Gerda, a Quantity Surveyor for MLC International Quantity Surveyors in Dubai, will be known to the Nedbank Club Runners after finishing second at the ABRaS Mine 10km in January with a personal best time of 37:37. With the main goal being Comrades she decided to do some “longer” runs and ended up entering the Wadi Bih Trail Race in Dubai. It is a grueling 72km race that can be done either in teams or “solo”. Gerda opted to run solo….. and blew away the field and the course record.

Here is her story on how the race went.

The Salomon “Wadi Bih” trail race starts in Dibba, Oman and is now in its 24th year. It started off as a 72k relay with a team of 5 through a Wadi (a dry riverbed) in the mountains of Oman. Over the years the event has grown and now includes 3 solo distances: 30k, 50k and 72k as well as the original 72k relay. There were over 2000 runners spread over the various distances this year.
I decided to run Wadi Bih 72k solo as I had heard so many amazing things about it and it is only a 3 hour drive from Dubai where I live.  The race has a reputation for being a great weekend breakaway as many runners camp on the beach or stay in the hotel where the race starts. It would also be a good test for the upcoming Two Oceans and Comrades! 
The race started at 04:30am in the dark with head torches in a temperature of 15 degrees on the beach and for the first 6km was on a Tarmac road before we entered the Wadi. The race is an out and back course with a total climb of 1400meter on the Garmin. The first half is mostly a steady uphill and to see the sun rise over the mountains was just stunning.
About 5km before the turning point the climb becomes severe which in parts was impossible to run and now the Arabian sun was getting higher in the sky so made things a lot warmer. After the turning point I knew it was mainly downhill running which is what I love so I managed a good 25km at 4:20 pace despite the rocks and gravel. Leaving the Wadi back on the Tarmac road to the finish it was getting very warm with a strong headwind which made for a hard finish. But I had the course record in mind, and being so close to the end, I managed to push through. I ran 6 hours 16 minutes which broke the previous record by 25 minutes.
It was my first trail race. I have learned a lot from it and understand the importance of strength training which Nick Bester is so keen on. Now it will be all about getting stronger for Comrades! 
There are so many South Africans in Dubai and they all recognize the Nedbank kit, and with the odd Afrikaans conversation, it sometimes feels like a local race!

Gerda will no doubt be “writing” many more stories before she touches down in South Africa for her big race on 29 March.