Marek Goczol of Poland and Serbia’s Ivana Kolaric bagged the top honours in the Explorer category of Garmin Quest 2020 - the region’s first long-distance adventure race based on mountain biking, trail running and kayaking, which took place in Hatta on Friday
DUBAI (Pakistan Point News - 21st Dec, 2020) Marek Goczol of Poland and Serbia’s Ivana Kolaric bagged the top honours in the Explorer category of Garmin Quest 2020 - the region’s first long-distance adventure race based on mountain biking, trail running and kayaking, which took place in Hatta on Friday.
Organised by Dubai Sports Council, Hatta Adventures, Garmin and Arabian Epic, Garmin Quest 2020 had attracted more 300 participants for what was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains, which took participants on an adventure of biking across rugged mountainous terrain, trail running through some of the oldest inhabited lands in the UAE, and kayaking in the waters of Hatta Dam.
Participants took part in two different categories, with the Explorer division being the tougher of the two where participants had to run a total of 10km, cycle for 27km and kayak for 1km in six different stages - Stage 1: 20km cycle; Stage 2: 2.5km Run; Stage 3: 1km kayak; Stage 4: 2.5km Run; Stage 5: 7km Cycle; Stage 6: 5km Run.
The Challenger category involved 5.5km of running, 13km of cycling and 1km of kayaking in six different stages - Stage 1 6km for cycling; Stage 2 2.5km run; Stage 3 1km kayak; Stage 4 2.5km run; Stage 5 7km cycling; Stage 6 500m.
With a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 32 seconds, Goczol was fastest in the Explorer category, finishing 2 minutes and 44 seconds clear of UK’s Tom Walker (02:07:16), while Bojan Durdic (02:14:11) of Serbia came in third, 9 minutes and 39 seconds behind the winner.
In the women’s section of the Explorer category, Serbia’s Ivana Kolaric (02:28:51) was quicker than Rachael Delaunay of New Zealand (02:34:41) by 5 minutes and 50 seconds, while the UK’s Aimee Middleton (02:40:15) took the bronze.
In the Challenger category, David Rice of the UK was fastest with a time of 01:10:32, while his compatriots Paul Drury (01:10:45) and Graham Brewer (01:11:01) completed the podium.
Sandrine Zandotti (01:15:43) of France was fastest among the ladies in the Challenger division, finishing ahead of the UK duo of Gemma Brown (01:16:53) and Nikki Woodroffe (01:25:48).
“I really loved the race,” said Kenyan Felix Mate, a personal trainer and Ninja Warrior who finished fourth among men in the Challenger category with a time of 01:14:00.
“The race was good and the course was amazing – running, kayaking, cycling. That’s a great combination. You could call this the best event. We loved it and we cannot wait to come back to Hatta next year.”
With natives of more than 200 countries calling Dubai their home, Dubai Sports Council has been regularly launching new initiatives and adding new events to its calendar for the benefit of every member of Dubai’s diverse community, especially in places like Hatta, Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve and Jumeirah to promote these regions, both domestically and internationally, as premier sports tourism destinations.
Through such events, the Council also seeks to provide members of the community an opportunity to compete in novel events like the Garmin Quest as well as their favourite sports in a fun-filled environment, and encouraging them to embrace a physically active lifestyle.
The Council has also been working with and encouraging partners in the private sector to join its community initiatives and support the wise leadership’s vision of turning Dubai into one of the most physically active places on the planet, and creating a vibrant, healthy and happy community.
RESULTS
Explorer Male: 1-Marek Goczol (Poland) 02:04:32; 2-Tom Walker (UK) 02:07:16; 3-Bojan Durdic (Serbia) 02:14:11; 4-Toufic Hobeika (Lebanon) 02:17:44; 5-Philippe Delaunay (France) 02:21:12.
Explorer Female: 1-Ivana Kolaric (Serbia) 02:28:51; 2-Rachael Delaunay (New Zealand) 02:34:41; 3-Aimee Middleton (UK) 02:40:15; 4-Jennifer Gibbons (New Zealand) 02:52:43; 5-Aimee Wright (UAE) 02:55:07.
Challenger Male: 1-David Rice (UK) 01:10:32; 2-Paul Drury (UK) 01:10:45; 3-Graham Brewer (UK) 01:11:01; 4-Felix Mate (Kenya) 01:14:00; 5-Ayoub Elhamji (Morocco) 01:14:03.
Challenger Female: 1-Sandrine Zandotti (France) 01:15:43; 2-Gemma Brown (UK) 01:16:53; 3-Nikki Woodroffe (UK) 01:25:48; 4-Claire Gissoit (France) 01:26:02; 5-Laura Easton (New Zealand) 01:26:25.
