This time, it's clockwise

MEDIA RELEASE: Every year since its inception in 2007, we've introduced a slight twist to the event. For 2011 we've literally gone 360 degrees.

In 2007 the race began with a sprint start to the kayaks, parked on the sweeping Corniche Beach in downtown Abu Dhabi City, which was followed by a 118km paddle along the picturesque Al Dhabela coast to Mirfa.

For 2008 we introduced a triathlon-style prologue around the Corniche involving a bike sprint, a short kayaking loop to Lulu Island, a few hundred metres off the beach, with a run around the island thrown in for good measure.

Last year we spiced up the prologue with a 900-metre dip in the city's panoramic lagoon following a run around the stunning Emirates Palace gardens.

But this year the twist is a little more pronounced. Day One will still include the opening prologue in the cosmopolitan heart of Abu Dhabi City but from them on it's about face. The teams will first transfer to the oasis city of Al Aïn, for a confrontation with the rugged outcrops of the Jebel Hafeet range, after which they will traverse East to West across the unforgettable dunes of the Rub al Khali, the largest expanse of unbroken sand in the world - with a final sea kayaking section back to the finish in Abu Dhabi city. This clockwise rotation around the Emirate is sure to introduce some fascinating new race perspectives.

http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/