Triathletes will strive to stay cool in Abu Dhabi this weekend

The record 2,400 competitors entered in Saturday’s Abu Dhabi International Triathlon should keep an eye on the unseasonably warm temperatures and bone-dry winds that arrived in the UAE this week, writes Steve Elling.

Alistair Brownlee of Britain races to victory during the running portion of the male short distance of the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in Abu Dhabi on March 2, 2013. Christopher Pike / The NatioShow more

ABU DHABI // The incident is seared into the memory of Alistair Brownlee, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in triathlon.

The details, not so much.

With a record 2,400 competitors entered in Saturday’s Abu Dhabi International Triathlon rightly keeping an eye on the unseasonably warm temperatures and bone-dry winds that arrived in the UAE this week, the risks associated with improper hydration brought to mind Brownlee’s finish at a London event four years ago.

About 300 metres from the finish, he was plotting his finishing kick and to surge past the lone competitor ahead of him, when the world went dark.

“My next memory is being in a hospital with tubes and wires coming out of me,” said Brownlee, 25.

Event in the comparatively mild climate of England, Brownlee had got into such an extreme state of dehydration, the lights went out.

“I basically passed out on my feet,” he said. “Absolutely blank.”

Staging outdoor events this late in the UAE represent a gamble of sorts.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority, which underwrites the triathlon, is in a difficult spot. The race is the first big event on the international calendar, after a five-month winter lay-off for most top triathletes.

If the race was staged earlier, officials would run the risk of losing some of the elite participants, or having athletes show up when not in top form. This year’s event was bumped back to mid-March because of the recent Red Bull air races on the Corniche, where the race is centred.

Temperatures in Abu Dhabi skied to a torrid 36°C on Wednesday. Winds on Thursday morning were gusting at 20-25kph, and with no trees or buildings along most of the course routing, the wind seems even stiffer.

The forecast for Saturday calls for highs of 28°C and winds of 21 kph.

Ample warnings in the participant handbook caution competitors about the importance of hydration and defending long-course champion Frederik Van Lierde drinks about twice the recommended amount of water.

The reigning Abu Dhabi and Ironman world champion, the Belgian expects to consume 1.5 litres of fluids for each of the six hours he is competing on the triathlon’s long course.

“Everybody is counting calories, sugars and minerals,” Van Lierde said. “But to me, the most important thing is to drink enough water.”

Five years before he won the sport’s most prestigious event last autumn, Van Lierde had a hydration-related meltdown at the vaunted Ironman Hawaii. His fingers began to tingle, then his lips went numb and he was forced to quit.

Even for amateur participants, the body usually sends warning signals or shuts down before the triathlete is in potentially fatal hydration trouble, he said.

Given the climate and scheduling hurdles for Abu Dhabi race officials, Brownlee came up with a potentially watershed solution – run the race beginning at dusk.

The entire course, which proceeds down the Corniche and over Saadiyat and Yas islands and around the Yas Marina Circuit, is lighted and in perfect condition.

“This event has always prided itself on being unique,” Brownlee said. “It would be an experience. How cool would it be to be cycling around an F1 track under the lights?”

Cool being the operative word.

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