The RAK Half Marathon, to be held on February 9, 2018, uses social media very well. Here’s their final instructions on the race for this coming Friday! @runblogrun will be there.
The care and management of destination races add even more complications to a major event. The RAK Half Marathon is located in a vacation area, and the course is fast, with nearly perfect conditions in the United Arab Emirates (the weather here has been around 55-60 in evenings, 70-80 during days and 55-60 at race time).
This race has an extremely well orchestrated elite race field, plus citizen runners who just want to run a half marathon and core runners who want to run the fastest time that they can. Well, they have come to the right place.
Vivian Cheruiyot, Frankfurt Marathon 2017 winner, photo by PhotoRun.net
I really like how the race management is using social media to reach out to their field with last minute information. The beauty has been, the consistent use of social media so that there are not emergencies. But before the social meda, the basics, measuring the course, double checking the course, are keys to providing you with a great race experience. The providing of refreshments, which, at many races, have now turned into a virtual post race meal, has evolved around the world as well. Races have gone from orange slices and cups of Gatorade in the 1970s to now.
Part of the reason great runners come to an event like RAK, is that they know the event has its ducks all in the proverbial row. That is why an acredited course measurer is key.
Those are part of the details that make a successful race, whether in San Jose, California or Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
