Is this an indirect way of asking about the crazy dubai-sponsored tri team?

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Where would you want to swim ?

If not now... their likely will soon be as some of the major names in Ironman (Tim& Nicole Deboom, PR, Normann, Legh, Fuhr and others) have formed a pro team based out of there. Peter has a little piece on it on his web site. It indicates some "camps and clinics" in the near future. I'm sure if you tried contacting that email at the end of the article... They might be able to nail down some dates for you.

http://www.peterreid.com/tri_dubai.htm

There's also a web site that is still under construction

www.tridubai.com

Some of the highlights:

"Dubai will use the team athletes to help build the UAE’s national endurance-athlete program via training camps and clinics"

"Tri-Dubai will promote the amazing beach resort city of Dubai, located on the beautiful Arabian Gulf. Dubai was recently rated by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine as one of the top tourist destinations in the world, with fine restaurants, unique entertainment opportunities and the world’s only seven-star hotel. "

"s this an indirect way of asking about the crazy dubai-sponsored tri team?"

Ooops... looks like I took the bait if it was! :-) That sly guy Tom D.

No, I want to do a race there.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

The Best Duty Free shopping in the world, pick me up a Plasma TV while your there, heheehehehehe

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I have horrible back problems but I have zero problems staying in an aero position for 180k. Why? Because I ride steep and because I train regularly in that position. Simple as that.....Gerard

I went in some good duty-frees in Hong Kong airport. That was fun.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Did lots of shorter races when we lived there from '97-'00: shorter tris, aquathons (swim/runs), 5/10Ks, half and full marys. Check out www.abudhabitriclub.com and the links on that website the various Dubai Tri/Running clubs and the events page.

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kangaroo -- please do not read or respond to any of my posts

http://www.dubaicreekstriders.com/

Has a triathlon/road racing calendar for the region with some contact information. It's pretty much a fall-winter-spring calendar because of the summer heat, though I've talked to guys who would do outdoor training in Saudi Arabia when it was 120F and they claimed it wasn't bad once you acclimated.

That's a great resource. Thanks jill.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

But it's not alwasy as cheap as you might think. I went through there a couple of months ago, planning on buying a new digital camera. I'd researched it before I went, and found that US mail-order sites were cheaper than dubai duty free.

It pays to check before you go, so you don't spend more than you might at home. And hand carrying a plasma is going to be fun at the gate.

J.

Tom-

Funny that you brought that up.
This past weekend we were in NYC taking a dear friend out to dinner.
He's a VP at Ecco shoes,and goes to Dubai at least 3X a year,and was just there.
According to him, they are in the finishing stages of getting the race planned.
They're totally HUGE for a major Triathlon..its going to be FIRST Class all the way.

Hey- if they can get Formula One to race out there....they can buy anything.
They have more US dollars than we do.


Myself-I'm still holding out for the inaugural running of Ironman Fallujah as my first international IM.

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Seeing him in deep torment, I said. " You can have my last GU , but its been down my pants for most of the run". - John Hirsch

Take care of your body, its by far the coolest thing you're going to ever own.- Can't remember who told me this, but I love it.

The signal intel I was getting out of Dubai was that there is going to be ahuge, high end, resort based race. I'm all over that. IM Middle East?

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Just curious, but why the interest in that place? There are about 1000 better places in the world to be. And yes, I know a decent amount about it -- I have lots of expat UK friends who go and can't seem to cough up a good reason as to why!

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

The place is a giant social science/economic experiment. The monarchy there has figured out that they're going to run out of oil money revenue sooner than anyone else in the region, so the sheikhs are pouring a ton of money into business development in the region in order to see what kinds of development 'sticks'. A little bit of Vegas, a little bit of Hong Kong, a place where the Saudis and Iranians can go on vacation and not have to deal with the religon cops, a little bit of Silicon Valley, some high end no-expense-spared resorts .....

So far what the sheikhs are doing is working. It's the only place in the region where the GDP per capita is higher than it was 10 or 20 years ago, and even if people don't really have the vote, it's seen as a freer place than the rest of the region.

I like the Middle East. Always something to do there.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom, if you find out anything please post. Middle east is on my "haven't been but would like to" list along with Japan. An IM in Dubai would be cool.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

Here's a very timely set of photos of another sporting "event" in Dubai. It's not triathlon but tennis, and you'll never guess where and who are playing. When you see the first picture, just remember that tennis is usually played on a green surface and then scroll through the rest of the pictures:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/photo_galleries/4289977.stm

OK... I apparently have a fear of heights because I puckered when I saw the picture of Agassi looking over the edge!

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http://irondad06.blogspot.com/

http://irondad.blogspot.com/

Shocking, just shocking. "Like" is not a word I would ever associate with that region of the planet.

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

I hear you. But I slept where Sir Lawrence of Arabia slept in Wadi Rum, in the middle of the desert, on the sand. It was beautiful.

I partied with Princes and Kings and actors in the Sahara. I drank tea with nomads in the middle of a 4,500 mile desert expanse.

It is like going to another planet. Absolutely awesome. And 99.9% of the people are infected with that wonderful sense of friendship and hospitality that is a matter of survival for desert cultures.

I like the Middle East. It is a beautiful region- good food, nice people, beautiful music and always something to do...

Here is photo Tommy Baynard of Quokka.com shot of me in the Sahara. The man reclining next me is software millionare guy... aw heck, I forget his name. Another guy in our tent was in the Marine Aviation Unit that operates Marine 1, the Presidential helicopter.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Oh, duh, here's the photo:

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Hmmph. Call me skeptical.

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.