[NO NEW UPDATES] Expedition Dispatches: Desert Grand Slam with Dean Karnazes

April 2008

April 16, 2008

Final Results - Dean Wins Race 1: Atacama Crossing

Expedition_2008_desert09Following Dean's win The North Face interviewed him to capture some personal thoughts regarding his Atacama Crossing win, see below.


THE NORTH FACE:  What were you impressed with most about the course?
DEAN KARNAZES:    "The sheer natural beauty of running through an immense, unspoiled and untouched landscape like the Atacama Desert was amazing. The course traversed some of the most remote and barren places on earth, places where very few humans have ever stepped before."

THE NORTH FACE:  Was there a most difficult area or spot you ran through?
DEAN KARNAZES:    "The Atacama Crossing was one of the—if not the—most difficult endeavors I’ve ever undertaken. Not only was the landscape incredibly foreboding—with miles of crusty, sharp and foot-swallowing salt flats to navigate through, seemingly endless desert plateaus to traverse, and impossibly high sand dunes to climb—the entire course was set at an altitude of 7,000 up to 11,000 feet above sea level, making the challenge even more formidable. Combine these factors with daytime temperatures rising above the 100 degree mark and a tough and seasoned roster of international competitors, and you have the perfect recipe for extreme competition on the highest level."

"On the fourth day of racing, I tripped on a rock outcropping while running down a hill, flew through the air, and smashed my head against a rock. It left my ears ringing and my vision blurred all day. When I finally finished the stage and arrived back at camp, a raging dust storm tore through the area and ripped my tent from the ground, sending it hurling through the air, with me trapped inside. I thought I was going to die. The next day was the toughest day of racing, 75km, and I had an over 30 minute deficit to make-up on the leader if I wanted to win. Never have I dug so deeply before, never have I pushed so hard to claim victory."

THE NORTH FACE:  Emotion, learnings, comradery....any details about what it was really like out there.
DEAN KARNAZES:    "Although I won the race, I prefer to say that I, “Survived the fastest.” I applaud anyone who had the courage to finish this incredible endeavor. Over the course of six days of racing together, the group grew incredibly close. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of the other competitors, especially the second and third place finishers, Rob James from the UK and Johan Petersen from New Zealand, for unselfishly offering their advice and guidance to me along the way. As seasoned veterans of this style of racing, they helped me tremendously with my packing and rationing strategy. It was a tremendous learning experience for me, and my teachers were two of the best on earth."

"A final note, of the three individuals attempting to be the first to complete all four of the desert races in one calendar year, one was forced to drop-out during the Atacama Crossing, Jimmi Olsen, and the other, South African Paul H. Liebenberg, completed the race in an official finish time of 55:02:01."

Final Results: 250km in 6 day stages...that's 155 miles, so Dean averaged 00:12:19 per mile while in the desert heat while packing all his own stuff on his back, average backpack weighs about 25lbs for this event.

Atacama Crossing: Finish Line

Click here for competitor rankings.

For more info about the "4 Deserts", please visit www.4deserts.com and www.racingtheplanet.com.

- The North Face
April 06, 2008

Atacama Crossing – Stage 6 of 6

Race 1: Atacama Desert, Chile - The last stage of the Atacama Crossing had us racers leaving the final camp and running back into the town of San Pedro de Atacama, the place were it all started a week ago. The backdrop was the towering, snow-covered Licancabur Volcano and the massive peaks of the Andes. It was a spectacular way to finish this most memorable event.

Today was only a 10-K, by far the shortest day of racing, so the final standings were already somewhat predetermined for most racers by their results over the previous five stages. I ran this final segment alongside two people I’ve developed a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for since the start of this competition, the second- and third-place finishers (yes, I had the good fortune of surviving the fastest). Rob and Joe are built of steel, and have hearts of gold. We pounded hard out there, each of us leaving everything we had on the race course. They inspired me, and terrified me with their grit and determination. Nearing the end, we picked up a couple other runners, and all of us crossed the finish line together, hand in hand. It was the perfect moment.

We were treated to a party in the Town Square, Chilean-style, with music, pizza, and festivities all around us. As any of the racers will attest to, it was well-earned. The past week had been brutal, beautiful, and at points (like when faced with a 500-foot sand dune after 40 miles of running) seemingly impossible. I applaud all the finishers for their tremendous willpower and resolve to keep pushing onward, even when all hope seemed lost. I am inspired and humbled by what I saw.

And so concludes the 2008 Atacama Crossing. The blisters will heal, the cuts and scratches will mend, the muscle soreness will ease, but the memories will last forever.

From the Atacama Desert in Chile, best wishes to you all. - Dean Karnazes

For more info about the "4 Deserts", please visit www.4deserts.com and www.racingtheplanet.com.

- The North Face
April 04, 2008

Atacama Crossing - Stage 5 of 6

Race 1: Atacama Desert, Chile - Stage 5 was the notorious “long day.” It was 45-miles of slogging through crusty and sharp salt flats, dealing with temperatures cresting 100 degrees, struggling to climb massive sand dunes, and for all but two of the competitors, navigating at night by headlamp. Thankfully, I was one of those two competitors. Which means that I arrived in camp early. Which further means that my time was relatively fast.

It was a good day of racing for this kid. On the heels of a disastrous day, today was remarkably strong, the body feeling resilient and recovered.

Tomorrow is the last day of racing. It is a very short, easy stage, designed to be fast and completed quickly so that the competitors can regroup and pack before departing on Sunday. Right now, from a competitive standpoint, things look fairly promising. I’ve somehow been able to develop a time lead that will be difficult to overcome in the one short stage remaining. That being said, anything can happen out here in the Atacama Desert, so I’m not cherishing my medal just yet (in fact, I’m not even taking finishing the event for granted). - Dean Karnazes

Stage 5: The long stage, where competitors had to tackle more than 70 kilometers across salt flats into Moon Valley and Death Valley.

For more info about the "4 Deserts", please visit www.4deserts.com and www.racingtheplanet.com.

- The North Face
April 02, 2008

Atacama Crossing - Stage 4 of 6

Race 1: Atacama Desert, Chile - Took a nice header today. Not good. Caught my foot under a rock while running with another competitor and went flying through the air, twirling as I spun, and landed on my backpack thinking all was good, until my head snapped backward and hit a rock. Knocked me senseless (which isn’t too far removed from my normal state, I guess).

My ears were rigging all day and I was seeing double periodically, though that could have been due to the heat. When we got to camp, a massive windstorm hit and blew a couple of the tents right off of their foundation and into the air, mine included. Except, I was in mine. It was one of the hairiest moments in my life. Needless to say, I was shaken.

Please check the 4 Deserts website for updates. Online satellite access has been spotty, at best. - Dean Karnazes

Stage 4 - Part 1: Competitors pass through the village of Tocano, through streams and into the salt flats.

Stage 4 - Part 2

When a huge storm ripped through the checkpoint. :

For more info about the "4 Deserts", please visit www.4deserts.com and www.racingtheplanet.com.

- The North Face
April 01, 2008

Atacama Crossing - Stage 3 of 6

Expedition_2008_desert05Race 1: Atacama Desert, Chile - Last night I got a full-night’s sleep, nearly three uninterrupted hours. It made all the difference. Today, I felt a little less spaced-out than I have since arriving in Chile. This entire experience has been somewhat like a technicolor hallucination anyway, the Atacama Desert looking less like planet earth than a cross between the moon and Mars, layering extreme sleep-deprivation on top has been like entering an Alice in Wonderland story.

Expedition_2008_desert06Strange as it seems, three hours of sleep made a world of difference. Not only was my head in the game today, my body finally performed a little better. On a day that was filled with incredibly varied challenges: crusty salt flats, head-high reeds to navigate through, sand dunes the size of small mountains, and radiating heat, I glided through it feeling pretty strong. I attribute it to getting three hours of sleep, the most I’ve gotten since the racing began. And yes, I’ll be proudly wearing the Yellow Jersey again tomorrow.

Expedition_2008_desert07Of course, great as I feel today, tomorrow could be a different story. Of the three athletes attempting to be the first to run all of the 4 Desert events in one calendar year, one is already out. A remarkably talented Danish athlete who spent the better part of a year training for the challenge, Jimmy Olsen was forced to abandon his quest before the conclusion of the first 4 Desert race. He had been in Chile for two weeks prior to the Atacama Crossing, training and preparing, and was extremely disappointed to suffer a recurring ankle injury which forced him to DNF. We met before his departure back to Denmark and made a pack that I would carry on for the both of us.

Expedition_2008_desert08 So Jimmy, that Yellow Jersey today is a tribute to you my brother. As for the remaining days and weeks of racing, I’ll do my best, just taking it one step at a time. And trying to get some sleep along the way…

Farewell from Licancabur (camp 3). - Dean Karnazes

Stage 3 - Part 1: Competitors departed at 8 am from a salt lake and continued through every type of terrain imaginable.

Stage 3 - Part 2

Competitors through brush, scrub, salt flats and small sand dunes. Competitor described the day as brutal.:

For more info about Dean's participation in the "4 Deserts", please visit www.4deserts.com and www.racingtheplanet.com.

- The North Face
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