This was a fantastic adventure split into two sub-adventures. For the first adventure, we arrived at Wadi Showka at 1pm on Friday afternoon. The wadi was already teeming with trail runners and campers looking forward to the 2nd annual North Face Rock Run. Scouting out a nice campsite was a bit tricky simply due to the amount of adventurers and equipment scattered about.
Within about 30 minutes, after collecting our race packs, we found the perfect spot and quickly set up camp. The weather had been overcast and raining throughout the morning so we wanted to ensure we would be ready to go in case additional rain came our way. It was extremely important to find a spot in a higher, plateaued elevation that was not susceptible to flooding in case the wadi did fill up. With camp set up and emergency escape routes planned (in case the water did come) we were off to the start line for the race. Renee and Carry were running the 10K and Sienna, Meila, Raider, and I were running the 5k. The race was fantastic; there were runners from all mixes, backgrounds, abilities, and breeds (for the K9s of course).
Everyone was in good spirits and having a blast as the course followed through Wadi Showka crossing hills, valleys, washouts, streams, pools, rocks, dirt, and other various bits of the natural landscape. There were many people along the route camped out and having picnics who enthusiastically cheered us along. We crossed the finish line to a huge crowd cheering everyone on, music, playing, drone cameras flying overhead, and medals being awarded to all of the finishers. The race was a great event for both amateurs and professionals alike.
After the race, there was a great ambiance around the camp with over 1,200 runners still enjoying the adrenaline high of the run with a huge bonfire as the center of attention. There were food stalls, a prize giving, and the night was capped off with a live band.
After a great night’s sleep in the chilled wadi air, we awoke early with a camp fire and some breakfast and did a bit if hiking around. We had to save most of the exploring for another time however, as we needed to quickly pack up camp and drive the hour or so to meet for the second part of the adventure, which was a drive to the top of Jebal Khatt.
