Running the half marathon gives you a taste of the full, which should give you an idea why this is a world marathon major. From the expo to the crowd and everything in between Berliin is a running city and this is a race that must be experienced, not simply run.

T-Shirts/Swag-The usual thermapack in the swag bag and a few coupons to restaurants, the after party and other events made the bag pretty impressive. Fair warning if you don't have Google translate handy or speak German, some of the coupons will be lost on you. The T-Shirt is pretty cool. This year was a unique green color, but runners from past years were in the race and the shirts seem to maintain that distinctive Adidas feel, while being functional and cool.

Aid Stations: While these were spaced every 5K along the course, they feel like an eternity apart. On top of that, they were always on one side, so a lot of clustering and navigating to get in. If there was too big a crowd, it was safer to avoid the station and try and make it to the next one.

Course Scenery: From the Brandenburg Gate through Checkpoint Charlie, you are running through the history of one of the most important cities in world history. Saying that is not an overstatement as you see over your shoulder the holocaust memorial, below you the traced remnants of The Wall and all around you in what was East Berlin the cool reminder that this city that you now move freely through was once segmented and on the forefront of a battle that would lead to the end of us all.

Expo Quality: The expo is held at a former airport that has been turned into a giant field for playing, picnics and running. A lot of popular international vendors, including the opportunity to get taped up by KT, massaged by another and get your CamelBak in shape. There is plenty of space, but the lines are long for bib pick up. Keep in good humor and make a mental map of what vendors you want to hit after you've finally gotten everything.

Elevation: Flat and fast.

Parking/Access: If you are driving in, good luck. There are massive amounts of people and they are everywhere. It is easy to access via multiple types of public transportation and the race website gives pretty solid directions on what to do.

Race Management: This is a definite win. It is safe, you're never unsure on where to go and through the rain and overcast they were clearly visible. From a crowd perspective it is run well also, they are lively and as much a part of the race as your shoes, they get you through and help manage each other.

All in all, this is one worth saving up for. The chance to see Berlin alone is worth it.

Of all the races in the United Arab Emirates that I have seen, spoken about and run, this one is second only to the Abu Dhabi Striders Half Marathon/10K. So much attention goes into it that if you are able to run it, i highly advice doing so.

T-Shirts/Swag: The race has a partnership with UPS and this works out remarkably. You get the race shirt and swag bag well in advance of the race. Saucony has provided light weight racing shirts. The bold red color makes it stand out, while the RAK Half Marathon logo could be bigger, the shirt quality and material are second to none. You also get coupons for coffee, Saucony store and several other vendors. Along with this, on race day, there are gifts and goodies from other race sponsors. The medal is one of the most unique I have. The bent medal looks like a shoe string, over the races iconic design. This one doesn't just blend into a collection.

Aid Stations: This was one of the first races to truly accommodate for the heat of the emirate. Every 5km (3 miles) you had a choice between water and sports drink (tasted like gatorade, but can't be sure) but intermittently there were water stations that were well stocked and fully operational.

Course Scenery: Here is where the big let down is. RAK is one of the least scenic places to run. If part of the race was on the fabulous beaches that are not that far from the course then this immediately becomes 5 stars. While one of the mosques you see on course is fabulously designed and a testament to architecture, it blends into my memory next to the grocery stores and run down streets.

Parking/Access: There was construction on the main road, so getting in the night before was a bit of a log jam, the morning off;however, runners used the mall parking lot next to the race start, seemed pretty easy. There are also a few hotels less than a mile from the start, making for a quick walk.

Race Management: Aside from a few police officers on motor cycles that weaved through crowds of the runners, this was a very well organized, I felt safe at all times on the course, traffic wasn't an issue and the roads were wide open and made for truly a fast experience.

RAK Half Marathon has been measured as the fastest marathon in the world, a statement that I find it hard to argue with.

We tend to give large scale races a pass on things, because the sheer ability to say "I ran in Dubai" is fairly impressive. This race failed on more levels than one and as such is not entitled to these overlooks.

The expo timings concerned me. Even though I was traveling in country, it made more sense to drive up the night before and collecft everything and get settled in for the night. The expo was open until 7 every other night except the final one, when it was open until 5. The problem with this is, people flying in, traveling from other emirates, were at a mad dash to make it. The number of people pulling up or rushing to the number collection spot would have been comical to a degree, if I wasn't one of them. When I made it in, the woman handing out instructions was incredibly rude, to the point that we wondered if this was indicative of how the rest of the race would go.

The morning of the race began smoothly. These were some of the best bathrooms I have ever seen, funny to think of, but they were essentially construction trailers with bathrooms, running water and fairly clean. For the men there are 2 stalls per trailer and about 5 trailers, so fairly long lines for that, but still very accessible, easy to find and nice quality. The baggage drop off was also easily reached and very well run.

Then the race started. This was so poorly run it bordered on the dangerous. Immediately after the start line, people decided to hand out energy drinks and wrist bands, which caused people to jack knife across the crowd, crashing into people, running each other over and disrupting the flow or teh actual event. On the course, the managers were busy taking selfies and pictures as opposed to guiding runners. At one point, people were running head on into the elite/front pack of 10K runners, with a few colliding.

Water stations were plentiful, but poorly run, people stopped fully or were clustered and unable to mvoe through. At the 5K turn around, the water station placement was in the actual turn, so as people are navigating it, there is a cluster of bodies blocking them.

The placement of the start and finish line made is oddly confusing when you actually started and stopped. You have to run through the start to get to the finish, but the beep of the time card could be heard when crossing both, leading some people to halt and start walking too soon.

The medals and shirts are amazing and you are given a wrist band that gives you a discount at any Adidas store in the UAE, which is impressive. These things do not make up for a poorly run race. The course is not designed to handle such numbers and is incredibly cramped, to the point that if you are a regular runner, a PR is possible, but difficult to attain.

While it's hard to tell someone not to make this trip and see Dubai, there are better run races that show more of what makes the city actually interesting. Save the time and your ankles and avoid this one.

Leading up to the race there was a lack of communication. There was no course map, no emails to try and get you excited, just a vacuum of information and the premier online website. Once registration officially closed, it took a few days before the packet pick up email came out and while it was helpful, it still left some questions, hopefully to be answered at packet pick up.

Packet pick up was a disaster. The numbers were printed wrong and so on the spot the coordinators had to sift through all of them and reassign numbers, handwriting them in on a master log and reminding each other to change them. The numbers were some kind of weird vinyl/plastic that felt heavy to the touch and was somewhat awkward to wear.

Once race day arrived, these initial sins were forgiven. The race had a lively atmosphere and started under the big lights of the rugby stadium. It was great to see people out socializing, enjoying each others company and getting ready for the start, something that has been missing from the past few races here. The actual race start was klunky. The police showed up late to close of the race so the start was delayed by 15 minutes and the instructions on the staggered start for the 10K and Half Marathon left some of the Half runners fighting through 10K runners from the back and 10K runners starting before they were supposed to. It got pretty messy.

Out on the course water was plentiful, things were well marked or easy to figure out, there were no portapotties though so people ahd to make due with what they could without being seen. The drivers obviously weren't used to being inconvenienced for a race like this so they honked out of frustration, when they were allowed through they sped by runners and it became a somewhat dangerous situation. Nowhere was this more evident than when we re-entered the club for the final 4 miles of the run. Cars were driving 2x2 speeding by as people were still running and at a few points almost clipped runners while making a turn.

The swag was a medal and a race towel. The medal is pretty cheap, it's what you would get from a party supply store with a sticker on it and the towel, while bearing a nice logo is rather forgettable. It's a good course to test yourself, but some of the nice swag you're used to isn't a thing in this one.

There was food afterwards, if you paid. Other than that you received a nice run and we'll see you next year. I'd definitely run it again and a clearer idea of what would happen would mandate taht I bring a post run snack because that sun takes a lot out of you.

For more on the race check out my blog post: http://www.gowithjordan.com/?p=725

This race was actually run in one of the best locations in Al Ain and has shares stretches of course with the half marathon happening in December. It is what you would expect from a local race. A friendly group of people running together and using it as a morning run more than a race. The event benefits Malaria No More charity which is dedicated to getting mosquito nets for people to help stop the spread of malaria.

Because we aren't in the UK, the T-Shirts have to be ordered and delivered in about a month, but they were very friendly collecting information and explaining it all. The shirts are regular t-shirts, but looked pretty cool. There are also pictures that will be used on the organizations website, posing ensued, I was not a part of it.

It was hard to argue with doing it, it was 5 minutes from my house. If you're in the position to do it, it helps a good cause and its very affordable.

You run at the local Golf club early in the morning, so there is an overwhelming calm and clarity that overcomes you. The course is a simple out and back for the 5K, the 10K is just double this.