24/02/2010 - Race Review - Mina Mile

A Race Review by Geoff Armstrong

If anyone wants to kill two birds with one stone, escaping the winter weather and get in an early season race in to see how the winters training is going may I recommend the Mina Mile. This race is held three times a year (February, March and November) in sunny Dubai and is well worth a visit.

I recently went over to participate in the event and cannot speak too highly of the whole experience. Organised by Warren Van Der Merwe of Super Sports Dubai (www.supersportsdubai.com) and held at Le Meridian Mina Seyahi, this event is on a smaller scale than the likes of the “Great” swims but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in terms of efficinecy and friendliness.

The event consists of a number of events over distances ranging from 200 metres up to 6.5k, but by far the most popular distance is the 1650m (one mile race). Upon entry you can participate as many events as you want (I used the 400 m as a warm up for the mile) and all age groups are catered for. The location of the course, being in the shade of the Dubai palm means that the course is like a mill pond and the temperatures are something you can only dream of in England.

I was somewhat unlucky with the temperature as the water was in the low twenties!! The locals were appalled and there had been whispers of the event being cancelled becasue of the low temperature. Safety is taken seriously with good safety cover provided.

The whole event is followed closely in UAE and is widely reported in the local press and TV. Pre-race training once in Dubai can be found at the Jemiah beach, ideal for those want to practice ‘sea’ water racing and also for catching some sun.

Large shopping malls will cater for your every desire whilst the metro and taxis will enable you to reach the older areas of Dubai for souk visits. Walking around in Dubai is also a pleasent experience, pull out a map and any number of people will offer their help and local knowledge.

The Mina Mile – an experience for all of the family – highly recommended and well worth repeat visits. One word of caution – Dubai can be very expensive although with a bit of research the costs can be reduced to a realistic level.