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

June 2008

June 30, 2008

Gobi Desert Recap Microseries, Part 1: Environment & Culture

Dean Karnazes delivers an intimate thrust of insight about the Gobi Desert's beauty, variety of climates, and the people.

“The Gobi Desert is an awesome place. The difficulty of the race was tempered by the supreme beauty of the natural surroundings and the many smiles on the faces of the local villagers as we passed through. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.” - Dean Karnazes

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

- The North Face

Get the Facts & Get Involved - Death Valley Desert (July 12 – July 16)

Expedition_2008_desertbprdv01EMBRACE THE RACE
Recognized as "the world's toughest foot race," this event pits up to 90 of the world's toughest athletes against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, California in temperatures up to 130F (55C), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.

Expedition_2008_desertbprdv02FACE THE REALITY
While the athletes are competing with each other to win, desert communities worldwide are often competing with each other to live. Obtaining clean drinking water in such inhospitable conditions is a requirement for human survival.

Get the Facts on Water:
• The human body is 70% water, so is the Earth's surface!
• Only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh water.
• Less than 1% of the Earth's water is drinkable.
• While many people lack physical access to water, many more lack the necessary monetary means to utilize an adequate source of water. 
• More facts...

You can create the change these people need.  For every $30 you donate, one more person can receive safe drinking water for life.

Expedition_2008_desertbprdv03WALK IN THEIR SHOES
It's easy to take water for granted - we are rarely without access, unlike 1 out of every 6 people on the planet.
Knowledge is power, so ask yourself:
• How many taps do you have in your house alone?
• Where does this water come from?
• Any chance of it going away? (You might be surprised!)
• Learn more...

About 30 million people in growing cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas depend on water from the Colorado and its tributaries. So does agriculture and hydroelectric industry. The Colorado River basin is in the throes of a record drought and no longer reaches the Pacific Ocean.

Expedition_2008_desertbprlogo GO THE DISTANCE
Learn More: View our slide show.

Spread the Word:
Forward this page or send a message to your friends and family. By sharing this story with others, you are ensuring that more people embrace athletes such as Dean, learn more about the water issues we all face, and potentially save lives.

Donate Now:
The North Face® is dedicated to supporting the people and communities where we and our athletes explore. As many of these communities are much less fortunate than us, we take responsibility in helping to provide them with the basics for human health & prosperity. Ensuring communities have clean drinking water is at the core of community needs. Therefore, partnering with the Blue Planet Run Foundation's peer water exchange program provides us the vehicle to efficiently and effectively fund clean water delivery systems to these communities. We are thrilled to provide a $5000 matching grant that will ultimately effect several projects. We encourage you to think about your water use and then contribute to this important cause.

Click here to give a tax-deductible donation to water projects that save people's lives. Just $30 provides safe drinking water to one person for life!

- The North Face
June 18, 2008

4 Men Enter, 2 Men Return…

Now that it’s over, I can stop repressing the ominous nickname of the Gobi March (aka: “The Race of No Return”) Of the four athletes attempting to be the first to complete the entire 4 Desert race series in a single calendar year, the Gobi March consumed a second contender. Kenneth “Tintin” Johansson of Sweden was forced to discontinue after encountering cramping and severe blistering on his feet. He endured the condition for an agonizing five days, even having his toenails drilled to relive the pressure. A full-time adventurer and consummate pro, he is no stranger to the rigors of extreme endurance racing. Tintin persevering through more pain and suffering than anyone could ever imagine. His powers of perseverance and resolve were truly remarkable; no one could believe he was still trying to forge onward given his deteriorating condition. Finally, in the end, it was too much for even him. The Gobi won. It was a valiant effort on his behalf, and in my eyes Tintin is a real champion for truly giving it his all. There is always valiance in doing so. Even if he fell short of his goal, he can reflect back on his effort and truthfully say to himself that in the end, he gave it everything he had.


Left in the race to be the first to complete all 4 Desert races in a single year is South African Ironman Paul H. Liebenberg and myself. There are still plenty of miles left to cover, so anything can happen. Paul and I have developed a lively friendship over the miles, and a healthy rivalry, too. We have many things in common, including our mutual love of surfing. Hopefully we’ll both make it to the end and can share a few waves together afterward. That is, if we’re still standing.


My primary goal is to finish all of the five races in The North Face Desert Grand Slam, while my ultimate goal would be to finish in the Top 10 position in each of the individual events. So far, so good. However, the final finish line in Antarctica is still months away. Until then, I’ll just keep putting one foot in front of the other, racing to the best of my ability, and thoroughly enjoying every step of the journey.


Best wishes from the Silk Road,
Dean Karnazes

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

- The North Face

The Gobi March

Running for six days across the Gobi Desert layered the acute challenge of a hardcore endurance event between two other notorious stress factors: harsh climatologic unpredictability and drastic topographic variability. In other words, hell. Bluntly put, the Gobi Desert will pound the crap out of you. Even the most prepared contester is no match for the awesome power of the Gobi.


And I was hardly all that prepared. Having just completed a 700-mile + run down the coast of California, there was little time to regroup. With too few days between races (two, to be exact), I’d boarded the first of three flights which would take me to the great Gobi on rebelliously wobbly knees. Fifty-one travel hours later, I arrived in the remote outpost of Kashgar, deep in the heart of the Asian continent, slightly beat up, and considerably disoriented. Rest would have been nice.


But the next morning was the mandatory gear check (in which your equipment, food and supplies are assessed and weighed). No rest for the weary.


During the 4 Desert races, you must carry everything you need on your back for the week (with the exception of water, which is provided in rations at night). My bag weighed-in at 9.2 kg, a little heavier than I would have liked, though my mind wasn’t thinking clearly enough to weed unnecessary items out.


The next six days would be a mixture of joy, pain, elation and agony. The running sucked, I have to be honest. It hurt from step one. There just wasn’t enough recovery time between races, and too little sleep combined with too much jetlag. I admit, in this instance I bit off way more than I could chew. And, rightfully so, the Gobi showed no mercy in chewing me up and spitting me out the other side.


That said, after a few days of misery and suffering, a startling transformation took place. I started to view my haggard condition as a blessing in disguise, because I became less self-consumed with my own flagging athletic performance and began turning outward, truly appreciating the grand splendor of the rugged surroundings, rather than constantly doing battle with them.


The Gobi Desert is encircled by towering snow-covered peaks, some rising more than 25,000’ into the heavens. The stark contrast of the mountains in the background provided a rich visual contrast to the barren desert landscape that we ran across during many sections.


The plains gave way to rolling foothills, and we ran through villages where young children in colorfully adorned clothing waved as we passed. We ran by rivers and streams, crossing many. We ran up ridges and crossed over bridges. We climbed a series of ladders to reach Heavens Gate, a remote and mythical landmark high in the mountains and discovered only recently. I was present for each of these experiences, my head clear and in the moment, engaged and lucent, not thinking about what place I was in or how I would fair in today’s stage. In so many ways, it was liberating.


When we crossed that final finish line on the sixth day of racing, which came startlingly easy after bowing to the might of the Gobi, I clasped hands with two of the Chinese athletes from The North Face Hong Kong (Siu Keung Tsang & Ka Wai Wong) and we crossed together, united as one. It was a cherished moment, and the perfect conclusion to a week of deep emotional swings and enlightened spiritual awakenings in the great Gobi Desert.


- Dean Karnazes



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

Notes From My China Visit (June 4-17, 2008)

I would venture to say that most of you reading this column are like me, you’re drawn to extremes. Moderation bores you. You seek challenges and adventures that dwell on the outer edges. The path of least resistance is not a route much traveled.

In reflecting on what compelled me to take up The North Face Desert Grand Slam this year, I realized that it was largely this attraction to extremes which evoked the urge for exploration. It’s not just extreme human endurance that captivates me, but also extremes in geography and climate. The deserts are radical, and the Gobi exemplifies what makes them such intense places. Temperatures in this region can fluctuate by as much as 75° F a day; from searing daytime heat in the hundreds, to below freezing temps at night. Just being in such an environment—let alone running through it—can be an all-engrossing experience.

- Dean Karnazes


INTERESTING FACTOID –
Of all the racers, the medical staff reported that I was the sole participant without a single blister or aliment during the six days of racing. I attribute much of this to my North Face gear (no, I’m not just saying that, I really mean it, the gear worked fabulously).

RACE RESULTS –
Total Entries: 190
Total Finishers: 147
Total Countries Represented: 30
Top 25 Placers

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

- The North Face
June 16, 2008

Gobi Desert - Highlights

Click here for competitor rankings.

Watch snippets of what you missed during the Gobi March series.


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

- The North Face
June 15, 2008

Gobi Desert - Stage 5 of 5

Stage 5, Part 1: The long march.

Stage 5, Part 2: Checkpoint relief.

Stage 5, Part 3: Competitors begin the 77 kilometer long stage through a rocky riverbed with snow capped peaks on the near horizon.

Stage 5, Part 4: Ten interviews from the finish line during the sixth and final Stage (14 Kms). Includes winner of the Gobi March 2008, Ryan Sandes of South Africa.

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

- The North Face
June 13, 2008

Gobi Desert - Stage 4 of 5

Stage 4: Over the hump we go and on to the tail end.

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

- The North Face
June 10, 2008

Gobi Desert - Stage 3 of 5

Stage 3:High trails, injuries, pain medication, but still cruising.

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

- The North Face
June 09, 2008

Gobi Desert - Stage 2 of 5

Stage 2: Interviews with competitors and shots of them participating.

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

- The North Face
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