Race costs

I've done a basic summary of our race expenses so that we can see how much this race cost us to do; and roughly how much it would cost you to do it in 2010.

Clothing
We just went for tops (2 x short sleeve, 2 x long sleeve and 2 x light fleece pullovers) as bottoms are a lot more personal preference and everyone has black shorts/tights. Race conditions are warm, so we didn't need to go crazy on clothing. That helped. Total was R950pp (girls got off at around R900 because our short sleeve tops cost less). We were very fortunate to receive our clothing from First Ascent at wholesale prices.

Additional gear
We all needed toget Petzl Shunts. Three of us needed mountaineering helmets. All needed leather gloves for the rope sections. Three of us got bigger hydration reservoirs (3l). We all needed waterproof matches and bigger space blankets. I needed a bigger knife to conform to race specifications. Chris got a trekking pole. We all needed double lanyards. Three needed travel towels and additional drybags. On average, for the main stuff we all needed, it probably amounted to anything between R2000 - R3000 per person. We got our gear through Petzl and Ram Mountaineering at wholesale prices.

The compulsory gear lists are pretty minimal - how much you need to get will depend on how much you have already.

Three of us also attended 3 x paddle coaching sessions. Total of R450 each.

Another expense was goods for the first aid kit. They gave us quite a list and we had to have double of most things. I don't know what we spent here. We didn't use any of it.

Food
My race food cost me about R650.00. I spent more though because I still have leftovers, which I didn't pack. I'll use this for other races. Bars and gels up your expenses quickly.
Before the race we got rolls, chicken, tomatoes, cheese for lunches (spent about R500 in total). We ate three meals at restaurants - around R140pp each time per person.
So, we're looking at around R1250.00 per person for food (race food and pre- and post-race).

Hotels
Accommodation in Abu Dhabi is VERY expensive. We arrived on the Tuesday morning; so that night was for our own expense (the race accommodated us from the Wednesday). This cost us just over R1300pp sharing, excl. breakfast. The race accommodated us after the finish on the Wednesday night (at the Hilton in Al Ain!). We were only flying on the Friday at noon so the Thursday was for our own expense. The cheapest hotel we could find cost us around R930pp sharing, incl. breakfast. So, this was almost R2300.00 each just on two nights accommodation.

Transport
Public transport infrastructure is good; but travelling is difficult with three big and heavy race crates and four people. Buses only take you to the bus/taxi depots. We learned how to find cheaper rides but they are not always convenient. We spent around R1500 in total on buses and taxis to and from airports, hotels and also our trip to Dubai (which was the cheapest!).

Summary (per person)
Transport - R375.00
Hotels - R2,300.00
Food - R1,250.00
Clothing (tops) - R950.00
Additional gear - R2,500.00
Paddle coaching - R450.00
TOTAL - R7,825,00 per person

Entry and flights were covered by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority as part of their Awards programme. We were one of 5 teams to receive this. If we'd had to pay the costs would have been:

Race Entry (3500 EURO): R48,000.00
Flights (Joburg - Abu Dhabi on Etihad): R6,000.00pp (R24,000.00 for team)

So, if we included race entry (R12,000.00 each) plus flights (R6,000 each) = R18,000.00 each.

So, the overall total then would come to almost R26,000.00 per person. And, as the race provides boats and bikes you won't get hit with extra luggage costs, which is R200/kg; we came in under our luggage allowance!

Comparatively this is brilliant for a 6-day, mostly catered (5-Star catering too!), international adventure race. And, this is a race I can 100% recommend whether you're a competitive or social team. This race is not a slog-fest and it is very doable, even by inexperienced teams; it has a touch of luxury. Awesome experience and event.