Monday, November 23, 2009

SITE CLOSED

Please note that this web site is no longer updated, MIRDIF MILERS can be found at www.mirdifmilers.com

DONUT 10 results were emailed to all participants who registered on line via premier marathons, results will inshahallah be on the MM website on Monday

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

DONUT 10 RACE INSTRUCTIONS

THE DONUT 10
0730 NOVEMBER 20TH 2009

NUMBER COLLECTION

Numbers may be collected at the following venues

1. DRR Saturday 14th November
2. MM Monday 16th November
3. ABRa’S Wednesday 18th November
4. On the day.


Number collection on the day will be at the car park adjacent to the finish (see directions below). Between 0700 – 0720. To collect your number please show confirmation of entry.

THE COURSE

The course is virtually traffic free an entirely with the confines of Mushrif Park and consists of a short section on the road followed by three laps of the park on the cycle track. (subject to confirmation!)

LOCATION

The race will be held at Mushrif park, Dubai, past Mirdif on the Al Khawaneej Road. We have a special dispensation to enter the park from 0645 onwards. As no member of the Park department will be on duty a member of the Mirdif Milers will be collecting AED 10 per car at the entrance.

Parking will be at the far end of the entrance road keep going until you reach a T junction, park in the car park in front of you. (Same car park as for the Iftar 5K.) There will be a steward at the entrance of the correct car park.

THE RACE

The race will commence at 0730. Runners who finish in less than 60 minutes will receive a gold medal, less than 75 minutes a Silver medal, all other finishers a Bronze medal. Times will be recorded up to 2 hours, runners finishing in greater than 2 hours will receive a finishers medal but their time will not be recorded on the results. T shirts will be handed out to all finishers at the end of the race.


WATER STATIONS

There will be two water stations positioned approximately 2.5 K apart, the water station at the finish location will distribute water and a isotonic drink, the further water station will distribute water only.

PRIZES

Trophies will be awarded to the overall Male and Female winners. Vouchers will be given to the 2nd & 3rd place male and female finishers.

Teams prizes will be awarded as follows (each team to consist of 5 runners including at least 1 female)

1. The first five members of a running club to cross the finish line under the age of 45 on race day (Winners Open),
2. The second five members of a running club under the age of 45 to cross the finish line (Runners Up, Open )
3. The first five members of a running club to cross the finish line aged 45 or over on race day (Winner, Coffin Dodgers),
4. The Second five members of a running club to cross the finish line aged 45 or over on race day (Runners Up, Coffin Dodgers),

Only runners who have entered their club on the entry form will be eligible for the above purposes. No change of running club will be allowed after entry.

The overall team prize will be given to the first team of five to cross the line regardless of the age category they represent. Any runner over the age of 45 will only count as team member in the over 45 category.

Prize giving will be at the finish area at about 0915.

TOILETS

There are two toilet blocks approximately 400 metres from the finish area.

DONUTS

There will be Donuts available in the finish areas!

T SHIRTS

Race T shirts will be distributed at the finish, sizes are first come first served.

REFUNDS

No refunds will be given if you don’t attend.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

DONUT 10

Entry to the Donut 10 is now closed as the entry limit of 200 has been reached. To all who have entred thank you for supporting the Mirdif Milers, race instructions will be emailed shortly

Thursday, October 15, 2009

DONUT 10 20th NOVEMBER 2009

Entries are open at http://www.premiermarathons.com/ for a bargin AED 100. As well as Dubai's best race you will get a techinical T Shirt, a Unique medal and maybe even free donuts. Go on you know it makes sense

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

NEW WEB SITE SOON

Mirdif Milers new all singing all dancing web site opens soon at
WWW.Mirdifmilers.com

Sunday, July 26, 2009

MILERS GO TO VENICE


The Milers boys on tour will this year go to Venice Marathon on the 25th October. If you want to join us hurry as there are just 1200 places left in the event. Details at http://www.venicemarathon.it/home_en.php


Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

HAIL THE COMRADE MILERS
































COMRADES 2009

Seven Milers traveled to South Africa for Comrades 2009, the standard and quantity of training was different for each runner but the goal was the same, to run the 89 kilometers between Pietermaritzburg & Durban in less than 12 hours. Four of those seven were Comrade Novices and were about to find out just how much it hurts to run 90K. After all the training the “last supper” finally arrived and seven very stuffed Milers went to bed in the hope of getting some sleep.

On the day of the race were all up by 0230 for breakfast at 0300 and on our way to the start by 0330.. The Journey to the start from our hotel in Durban to Pietermaritzburg took over one hour during which the 4 Comrades Novices went quiet as they realized a) Just how far it is from Pietermaritzburg to Durban and b) just how many hills there are along the way! On arrival at the start there was just time to drop our bags and enter the seeded start pens.

At 0515 I was stood in the “C” pen listening to Shosholoza, Chariots of Fire and the famous Comrades Cockerel crow thinking to myself “you can do this Dave, Just do it”, the rest of the Milers were behind me in the “D” pen thinking there own thoughts but I somehow guess they were as apprehensive as me as to what faced us all for the next 9 to 12 hours.

The cannon fired and the field shuffled forward, no chip times in this race so crossing the line as quickly as possible is the order of the day. I crossed the line in about 2 minutes and then ran at the pace of those around me as given the width of the road and the volume of traffic that was the only option. I had a simple game plan, run each 5K split in less than 30 minutes, and pass halfway in the range of 4 hours 10 mins – 4 hours 20 mins.

The first 20K or so of the Comrades Down run are anything but down, I had forgotten just how much the course went up! After 8 – 9K we cleared Pietermaritzburg and ran down Polly Shorts Hill with the sun rising in front of us, it was beautiful and I was feeling good, I began to believe it was MY day. I passed through Camperdown at 27K in 2hours 33 mins, looking good! Kept moving on until we arrived at Inchanga hill, I was still feeling good but made a conscious decision to run / walk the hill to keep something in the bank. Fifty paces run , 50 paces walk all the way to the top, high fives with all the kids form the orphanage at the top, as usual their smiling faces almost broke my heart, they have so little but their smiles light up the world.

Half way at Drummond came up in 4 hours 16 minutes. I stopped just short of the mat to speak to Tristan a young lad who has cerebral palsy and his mum gave me a bottle of partly frozen Energade, boy that tasted good! It was just starting to get hot now but not exactly scorching by Dubai standards.

After half way comes Botha’s hill. This has been my graveyard before but kept to my run walk strategy all the way up, this was the only 5K split which crept above 30 minutes but I was happy with that there was plenty in reverse. As I ran down through Hillcrest my knees began to really hurt, time for the Brufen 600 which was waiting for a moment like this. Five minutes after taking the brufen the pain eased and I was back to the normal aches and pains of Ultra running at the same time the sky clouded over and the temperature dropped.

It was starting to get tough now but the dream burnt brightly in my mind, that Bill Rowan was there in front of me still out of reach but coming closer, oh how I wanted that little bit of worthless metal, sod the pain its relative give me the bloody medal, run Dave run. Fortunately after Hillcrest the real downhill of the down run begins and I found it relatively easy to keep moving along at 5-15 min/K. Winston park at 58K came up in 5-38, still on schedule.

After the long run down Fields hill I hit the long endless flat straight road through Pinetown I have always hated this stretch of the route, but this year I keep moving, keep dreaming, keep smiling I know that once I get over Cowies hill at the end of this endless straight I will be able to see the sea, if I can see the sea the end must be coming.

Run / walk Cowies Hill reach the top at 71K in 6-50, I can see the Sea!!! There is only a half marathon to go, come on Dave ½ marathons are easy so get on with it boy. Around now it begins to dawn on me that I have been overtaking people ever since half way and I’m not aware of many going past me, my addled brain is desperately trying to compute the worse case scenario of if I had to walk to the end from here but that’s far too much like hard work, easier to keep running.

The last cut off point at the 45th Cutting looms into sight in 7-58, 7K to go and one hour to do it in, Now I begin to truly believe and begin to celebrate, anyone who calls out “Go Dubai” gets a huge grin and a clenched fist salute, knowing that I could walk and still finish in under 9 hours is such a relief and no longer do I have to concentrate on keeping to a pace though surreally I begin to speed up!

At last the stadium comes into view, as I enter I’m not aware of anything other than I’ve bloody well done it , I’ve run a sub 9 hour Comrades I’m going to get a Bill Rowan medal…….. f….ing hell how did I do that? The clock shows 8hours 40 minutes as I cross the line with a silent prayer to all who helped and put up with me over the past six months.

I make my way to the international tent where I find official Miler “Groupie” Tom Connor taking photos and Darryl Chiles of the ABRa’S clutching a Silver Medal. Astonishingly Darryl has just run two back to back 3-30 Marathons to finish in 7 hours 29 minutes , this by a man who has only been running for 18 months.

It is no surprise that the next Miler to come into sight is Sara Connor who finishes in 9 hours 22 minutes. Sara has had a fantastic season a win at the Dead Sea and now a Comrades medal, we all wonder just how far this girl can go. I spent the last half of the race looking over my shoulder to see if she was catching me!

Next home is Chris Homann in 9 hours 34 minutes, Chris has probably done the least training of all of us as a result of a combination of injury, work, etc so this is a fantastic effort though of course the man has history with a 7 hours 52 minutes finish back in 1994.

Chris Little trots home in 9 hours 41 minutes, Chris has also battled with injuries, fatigue and lately a “Cyclops” syndrome, still he seems to have seen enough to reach the stadium and more importantly he wore his Milers vest rather than his gay boy white offering.

Fellow Comrades Novice Malcolm Gatenby storms home in 9 hours 58 minutes having in his own words “lost it” after half way. Fortunately Malcolm jumped onto the 10 hour bus and was pulled along whilst waving his hands in the air and learning the words to several Zulu running songs. I fear we have created a monster……. Sorry Sheena.

Coming home together are Martin Scadden and that Traitor Colin Foreman who travels with us but wears a Dubai Creek Striders vest, they finish together in 10 hours 40 minutes having spent the first half of the run “selecting” ladies for their fictional running calendar, anything to keep you distracted boys! The miracle was that Dunkin could actually run at all after his spectacular carbo loading effort. To anyone who has not witnessed this phenomena sign up for 2010 now!

Last miler home is Gavin Loy in 10 hours 49 minutes, as limps into the International tent he heard to mutter “I’ll train for it next time!”. Well we all thought that the 6 week training plan was probably a bit short.



We all stay in the stadium for the drama of the 12 hour cutoff. No open route in this race, at 1730 the Comrades Chairman stands with his back to the oncoming runners and fires the finishing gun, if you haven’t crossed the line you are a DNF regardless. Its cruel, its dramatic and watching those last desperate souls scrambling for the line will live in your memory for ever. The difference between ecstasy and despair can be 1 second.

Other Dubai runners to finish were

Ann Bester 08 hours 44 minutes
Savio Schmitz 08 hours 55 minutes
Marek Szymanek 09 hours 15 minutes
Cath Todd 09 hours 16 minutes
Mike Morris 09 hours 56 minutes
John Young 09 hours 56 minutes
Gigi Young 10 hours 15 minutes


Congratulations to everyone for finishing and thanks to all the wives, husbands, children who put up with us all whilst we pounded the streets for six months and became rather one track in our thinking. Now its time to relax enjoy the food and beer before dare I say it? We start all over again for Comrades 2010.

Monday, May 18, 2009

ABRa'S 10K 15th May 2009



This is the view most other runners have of the Mirdif Milers! Eleven Milers braved the heat of Mina Seyahi to participate in the last race of the Dubai racing season, the ABRa'S 10K on Friday 15th May. Miler results were

1 Chris McCann 37.31 3rd MV40

2 Alistair Allan 39.06

3 Jim Harlock 40.39

4. Graham Spriggs 43.53

5. Hugh Archibald 45.16 3rd MV50

6. Dave Jackson 45.31

7 Anne Scadden 48.30 2nd FV45

8. Sara Connor 51.23

9. Andrew Gregory 51.52

10. Dunkin Scadden 58.33

11. Tom Connor 62.35

This time we were fairly beaten by the ABRa'S in the team event, but we will be back. Once again a certain Mr Murphy was lapped by Chris McCann, getting to be a habit Murph?

Sunday, May 03, 2009

COMRADE MILERS






















The hard work is done the miles are run, its taper madness time. All that remains is to stay injury & illness free!

The Illustrious Seven Comrade Milers are


No 47785 Sara Connor
No 27241 Malcolm Gatenby
No 31060 Christopher Homann
No 9445 David Jackson
No 27397 Chris Little
No 24333 Gavin Loy
No 40222 Dunkin Scadden



You can track their progress on the day (24th May) at http://www.comrades.com/