kitesurfing beach with 16 knots from 9am till dawn!! That was until six weeks ago…

But as it is always…nothing is idyllic for long and the inevitable started happening…I was being stationed in Qatar for good!! That means cancelling UAE visa, enter endless application process for Qatari residence, find own apartment, transfer Tiguan from Dubai, buy something into the empty apartment, etc…and with all the work in the office my training peace and routine was slowly being ripped apart!!!

Fortunately my training plan has not been stopped or destroyed, but only transformed. On the weekend of 22 & 23 of October the Challenge organizer prepared a two day training session in Abu Dhabi and Liwa desert. We had a presentation followed by answering questions about race details. After that we had a chance to touch and ride our double sea kayaks with sails. It was great fun because it was quite windy so my sailing spirit showed up when I was more trimming our tiny sails, than paddling J

At the evening we moved to Liwa, camped and Saturday early morning we did desert orienteering. There were 6 checkpoints around the base camp and we were supposed to collect as many as possible in six hours with one condition, that after collecting two checkpoints we had to return to the base. Full of energy we took first the easiest 9km triangle and completed it just below two hours. We were first back to the camp so with even more optimism we took another 9km one, but just after the start of running uphill in soft sand and emptying the sand from our shoes every few hundred meters we knew that this would be our last J We finished it in three hours and had a lot of worries going in our minds, especially about the sand in the shoes!! And those not running in the sand every week also “Where the heck can I find some asphalt!!”
But it got quickly suppressed in a chilling pool in Liwa hotel followed by wonderful buffet lunch. Definitely it was a fruitful weekend and a big help in our preparations. We knew more about the race details and could focus our training the right way and get proper equipment.

I got back to Doha and my settling down circus started in full speed. So I ran less, biked less, even to gym I was going less regularly. Instead I was going to see various apartments and fix car shipping paperwork. All that went painfully slow I started to feel that I’m losing what I gained and falling behind again. Until one day when I went with Envac colleagues including our Dubai general manager Graham for a beer. I knew that few people from the company were quite excited, when I told them what I’m going to do and were supporting me, but I didn’t know that it was that much!!

“Jiri” said Graham, “Envac would like to support you somehow in your race”. “That is very kind, but unfortunately our entry fee is paid and we got all equipment already also” I sadly replied. “Hmmm…and what about that we buy you a kayak, you will train on it and after that anybody from the company can use it and have fun” Graham suggested and I had to fight not to show too much excitement “Wow…that would be awesome!!” Although I didn’t believe it at the beginning, in a week I got beautiful orange double sea Q-kayaks Wanderer and because I managed to find a peaceful penthouse apartment in villa on the desert edge of Doha, I was ready to kick off the training full speed again. And this time in full quality also, thanks to the more than generous sponsorship of ENVAC Middle East J

So how looks my training now? One month before the race? Every three days kayak. After office 15km and weekends 30km. Really feeling that my paddling style is improving every time I go and this is essential for paddling economically those endless hours we will have to.

Every three days running between 15-20km. Twice a week gym still including abdominal twist machine and 30 minutes of rowing and twice a week short bike ride 30km.

I feel now quite ready and when I finish the training session I think that I could do twice as much. But when I look at the race schedule, I have to admit that I have no idea what is going to happen there. Six days in the row doing three times as much than I do now!! And faster than I’m doing now, because the racing spirit will come. But…signing up for this was definitely NOT a mistake. It will be fun, big experience and getting to know myself from a different side…I cannot wait J

Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge: World's toughest challenge?

2010-11-14T10:43:00.001-08:00

Question on you now OK? It’s the end of August 2010 and somebody asks you “We do one six day extreme endurance race in December in Abu Dhabi. Some running, mountain bike, sea kayak and climbing. Couple of hundred kilometers. Do you wanna join our team?” What would you say? ;)

This exactly happened to me while sitting comfortably on the beach after relaxing kite session and it was one of my very good Czech friends Jaro who asked. I also knew the other two who were in already and they needed the last guy, another Czech and an Iraqi. Tough decision? Not really J “Wow…it looks amazing!! Count me in” I responded almost without thinking. I just saw a great fun with friends and some physical challenge, which I always wanted to prove to myself!

Easy to get in, but usually just few days later when you start doing some research, you realize that there is much more behind and that it might hurt ;) So what is 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge about?

Day 1: Short sections of running, canoe and swimming around Abu Dhabi Corniche and Emirates palace. Around 20km total. Transfer to Al Ain by bus followed by another 30km on mountain bike and more 6km running to the Camp 1

Day 2: 20km bike to Jebel Hafeet. Run & Scramble & Climb up and down the 1000m high mountain through dry valleys on the sides and finish in Camp 2

Day 3: Bike 50km on sandy tracks to Liwa Empty quarter and start running & hiking through the desert for around 50km until you stop for 8 hour obligatory rest and camp self-sufficiently in the sand

Day 4: Finish the desert section with another 50km to Camp 3

Day 5: Board a double sea kayak with small sails and go between the islands from Mirfa direction Abu Dhabi for 60km until it gets dark and camp on the deserted island

Day 6: After sunrise finish after another 60km in Abu Dhabi and get medals J

Whole race is also a navigation challenge, because using GPS and compass you have to be collecting checkpoints on the way. Some with given coordinates and the optional ones with just point in the printed Google Earth map!! There are strict time limits and everything is penalized.

Didn’t look that bad on the paper. Especially when I remembered myself doing some hiking with almost 3km of elevation and some 60km long. Running half marathon is also not a problem. I know nothing about kayaking long distance, but I felt pretty confident after I started going to the gym on July this year J So with the next three months of training it would be “Piece of cake” J

But when I considered it deeper and tried running 20km in the sand, I realized that I signed up for something I have basically no experience with. Extreme distances without rest for six consecutive days, team psychic, proper race nutrition…and when I added tons of strictly required and specified equipment which will be checked in technical verifications and when I also saw that this is not a fun challenge at all as I thought a bit, where people go to finish, because of all those professional athletes, iron man world champions and world record holder competing for 230000 US dollars in price money…I felt that I might have done a mistake!!

Luckily we got a sponsor Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency who paid the 2500EUR entry fee for us, so there is not that much at stake apart from our health and pride.

So this is us, ECO-RACERS (from left to right: Milan Seman [Czech], Jaro Prokop [Czech], Yasa Wadhai [Iraq] and myself J)

and only the race itself will tell if we did not take a bite too big to swallow J

Jan's visit Volume 2

2010-11-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

There are two types of people. The first ones like “passive relaxation” which is supposed to make you body and mind rest by doing nothing or only by doing little physical and mental demanding activities. I found out that this just doesn’t work for me. After a day of doing nothing or little I feel even more tired physically and with feeling of wasted day in my mind.

Therefore I belong to the other group of people who like “active relaxation” which makes your body even more tired and your mind even more focused, but all this in a different way than in the everyday office life. So you return back refreshed for duty after days of not sitting on a chair and not thinking about who you have to chase today! Not mentioning that you can spend couple of hours showing pictures to your colleagues and have an additional break ;)

My brother Jan has the same opinion about resting, so when I made him come to visit me to UAE by giving him flight ticket voucher for Christmas, we had to get busy J And in UAE and Oman there plenty of places where to “relax”!!

So on Wednesday 8 of September I left Doha office at noon, quickly finished packing my 32 kilo bag full of climbing, kiting and outdoor gear and flew to Dubai. I almost met Jan in Dubai airport, because we landed both there at 6pm, but in different terminals and with different following destinations. He continued to Muscat by plane and I took my car from the airport, filled it with even more gear that was left in my Dubai apartment and headed to Muscat by road to pick him up J We finally met at 4am at Muscat airport and our 13 days pumped with adventure up to the edge could begin!!

First thing on the program was climbing and hiking in Wadi Bani Auf with famous Little & Big Snake canyons. Because there were public Islamic holidays together with weekend, so my friends from UAE could join us. But on Thursday we were there only with Robin, my friend from Qatar who was by chance on business trip in UAE. After only three hours of sleep we went up the wadi, refreshed ourselves in Little Snake canyon pools and headed up for La Gorgette rock climbing area for some afternoon stretching. Nicely tired we went back to Little Snake campsite and waited for the rest of the expedition with a can of cold one.

They arrived at 2am so after a while whole team was already gearing up for Friday action – Big Snake Via Ferrata with five Tyrolean crossings 100m over the canyon bottom.

It started very well when Jaro dropped his pulley down to the canyon at the first crossing, but fortunately Jan brought one more from Czech. So we had to continue 8 people with one pulley. At least we had more time for enjoying the stunning scenery below J Ehm…not that all of us welcomed this opportunity. After we finished Robin told me that he was whole way scared to death and that he hates heights. If this was true he was really brave, because we didn’t notice. But we all had a great fun day of riding the cables J

After the evening in typical camping fashion “All inclusive” with wadi Jacuzzi pools, three more people joined us and we drove back up to do the famous Big Snake canyon trek. Snake canyon is about 5 kilometers long, narrow and deep gorge with a stream flowing between huge boulders and creating pools. The trek goes simply at the bottom of the canyon following the current, jumping boulders and swimming through deep pools, even caverns!!

The fun part about the trek is, that once you jump down from the first boulder down to the pool at the beginning on the canyon, there is no way back and the only way out is the other canyon’s end J

So our group of 11 people headed into the more difficult version of the trek where you need a rope to climb down one section. And just at the start everything what we heard about the Snake Canyon’s beauty and the trek attractivity came true. Swimming in and jumping into crystal clear pools, fun climbing dry waterfalls and boulder formations or warming up lying on sun heated stones. Awesome!! For some of us it was even more thrilling because of no climbing background, but it was certainly outbalanced by the rest. But that just happened when somebody goes somewhere with me J

Only few people stayed until Sunday, so we went for climbing again to La Gorgette. Nice 6c climbing in the shade made a pleasant point after a relaxing weekend. And me with Jan, we moved on J

Around 4pm we drove up the winding dirt track out of the Snake Canyon up to the mountain pass and then down through the night desert to our new destination Masirah Island, Omani kitesurfing paradise. We arrived around midnight to the ferry port and slept hidden from wind behind the car. Good signJ But what was not a good sign was a crowd of cars trying, like animals squeeze onto the first morning ferry. We tried also, but we were not experienced in “vehicle mob” behavior, so we missed. Bit smarter and more aggressive we luckily fit onto the second which came right after the first, so after 2 hours on the boat we stayed at noon at the beach.

Wind was blowing 20 knots, but was quite gusty. We tried anyway, but soon we packed up and came looking for a Masirah kite camp. We found it easily and after a quick discovery that Alex, the camp’s owner, confiscated the best kite beach on the Island, we paid his fee and concentrated fully on kiting.

And that’s how it went for next three days. Sleep under the sky full of stars behind camp wind barrier, quick breakfast and at 8am already pumping kites. Beautiful strong wind until dawn, still a bit gusty but nothing major, flat and shallow water for kilometers rounded by sand banks. Perfect playground!!

Jan demonstrated that kite is like bicycle and you don’t forget it not even after a year of not practicing and was bravely riding on his own and successfully fighting the strong wind. And me? I was in heaven!! Doing bigger, higher and longer jumps, practicing grabs and other tricks…having loads of fun!! We were leaving tired, sun burnt, scratched everywhere, but happy and so relaxedJ

We cleared 1000km to Dubai in 8 hours, so the next day we could have met Jaro and company on my secret Yas Island kite beach. There was not much wind, but enough for 60kg Jan to have a couple of runs. “So much easier in this kind of wind!! Everything works by itself” happily added Jan when we were rounding on Yas leisure drive. It was nice to be back on Yas after a while and see that after one year from official completion date, it is really getting finished, working, nice and useful!!

Time was flying fast and we had so much energy left, so on Sunday early morning we drove to Wadi Tawiyan to climb famous route Jebel Jebel (60m, 6b). Nice, exposed and sharp climb, but I would rate “attractivity-wise” higher one double pitch overhung 6a just next J Question of personal tastes!!

After that we moved to dry Wadi Bih as last year. This time it was one month later, so it was quite pleasant climate down there. We did one easy 90m traditional route, for Jan to get taste of real trad climbing and drove back up to the pass where there was 10 degrees colder and camped. Grill, chairs, cold beer, star-lid sky…UAE classic J The next day we did one 3 pitch 6b+ sport route “Generous Americans” and Jan led another long traditional route on 90m crag. Awesome relaxing two days high on the cliffs…

Unfortunately our loyal and reliable towing car provider Rune, got problem with his vehicle, so we had to shift our UAE desert trip to the last possible day and hope that Asian engineers keep their promises. So instead we made a backup plan and went to Aquaventure waterpark and Lost Chambers. This was also one of the activities which was for a long time available to me, but I’ve somehow never found time to go J We have not expected anything, but after 5 hours flew by we had to admit that that riding on a tube through lazy rivers, rapids, slides and spiral chutes was superb fun. And with a break in dark aquarium exhibition Lost Chambers we went nicely tired home and enjoyed a cold beer looking on shiny Dubai towers.

The last day we were lucky enough and did what we planned, the UAE crown free time activity, quadbiking in the Empty Quarter of the Great Arabian desert. We rented two 700cc Yamaha Raptors in Abu Dhabi and drove another 200km to the desert for 5 hours of sandy fun.

As a motorbike rider Jan quickly got used to motorbike on four wheels and tricky shifty dune terrain, so we could challenge the highest dunes in the area including famous Moreeb dune. “Amazing point after even more amazing holiday” sighted Jan on the top of the dune overlooking Moreeb. I had to agree. We watched sunset coming and dunes casting shadow over our second vacations in UAE.

I had to fly back to Qatar at 2am to be back at work at 7am and Jan stayed one day more, drove by metro to the tallest building in the world, saw Dubai from 134^th floor and flew back home also. We were sad that it is over, but happy about that everything went even beyond expectations and most importantly relaxed despite being in action every day of those two weeks…and also full of plans how to continue with our new tradition of holidays in adventure style, because that is our way to be J

Qatar forever - Against time

2010-08-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Time flies. We all know that. But how fast can time sometimes be I learned not until now. Welcome to Qatar, the Time Sink.

“What? Today is Thursday again?” I wondered once again when I was kicked out of the office at 4pm and stood in the heat of afternoon sun in front of our collection station. “Why is that the days pass so fast here?” I began to think.

I started mindlessly my 40 minutes drive home through the busy city of Doha. When I looked into some other drivers I saw that I was not alone there going the thousand times known route through empty Doha city center and then flat boring landscape full of low sandy villas, feeling lethargic and tired, with no better plan than to sit at home, have a dinner, surf internet and fall asleep. Actually they were not only a few of them, it seemed that that all the others were having the same “zero” plan.

And then I got it!! When you do the same thing all and all over again, all the days will fall into one and week will chase a week in a devilish fast sequence. “Every day same. I feel like a robot” I immediately recalled a sentence from 5^th grade English class many years backJ That’s why I was feeling so psychically sick!! Cure? Break the routine!!

Break the routine. Easy to say, but much harder to do. Especially in Qatar it is double truth. Why? Because you are in this alone!! Nobody else seems to be bothered the monotonicity of the everyday life. So nobody else will accompany you, support you or encourage you. They are dragging you with them. You have to have a big deal of self motivation to break the cage. Other problem is that there is seemingly nothing to do!! There is 45°C outside. There are not interesting places to visit or to go, which will draw your attention straight away. Except kite, all activities I was used to were not possible here and all communities of people doing squash, board games, dancing, canoeing or any other free time activity are either non-existent or invisible. I had to start from scratch.

So my first steps led to the most obvious and accessible place of active relaxation, to a gym. Yes, to a gym. A place full of big biceps guys with tiny legs doing arm curls with ton free weights in front of the mirror. “But what…I’ve never done it, so I’ll try and if I don’t like, I quit…easy” I thought and went in. “Hmm I see your situation, but the minimum membership I can offer you is for four months!” told me the consultant. “So I have to be going for four moths?” I asked in disbelief. “You don’t have to be coming, but you need to pay!!” was his straight answer. “Ehh…but once I’m here…” Now I’m going three times a week and you wouldn’t believe it, it is quite fun.

But the most important is that I clear my mind, tire my body and when I go to bed I feel that I’ve done something worth, that I live my life. And I feel peace J

But I cannot go training every day and having four blank days is just too much. Sometimes I go kiting, but the winds here are not very reliable, so I needed some more plans. Unfortunately I don’t have 4x4 so my exploration options are limited. Because I still feel that deep inside the enemy Qatari landscape there are a lot of hidden treasure places. Just you probably need to go far enough.

Anyway…one day I found on the internet the link to the highest Qatar point Qurayn Abu al Bawl with the impressive height of 103m above sea J It was not far from my home, so I took GPS coordinates and drove on a rarely used road to a point around 3 kilometers from the hill. I don’t need to tell you that I couldn’t see it yet!! I set azimuth and started walking. Around 1km from the spot I was still not sure which terrain unevenness might be my target. Only after I came down the last “ridge” I saw it another 1km further. A table shaped hill around 30m high J Found & Conquered!!!

On my back home I for my Lancer an alternative route I saw Google maps. I saw several sand dunes across the road, but I wanted to try. I had plenty of time anyway!! Soon I discovered that nobody had been using this road for years, because it was full of holes and I had to drive slowly. It was still ok until I saw the first dune in my way! It was a big obstruction and the bypass went straight off the road!

Fortunately Qatar has proper desert with sand only in one place and it was not here, so around the dune was a hard stony field which the Lancer could take easily J A quick decision I had take when coming back to the road and had to cross a rather small sand field. “There are enough stones around to build the road through if I get stuck!” I justified flooring the throttle and jumping through!!

It took me around 2.5 hours to get through 20km stretch of this half road track. I had to do couple of more trips off road and do some more identical justifications, but I reached the other end safely, without any damage and in a good mood.

Timing was perfect, because after a quick lunch I met Ovi, the Qatar kite guru and his students in Messaieed desert to go kiting into one inner lagoon created by tide between the dunes. I hopped into his Land Cruiser and after 15 minutes of easy desert driving we were on the spot. Super flat water I have never been riding on and a decent wind for the 15m provided an awesome session. It was a bit weird because I was the only one with kite big enough, so I felt sad for the others fighting to keep theirs in the air while I was jumping between them!!

Three hours till sunset were quickly gone and we moved to Ovi’s paragliding spot. Unfortunately there was not enough wind to fly, so we sat down to the warm sand, watched stars, enjoyed the desert silence and chat.

That was a weekend day how I like it and how it should be. “Hmmm…maybe it is possible to have fun here in Qatar” I thought.

And my feeling grew even stronger when next weekend we did the same trip, but with opposite results. From the beginning we saw that there is no wind for kites, so we went directly to try paragliding. And we were lucky!! Ovi launched his tandem glider and flew with each of us. Wind was not strong so we were flying only low, next to the dune which slope is turning the horizontal sea breeze up. I felt that the glider is like kite.

You need to feel the power of the wind in the handles and then you can do everything. We were flying close to the dune that you could touch it!! Like kiting in 10cm of water I felt…smooth turns, ups and downs, stalling, accelerating…amazing J

We finished after sunset again, stopped at the beach for a swim on the way back and the Qatar unexpected chillout continued…

Now I’m almost sure…Qatar is not that bad as it looked. All things are here…somewhere hidden and it takes a lot of time and effort to find them. Maybe they don’t have the quality as in other countries, but they have their own magic. With enough determination to go against the current and persistence in trying to find the way, this place can be as you want it to be…it will take time, but I believe it can be done…and this is an important discovery for me, because my departure is far far away and I will have the time!!

So I better get something from it and don’t make it the quickest year in my life J

Addicted!!

2010-08-10T10:12:00.001-07:00

Where this actually came from? It was long time ago when we saw with my brother a guy, desperately swimming in the windy day in the middle of Lipno dam, playing with some kind of strange thing, which was supposed to be flying and not floating in the water. I didn’t pay much attention, but Jan did so I was hearing time to time after that about some cool sport where you are riding on the water and that flying thing is pulling you. That you can jump high, do crazy tricks in the air and that it is definitely a lot of fun. That thing is called kite, the sport kitesurfing and from many videos you can see that it is really COOL J

So when I came to Dubai, to the land of sea & sun, it was not very difficult to convince myself that this sport would be great and that I want to learn those tricks and fly high!!

Now it is a year and a half I’m riding. It’s a year and half I’m going to the beach to try if there is wind and if I would have a go. Sometimes I’m lucky sometimes not. But I still go. I try, I fail. Sometimes I manage to do a good jump, sometimes I don’t. But I still keep trying. I think, I analyze. Sometimes I figure out where was the problem, sometimes I don’t. But I’m still willing to improve. I watch, I observe. Whenever I see moving palm leaves, I start to think about going to the beach and I check wind forecast every hour. Crazy huh? J

When I was going to Qatar for the first month, I had three kites at that time 15m, 12m and 9m and of course I took one kite and board with me, the 15 RRD Obsession. I didn’t want to miss a single windy day. The wind was good for couple of days, but also too strong some days. So the next month I brought 12m RRD Hypertype II for windier days also. And my wish came true when the forecast showed one whole week of superior wind around 20 knots. Paradise!!

I disappeared from work half an hour earlier to maximize the riding time, pumped up the 12, which was a bit overpowered but nothing serious and launched in. One ride back and forth to check handling and if I can go upwind, followed by the first jump. I managed it nicely. It was probably the highest and longest jump I have ever done. I shouted with enjoyment while hanging in the air, landed smoothly but I forgot about the kite so in the strong wind it took a fast turn and smashed to the water. Not an especially hard crash I thought when re-launching, but…it didn’t want to fly again. After a quick look I found out why…there was a huge tear through the whole canopy L So after five minutes in the water I was already packing up and going home. But the worst thing was that I lost the kite for the rest of the week!!

The next day I skipped, but I really had to hold myself back and drown the urge in beer. But the day after I just couldn’t stay home, so I pumped and completely depowered my 15m Obsession and went in.

And the history continued. After 15 minutes of OK rough riding in meter high waves and 20 knots gusts I jumped. I jumped high and flew far, but unfortunately faster than the kite, so when I landed it stayed behind me, stalled and started falling straight to the ground. I saw it falling and thought “It will get hit by a gust just before the water and will yank me hard!!” And exactly that happened, with only difference that I stayed in place and it was the bar, that didn’t survive the impact and broke, which flew away!! Later I discovered that also one line snapped.

Nice performance again and I was for the second time in three days waking with kite and board on my back that 300 meters to the shore. That was my “Paradise” kite week!!

But I didn’t give up and as it was always I was thinking how recover and learn from it. I went to Dubai to get the 12 fixed and…by chance there was very good offer for a brand new 12m RRD Addiction. I fell in love immediatelyJ The 1000 horsepower kite with endless lift and hang time was exactly what a lately discovered that I want to be doing. Flying…and flying long!!

My kite collection grew to four, but I’m still waiting for a good day to really prove that it does what the sellers say. The one day I had, I blew my chance because I changed the settings as I was used to, but it unfortunately completely destroyed the trimming and it performed like an old-timer!!

But instead we had another couple of super windy days, so I went for some serious action equipped with the 9m I also brought from Dubai.

And history continued again. My super strong Hypertype couldn’t handle a 25 knot gust and I instantly and uncontrollably slid downwind, fell, lost control of the kite which immediately looped, threw me to the air…no need to continue or express how I felt flying without control 3 meters high and just waiting to crash back to the sea…

After second leap I managed to release, so I was once again walking the loser’s 300m back to the beach. This time also with a hole in my hand which needed stitching!!

I was really pissed. On the kite, on me...but as it always was, I calmed down, analyzed the situation and came to a conclusion that it was my fault. I shouldn’t ride when I felt so overpowered...So I went to Dubai seeking solution once again and it came in form of even more amazing offer for RRD Obsession 7mJ My quiver didn’t grow thought, because the canopy damage on the 12m was too serious, that I’ve been advised to leave it…but I have 5 kite bags anyway J

You know…a lot of bad things happened lately to my kite mind, but somehow I feel that it just made me stronger, wiser, more experienced, more deliberate and most importantly that it didn’t touch my passion for kiting.

So with a great enthusiasm and better equipment I’m waiting for the next windy day to unleash everything what I’ve learned and become a better kiter…that’s my addiction!!

Escape to the mountains

2010-07-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

It is surprisingly (actually not at all :) almost three months in Qatar. The first month was fine, because I was thinking that after that I could go back to Dubai, so I didn’t care that much about what to do and about finding some friends. But when I realized that I’m not going home soon and that I have to mentally prepare for at least couple of months here, I started to look around.

And one of the first things I found out was that there are no mountains, no rocks and no boulders to hike or climb. And a life without some high points to conquer, look from or just see them on the horizon is simply…different!! I have never lived in such a flat country (Qatari highest point is 103m high limestone hill in the middle of the peninsula) and soon I started to feel a bit desperate.

So similarly to temptations of Magic tournaments in UAE I succumbed to an allurement of a weekend Oman trip organized by my Dubai friends. Idea of camping in 2000m above sea level in nice 25°C under the stars again and with an opportunity to drive my Tiguan to some off-road again was revitalizing and I didn’t spend even a minute with buying a ticket to Dubai.

Everything started on Friday at 7am when I loaded Kaupo, Kamil and Monika and we rushed to catch up with the others at Al Ain borderpost. All six car crews united almost exactly on agreed time and place under the mountains in Tanuf and after a short break at drowned up dam, we headed up to the mountain tops following a winding dirt track.

That was exactly what I needed. Entertaining driving, beautiful mountain sceneries, Pilsner beer and good friends to have a chat and fun with. Flawless J

After two hours of climbing uphill we finally arrived to the top village. To our surprise there was a group of brand new houses for the local shepherds built by the government. Good for them, but bad for us, because we lost the best campground which was now under the foundation!!

Never mind…there was plenty of space for everybody, so we made a typical Dubai style camp with camping chairs, tables, charcoal grills, cool boxes, music…and started enjoying the perfect temperature. Somebody stayed and relaxed and somebody, including me, we choose a short hike to nearby peak around 200m above us. Easy and refreshing trek gave me even more taste for beef sausage, covered with beef ham and filled with cheese…aaaahhh...delicious J

But on the way back we passed by a small dirt football pitch, so we had to have a game with the few locals. For them it was a match of the year and because for them there is nothing else to do, they were decent opponents and we deservedly lost after tough fight with them, bumpy pitch and our physical J All the more we enjoyed cold beers and camp fire later!!

Next day we packed up around 9am and started driving the same off-road way to the other side of the mountains towards Snake Canyon. All those narrow dirt tracks were super scenic, winding between deep gorges, stunning slopes and dry wadi beds. Real pleasure to drive through and breathe the atmosphere.

Only small problem that what looks 10 kilometers on the map is in reality 30 and with average speed of 20 kilometers per hour, our transition took much longer than expected, so we didn’t have time for the main attraction of the Big Snake canyon, where you jump and swim down through a cascade of pool and waterfalls in a deep valley…pity, but next time we will be prepared better. I will be prepared better, because I naively thought the others would know, but they of course we interested more in sitting comfortably in the car or a water pool next to the road, so they knew nothing.

But at least we stopped at the Small Snake Canyon and walked through and back. Only three of us made it to the far end though, where was a thin deep pass with chilling clear water and cliffs to jump of…paradise and nice point after chilled out weekend J

After that only another 1.5 hour back to the road though the wadi, crossing several time the river flowing inside. And with splashing water on the windshield we said good bye to Omani mountains and floored it for last 400 kilometers back to Dubai.

When I was flying back my usual 2:20am flight to Doha, I was already planning to come back in August and organize an expedition to the Big Snake Canyon for adventurous souls, because that place is just asking to be visited and explored much much more!!

Closer I was getting to Doha airport, my mood was getting lower again. There is a quality difference between those two lives. I know it. I feel it. But I still haven’t found exactly where it lies and what to do to improve it. Not yet…so until I find the way, I’ll be going to UAE to have the real fun J

Qatari style bar hopping

2010-06-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

This short story happened in three hours on Thursday evening here in Doha, city which stabs you to the back whenever it can.

After 6 weeks I’m here I still haven’t found anybody who would be even close to what I like to do or how I want to spend time. Everybody just comes from work, starts watching TV, orders delivery dinner and sits at home. “Tough day man!! I need to rest” they say. Something which I just can’t understand!! I was into this alone. But better alone than never!!

So with a good mood I called for a private taxi at 9pm on Thursday and went for a beer outside. Next on my list of places was Sheraton Hotel with Irish Harp pub. When I got into the hotel I was welcomed by nice lobby and pyramid-like interior with around 15 floors of rooms. Bar was in the lower floor so I took elevator and confidently walked to the entrance smelling beer already.

“Ladies or couples only tonight” dryly said a bored security guard. I tried to ask him some questions willing to understand the situation, but the guard didn’t even bother to answer and only put his face into “You are not welcome here dude!! And it’s full anyway” expression. Still shocked a bit I went back to the elevator and went to mezzanine floor to Waterhole bar.

I’ve read some bad things about this place, but I just wanted to have a pint so I gave it a chance. “Membership card or Qatar ID Sir?” asked me the security. “What? Membership I don’t have. I have only Emirates ID. It’s not enough?” “No. You need Qatar ID or original passport with visa page to get in” “But I’ll do one exception when you are here for the first time” he smiled and let me pay the entrance fee and get in.

But after I got in I quickly realized why he did it, because the place was just horrible. OK, the interiors were fine. It was the people who were inside. I took a beer and was amused watching potbellied white guys around 40 shyly attacking Asian prostitutes of the same age and beauty under incredibly loud oldies sounds from a Filipino band. There was practically nobody else so I really felt like Alice in Wonderland. So I quickly finished second pint and went to Irish Harp again to see if the situation haven’t changed.

“Ooo two single girls coming in” I felt my chance. “Hi, do you think…” they even didn’t let me finished my sentence. “You wanna get in? Ok come with us” the English girls answered themselves and I was standing in front of the same security guard again. “Where is your membership card?” asked me with the same bored arrogant tone the guard. “Get the membership and we let you in” he told me and the girls disappeared inside. So I went to the desk where they were giving memberships. “We cannot give a membership to a single guy. You need to have the girl standing next to you” said another security with the same cold annoying tone. In that point I was really losing my temper under the pressure of all those unbelievable things.

“I have a friend over there. She can help you get the membership” said a girl doing hers just next to me. I felt the last chance, but just to be sure I’ve asked “Is this UAE ID card enough to get it?” “You need to have original passport with visa. This is the rule” replied that security and I exploded.

“Screw all this and you too” I almost shouted when I strode out with blood boiling and ire in the eyes. Outside the hotel, blinded with wrath, I pushed aside one poor businessman and stole his taxi. “Ramada Plaza” I ordered.

After five minutes of a calming drive I asked the driver “Do you know if I can get to QUBE without passport?” “I don’t think so Sir” he replied pretty confidently. And he was true. To get in you need a membership and for a membership you need, according to the big board next to entrance, a Residence permit. In that point I was not even sure if you can get in with passport, which I didn’t have anyway, so I just looked at a long queue for memberships and conceded to having one more cold pint today.

At midnight I was at home again. I paid three times more for taxis and fees that for the beer itself. But at the end I had to laugh. Country which has that few bars that they can refuse customers in big is just sad.

But as it is always, when there is no other chance, you just accept it. You have to. Especially here in Qatar. So next time I will bring the passport and I will give it another chance…Why? Because I want to survive here until I could go back. Because if I had a feeling that I don’t belong to UAE, here it is not a feeling anymore…it’s a fact!!

Qatar forever - First steps

2010-06-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

First week was fast. I arrived Sunday midday form where my colleague Kutty took me to my new place, but had to take me immediately out to one of the three shopping malls in the country! To his astonishment I refused to stay for the rest of the day in the villa and do nothing, what would every Indian do, because they would need to rest, especially after travelling (my flight was 45 minutesJ)

So after I returned there was nothing more than couple of beers with the head of Qatar Envac office Alan in his villa just few building next to mine at the evening. There I’ve learned one thing. Instead of building luxurious villa districts and 40 floor apartment towers, here in Qatar they build villa compounds.

These “villages” are square areas full of squeezed identical two floor buildings, with no common facilities except for tiny children pool and tiny tennis court, where you cannot play tennis anyway because you have fence on your back line and it is full of screaming kids. That’s fine, but the worst is that there is no central AC so you have to choose if you want to boil or become deaf from roaring AC ventilators next to your ear!! And that the compound lies 15 kilometers south of Doha and getting a taxi out of there is impossible is just another black point on already black image.

Fortunately I got my personal Lancer the second day, so I could start exploring and try to put some white dots. I found two climbing walls, but one was not for public and another was too small. No white points. I found very nice kiting beach just 5 minutes from my house. First white point. I found out that you can go to Dubai from Doha for quite cheap money. 10 white points J So instead of trying my luck here, I took off to Dubai the first weekend for sure fun of two day Magic gaming J

The second week went equally fast, basically because two days I fell asleep for 12 hours directly after I came from work, one day was disappointment with “Release the Kraken” and on Thursday my friend Kaupo came from Dubai and we went to see some night life J

After tough search in the list of 15 bars and clubs in Doha I found on the internet, I picked up Intercontinental Hotel with one of the three most famous and most real “clubs” in Qatar, La Paloma.

We started easily around 8 outside the hotel in a beach/pool bar. “Don’t worry!! At the weekend it is packed with people here. Wait until around 10pm” said in a good mood the barman. We took another beer and around 11, when still sitting there almost alone, we left for Paloma inside.

How do you imagine one of the most visited discos in Qatar? Definitely not as a rather small hall with kitchen in one corner, tables all around the round bar in the middle and tiny dance floor with even tinier podium in the other corner. And on the top of that a chaotic DJ changing genders like if playing roulette. All full of guys and if there is a lady shyly standing next to a table and obviously willing to dance, there always is a lounged black Mr. Muscle drinking beer behind, who instantly jumps up when you try something and with a superior and angry grin “She is mine!!!” sends you packing crying. Not a place where you want to return to J

And when you are full of all that, you cannot even get a taxi home, because nobody wants to drive that far up to Al Wakrah. No escape from here!! But OK…we got home at the end, when literally bribing one the driver J

Saturday was supposed to be easy hangover day, but the best cure for handover is to go to the desert in 35°C and ride quads for two hours. In Qatar there is only one area where there is a proper desert with sand dunes.

It is in the south close to Saudi border and it is just next the sea line that water gets between the dunes and creates lakes and lagoons. Have you been ever riding quad in the sea? J

I took it for two hours and tried how it is when you drive one hour one direction and the other back. It was how I imagine Rally Dakar. Driving 50km/h on a desert track winding between yellow sand dunes, through black salt plains and between green bushes. With every kilometer I was getting further from noisy Hummers cruising around and deeper into the loneliness of the desert I was enjoying it more and more. Only me, quiet dunes, rustling sand under the wheels and 700cc under the hood J I was enjoying it that much that I almost forgot to turn back!! Then I discovered the dark side of Rally Dakar, when my hands were barely holding the handlebars at the end!!

Evening program consisted of why Kaupo actually came to Doha, athletic competition Diamond League. Qatar wants to be a sport capital of Middle East so they are hosting all kinds of sport events. Asian games, Handball championship or they are voting for Soccer World Cup in 2022 and Olimpic games. So Diamond League with many famous names attending was not a surprise.

We came to Villagio mall where was a booth with tickets. That was the only information Kaupo had about the event. Ticket booth location. “Tickets are sold out” told us a Filipino girl inside. “What?!!” we almost shouted. When we started to think again we asked “OK…so where is the stadium where the competition is held?”, “I don’t know” she replied as nothing would be happening. “What?!!” we stared in surprise again. After couple of more questions we got that the place was called Doha Sports Club, but where was it, we had still no idea. “Sir can you show us on the map where is Doha Sports club?” we asked and random Lebanese guy. “Sure” he replied and I pulled out my GPS mobile phone. “Damn…display is broken!! I have no idea how this happened” I was staring at a rainbow across he display. So no map, no tickets and the competition has already started!!

The guy explained us more or less where it is and we started driving. Fortunately four huge light posts shining to the night are pretty good guide so we found it easily. “Why there are so many busses blocking the parking lot” I wondered when we came there…

Ticket office at the stadium was closed…there was nobody checking tickets when we walked through open gate up to the tribune. And than we saw it…stadium was almost full. Except of VIP seats and that all spectators were Indian. Guess why? Organizer brought 100 busses of laborers and left tickets for free to fill up the tribunes J

Kaupo, former decathlonist, pulled out Estonian flag and we started watching. There was also few Czech athletes…javelin thrower Spotakova who came second and one pole jumper. Sometimes we cheered for somebody passing by, but basically anybody out of the Ethiopian / Kenyan sector had no chance to be heard!! There were enjoying the event so much, with flags, drums and songs. And because almost in every discipline they had somebody, they were heard all the time. Awesome…

Unfortunately Kaupo’s only Estonian athlete, a discus thrower who was supposed to attend, didn’t come and anyway…because we were late we missed the discus at the beginning J

Saturday we drove to the north to check some limestone rock formations, with possible climbing potential, but it was way too eroded for trying anything. I would need a 4x4 to get deeper into the area to maybe discover some more solid place. Next time…

On the way back we did a detour just to see that Qatar landscape is really just a flat dry wasteland full of loose stones. So after three hours of driving through this monotonous scenery we better went to the beach for some kiting…nice point after active weekend. When I told my Filipino colleagues what I had been doing, they could only say “Hmmmm…”. We’ve done in one weekend more than them in one year!!

Next two weeks went even faster. Three days kiting after office, some food shopping and basically playing Magic everyday to prepare for UAE Magic National championship. I even went for another weekend to visit Rune in Dubai and do some play testing.

And then my last week in Qatar came and I was looking forward to return home. “Jiri can you call me” I found email from Jacqueline, Envac business and manpower controller, on Tuesday. “Jiri, you know that there is still no work in UAE and Babu told me that he could use you in Pearl of Qatar. Would you be able to stay?”

And again…I was somehow anticipating this to happen and I was somehow prepared for it. I had even ready some conditions. “OK…that is no problem. But I want to keep UAE residence visa and as soon as there is work in UAE I’m the first guy coming back!” I calmly relied. “Of course Jiri. That’s how we want this to be. We want you to be ready for coming back” she ensured me.

When flying back to Qatar after another short weekend at home, with a tear in the eye and new return ticket for 29 of July in hand, I imagined my Tiguan sadly standing in the garage of my unoccupied apartment and thought “This probably will not end just there L”

Btw: I didn’t defend the title of “Magic the Gathering UAE champion”

Qatar forever - Choose your destiny!!

2010-06-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Everything started one and half year ago……

I was told that I had been hired for Al Raha Beach project. This huge development in Abu Dhabi was “just about to be signed” for at least half a year before I came and all the time after I came, until Envac’s chances died completely with leaving old Al Raha management only few months after I arrived.

But that didn’t look like a problem. We had still Yas Island and many other “promising” project were around. Until the world financial crisis came only few months after I arrived.

UAE’s happy spending finished and everything stalled. The biggest Dubai developer Nakheel bankrupt and with him disappeared many “happy times promising” projects like Waterfront (city twice the size of Hong Kong), one mile high Harbor tower or canal network going 50km deep inland. Rents dropped to half because people were losing jobs and going home in hundreds (180 Al Raha engineers got sacked on hour one sunny morning). Car loans and car prices dropped, because all cars have been left at the airport by leaving people, abandoning everything…even their loans.

Needless to say that I had everything already secured for the peak price and that Envac haven’t got any bigger project for our “cutting edge” waste collection system by now.

UAE was not hit by the crisis that hard as USA or EU, but it was. Who apparently was not hit were Saudi Arabia and Qatar and our salesmen, were more and more often starting to travel to those countries trying to secure our asses.

So one day, I think it was around March 2010, happened the inevitable. “As you probably see, there is not or soon won’t be any work for us here in Yas” begun my project manager our face to face conversation. “But there is a boat going to Qatar. Are you on the boat? Or you stay here on this sinking Island?” was his question he should have asked some people to report to our boss Mike.

I was suspecting that something is happening long time before this day. Longer we stayed on Yas, with more of our work being finished and more time without hearing any news about some future projects, more I was playing with thought, what I would say when this question comes? “I’m on board” I replied immediately.

I was not happy to say that. I had everything in Dubai. A lot of good friends, my apartment, car, my routines and activities I liked, I worked position I felt finally comfortable with…I had there my happy living. I didn’t want to leave all this, especially when traveling to a country where everything was supposed to be way worse than in UAE. But on the other hand it is better to lose it temporarily and have possibility to come to get it back when situation change, than sink with the Island and lose it all forever.

So on sunny Sunday morning 2.5.2010, I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to Doha. It was not my first flight to Doha, but this one was different in that it was the first, last and only one that day. No transfer, no continuation, no other destination, no way back…

Actually there was the way back in form of return ticket one month later, which was giving me something to look forward to, because I hadn’t heard a single positive thing about Qatar!!

Qatar is a flat, dry wasteland on peninsula of the size of Cyprus with one real city and capital Doha. There are no mountains, no proper sandy desert, just plains full of loose rocks and stones going across whole country. And where are no villages, there are oil and gas rafineries. In Qatar lives out of 1.5 million people in total only 1/3 of expats, which majority is from Asia and other Arab countries, so there are relatively few westerners. Also ratio of 3.5 men on 1 most probably veiled woman is not very pleasant environment.

Doha as a capital is more decent, traditional and Arabic with lower average road lane count, with much lower average building altitude, insignificant bar number and only one liquor store in whole country. Don’t need to mention that there is no climbing wall or Magic community. So what is there?

This was what I knew about Qatar so don't be surprised that I was worried. But I was comforting myself that it is only for one month and that I’ll survive and then go back, because we were supposed to get small Yas Island project extension. So I took it as easy as possible and tried to get my own picture about the country, because in the corner of my mind I thought that it couldn’t be that bad J

Stairway to Heaven: The thirsty ballad

2010-05-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

It has been already two months since we’ve returned from Kenya. But for some strange reason there was not much action. Probably because we were tired, lazy or had many other things to catch up. From my side it was clear. Project was ending so I had to work six days a week and the only free day I spent with kitesurfing, because UAE windy season was coming.

And suddenly the long time expected turn of events came and I was going to Qatar for one month. So I wanted to use my last weekend for one of the long time planned trips in UAE we had, because when I would come back in June it would be too late for any outdoor stuff for summer heat.

We had basically two things we wanted to do. Climb 300m high Ainee wall in Wadi Bih or do UAE’s most famous hike Stairway to Heaven. Ainee wall is for two days because of its distance and because Milan wanted at least one day for learning with his new kite, 10 hour Stairway trek was a perfect choice.

“We leave today after office to Ras al Khaimah, camp there, Friday Stairway with camping afterwards and Saturday directly to the beach kiting. Who’s in?” I sent short email on Thursday morning. “I can’t leave UAE without doing this trip. I’m in!” responded Jaro, Milan got caught on Saturday kiting so we were three.

Stairway to heaven is a quite short but very steep hike to the top of deep wadi, where you in the uppermost portion use stairs made of stones on very exposed walls and ledges. It’s around 7km long, 1000m up and the book says 8-11 hours for going up and back the same way.

After a decent sleep at the beginning of the trek at 10am we made our first step into the wadi. Temperature was quite nice around 30 degrees so we full of strength were progressing fast following an obvious path through boulder fields and traversing around steep walls. After one hour we were at the confluence and started to walk straight up towards the start of the Stairway. We were not alone there, because we met an older English man trying his luck also. We quickly overtook him and went for the first Stairway around 300 altitude meters below the top.

We had a detailed route description, but somehow the system of ledges and stairways was so obvious, that we didn’t need it. True, it was steep, high, exposed and the Stairways made loose stones just put together seem to fall apart under every step, but somebody doing climbing wouldn’t even notice that it is something unusual. Contrary to many holiday hikers being tempted by the fame of this hike J

After 3 hours we were at the top!! Looking a bit disappointed from expecting something more challenging we decided, after small lunch, to do the whole roundtrip and return to the confluence from the opposite side of the wadi, rather than retracing our steps back using the Stairway. The guide was saying that, even when it doesn’t look like, it is much tougher choice distance wise and also route finding wise. But we didn’t care. “Look, we have 6 hours of sunlight and from the map it is something around 8 kilometers back to the confluence. I have all the waypoints in the GPS” I said, “And we have headlamps” added Milan and we marched. Only one who didn’t say much was Jaro suffering diarrhea from very morning. But we marched!

Route finding up to the village on other side of the valley was simple. We had some delays and we lost half an hour when taking wrong ridge, but we arrived at 4:30pm, so just enough time to be at the confluence before dark. But shortly after we started descending through huge steep boulder field those last 900m elevation meters, it got screwed up!!!

It was not especially hot that day but we finished already all our water. Descending on loose and sliding stones went slower than we expected, especially for Jaro. He doesn’t see well in the dark normally, but today he took as his only dioptric glasses sunglasses, so he was practically blind when it got a bit darker. And also he was starting to be really exhausted and dehydrated from diarrhea and having not enough water. And with a couple of dry waterfalls which we had to bypass around, we reached spot above the last waterfall when was completely dark.

“Follow the riverbed until you reach the 6 meter high waterfall. Then turn back and find the way how to bypass it to the left” I read from the guide. Easy to say, but harder to do, when you when you are in unknown area, in the middle of dry canyon with 10m high walls above you and staring down from the waterfall. We didn’t even have three headlamps, because I lost mine in Kenya and haven’t bought new one yet and Jaro had to shine directly under his feet to be able to make a single move. With increasing time we spent there, we were getting thirstier and it was slowly getting a bit scary J

We luckily found the only way around the waterfall, but it cost us time. “Uff…finally we are at the confluence. Now it is easy. We have already been here” relieved Milan and we started walking back on the same path we came. We had around 3 kilometers and 250 meter down to the car. The trail was visible, but we needed to walk slowly and even then we lost it couple of times. And with every step Jaro was getting into worse and worse shape. Completely dehydrated, he was stomach sick and dizzy. In one moment we had to stop because he started vomiting. Vomiting nothing!! Me and Milan we were very thirsty but still focused. The way back seemed endless. Much longer than we remembered it when walking up.

“Hey Milan!! Are you sure that this is a correct way” I shouted. “The trail is not very clear, but it looks like this might be it” he responded with no confidence. So we got lost again. Even when we got back to the last point where we were sure that we were standing on the trail, we couldn’t figure out where does it lead next. Milan tried to traverse further, but it was not the way. The way down seemed way to steep, leading nowhere and above us was just a vertical wall. And it was dark. And we haven’t had a drop of water for 5 hours. And it was still around 35 degrees. And it started to look quite scary. We all played with a thought of being stuck here for the rest of the night!!

Fortunately after more than an hour of going around in one place, Milan found a way down. “Guys…that’s it!! I found the trail” he shouted from below. And from then it was finally easy and we got safely and alive to the car at 11pm!!!

And that was it. HAPPY END J We drunk everything liquid…hot water from bottles, cold water from melted ice, Pepsi, lime juice, beer. Everybody drunk around 3 liters, fell down and slept.

Lesson learned? Maybe only that the mountains, no matter how easy they are, they look completely different in the night under only torch light and that 4 liters of water per person for whole day UAE trek in not enough. Next time we’ll be smarter.

What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger J

Kenyan dreamin' - Epilogue

2010-05-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

Sad cloudy Saturday morning in Narobi. Speechless group of travelers is slowly packing big backpacks into a taxi in front of a hotel. You don’t need to ask where they are going. Minds still lost in repeating what happened yesterday, week ago, on Kili…they don’t want to go anywhere. One story ends…second continues…others are on the way. That’s life J

I’ve done many trips around the world and I have to say that only from few of them I don’t remember much. But there are also only few of those where I remember almost everything, which I will always be going back to in my thoughts and storytelling and from which I will always try to draw inspiration and experience for the future ones. Our Kenyan dream expedition will always be one of them!!

EVERYBODY HAS A DREAM

EVERYBODY HAS A GOAL

BUT NOT EVERYBODY FOLLOWS THEIR DREAMS

NOT EVERYBODY GOES FOR THEIR GOALS

WE DID!!!