ZIMBABWE's United Arab Emirates-based middle distance runner, Royal Mabika succumbed to the Dubai heat on his return to the international Dubai Marathon race last weekend.
Mabika had high expectations as he made his comeback in the 10km event after two years.
However, the high temperatures spoiled his homecoming but he remained grateful to have completed the race.
"I really felt the heat and l think the competition at this kind of races is always international standard so l would say it was interesting racing with the guys," Mabika told Standard Sport.
"As for this year, the elite field was a bit packed. Most times the UAE residents manage to place highly in the supporting events like the 10km but this year's race even the renowned elites themselves were part of the race.
"A lot of us athletes, who reside in the UAE normally win the supporting events at big races like the Dubai Marathon. However, when Ethiopians and our brothers and sisters from Kenya come to compete, the story changes because of where they train and the modus of training."
The Dubai Marathon featured a 10km and 4km race along the Umm Suqeim Road starting from the Madinat Jumeirah in the shadow of the iconic Burl Al Arab. The race ended at the Dubai Police Academy where the road Umm Suqeim ends.
The Puma brand UAE captain, however, made an improvement from the 29 minutes 34 seconds he ran in his last 10km Dubai Marathon event two years ago.
"l ran almost the same time compared to my previous time although l improved with a few seconds as the route slightly changed, it was too flat," he added.
"You know, whenever the mountain seems high to climb, that shows the depth of the competition so this race is among the tough ones."
The Gallie Kawanzaruwa managed athlete has now set his sights on the Riyadh Marathon next month and the April Manchester Marathon in England.
His goal now is to qualify for the 2025 World Championships after missing out on this year's Paris Olympics.
"I'm going back to the drawing board and trying to perfect my half marathon time over the first six months of the year. Definitely I will run some fast races in the Middle East region and see how it goes for my goal to qualify," Mabika said.
"I would like to thank the over 40 Zimbabweans who participated in the Dubai Marathon. Some are UAE residents while the majority of running enthusiasts flew all the way from Harare to come and participate in the biggest marathon in the Arab nation.
"It’s always inspiring to come across Zimbabweans participating in sport at a social level. This shows that we have a huge number of people who believe in the impact sport has back home."