The CHOP CHOP CHOP of a helicopter’s blades signal the end is near. After five days of running, mountain biking, kayaking and rock scrambling in the Persian Gulf, teams are finally approaching the finish line of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.

To add drama to this photo opp, event organizers positioned a giant inflatable finish line arch in front of the historic Al Jahili Fort. Photogs are jostling for the best spot, all wanting to frame the fort’s twin watchtowers within the race organization’s colorful arch. When a team runs through there, bam! You got your shot. It says adventure racing. It says Middle East. It tells the whole story.

We’re in the oasis city of Al Ain, a few hours south of Dubai and right on the Oman/United Arab Emirates border. Search “Al Ain” on Google Maps and it’ll come right up. Click on the satellite view to see the value of an oasis in the Arabian Desert.

Finishing here at the Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain is genius. It’s such a visual stunner, pulls you right back in time. I’ve seen this kind of mud-brick fortress before in news videos from Afghanistan.

That other fort was called Qala-i-Jangi, and it sat in the north of Afghanistan, near Mazar-i-Sharif. The TV images of Qala-i-Jangi showed U.S. special forces consulting with Northern Alliance leaders among the fort’s protective parapets. They appeared to be developing a strategy to quell an uprising inside by Taliban detainees. After many bullets, an array of bombs, and pumping a basement full of cold water, the battle was done, and little was left of Qala-i-Jangi.

But back to this fort, Al Jahili. It was built in 1898 as a summer home for a former ruler of Abu Dhabi. It is of mud-brick construction, complete with defensive parapets like those of Qala-i-Jangi.

Unlike Qala-i-Jangi, Al Jahili is about to be swarming with endurance athletes from all over the globe. We anticipate some chaos. Teams are expected to park their bikes in assigned locations they’ve not yet seen, sprint the final 50 yards to the finish line, and “punch in” to the timekeeping device with a small key. The noise of the helicopter grows louder.  And here comes the first team!

It is team Desert Islands of New Zealand, which includes Richard Ussher, his wife Elina Ussher, Jarad Kohlar and Jay Henry. The first three are Kiwis, but Henry is actually an American from Colorado.

As waves of teams begin to arrive, pandemonium ensues. There is near panic as athletes try to put their bikes in the right places, and a whole lot of multi-lingual shouting as teammates try to stay together for the final run to the finish line.

U.S. teams Nike, Salomon/Crested Butte, SOLE and DART-nuun finished fifth, eighth, ninth and 13th, respectively. Not a bad showing for us Yanks in a field of 36 of the best endurance teams in the world.

Want to know more? Surf on over to http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/ for the official version of things.

Mike Bitton is a writer, photographer, adventurer and PR guy. He has a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from Utah State University, and has worked at daily newspapers in Utah and California. He lives in Vancouver, WA, with his wife, Jana; their two daughters, Ashton and Aubrey; and the family cat, whose name is Velcro.