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C o l u m n
Technical Issues in Iran
My most recent appointment as Technical Delegate to several races in China in November was welcomingly ‘ hijacked ’ by an urgent measurement request from Iran . This was no ordinary race , and certainly no ordinary measurement !
Kish Island is a free trade resort island of Iran , in the Persian Gulf , and does not require a visa for entry , but when I visited , the island had only one arrival flight in the week on 13 November , and one departure on 14 November , offering a mere 18 hours ( less with airport procedures ) to land , check into the hotel , and leave after my measurement duties . My trip started well , but the 13th day of November proved both unlucky , and amazingly lucky … What do you do when your bike-mounted measurement counter seizes after only 4km of a marathon measurement ? What to do ? What ? That question kept repeating as I attempted to free up and rotate the counter , whose bearing had seized and burst open .
Now , I was on an island in Iran , no back-up counter anywhere at hand , no extension of the stay possible , and with the race set to take place in just four days on the 17th . What chance of finding a replacement bearing , on a small island with a population of 37,000 ? I was surprised they even had three potential outlets , but not surprised that all three drew a blank . A buckled bearing ring and closure eliminated any chance of a quick fix , but recalling my days as a trainee metalwork teacher , we found a man with a lathe who agreed that a brass bush replacement was a good idea , but he didn ’ t have a large enough piece of brass . Fortunately , while it may be a small island , it has good friends , as one company gave the other a suitable piece .
The race on Kish is fuelled by the inspiration and motivation of organiser Payam Dibadge , who has an uncanny ability to recruit people to the team and the cause ; Soon there were six willing and able people assisting in the challenge , but the real skill lay with the man behind the lathe , whose precision and speed were simply an art . Like the Million Dollar Man – those of a certain age will remember – it was a case of , “ Gentlemen , we can rebuilt him ,” and by 9pm we were fitting the revised counter to the bike .
( Almost ) Ready to Roll
The challenges weren ’ t over , though , as the counter ’ s gearing still wobbled , threatening further potential seizure . Design revision added a washer to create guidance , but this brought a clash with the bike forks , so a second bike was sourced . By 10pm , with a heavily greased new bush and crossed fingers , we were back calibrating , with a smooth-running counter that gave remarkable consistency .
The official marathon measurement began . Apart from around 5km of road , the route is mostly on a 4.5-metre-wide cycle and electric scooter path , where measurement marks had already been done at roughly every 5km , prior to the post calibration . Calculations indicated a shortage of 740 metres , requiring a redesign of the starting kilometres before the completion and layout of the start and finish points . A return to the hotel and packing left four hours for rest prior to leaving for the airport , but by now the ( unlucky ) 13th of November had transformed to the 14th , and my 45-minute flight back to Dubai was uneventful . By the time of the following night ’ s flight to China , the measurement report was off for certification , and half a day later , the certificate was in the Kish organiser ’ s hands .
The Kish Island International Marathon was held on Friday 17 November , with 1300 runners , only 300 of which are islanders , making a positive economic impact to this close-knit community , who not only welcome every visitor , but engage them in their late-night / early morning beach-party lifestyle . In 37 years of course measuring , this was an incredible experience , and reminded me never to give up on finding a solution . I left Kish with a counter that may well be even sounder than the original design ... with a new brass bush that could take me around the world . Somehow , Iran was never a place I had envisaged going to , but Kish Island , and the marathon team , is a place I ’ ll readily return to .
Images : Norrie Williamson
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