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

Desert Grand Slam: Gobi Desert, Race 2

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
June 08, 2008

Gobi Desert - Stage 1 of 5

Stage 1, Part 1: Startline


Stage 1, Part 2: Finishline


For more info about the "4 Deserts", please visit www.4deserts.com and www.racingtheplanet.com.
- The North Face
June 06, 2008

Gobi Desert - The Journey Begins

Race 2: Gobi Desert, China - I needed to clock a sub-3:30 in order to make my flight home to San Francisco, which, after running some 700-miles over twelve days, could prove disastrous. Think I made the finish line with several minutes to spare, though I still haven’t checked the official results. All I know is that I made my flight, so it was a successful run.

Now, a few days later, I’m typing this column from forty-thousand feet above the Pacific enroute to Beijing. From there, I’ll catch two more flights and eventually—if I’m still coherent—land in Ka Shi, gateway to the Gobi Desert.

Racing the Gobi
The Gobi is the largest desert in Asia. Bordered by the Altai Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, it covers a massive area in China and southern Mongolia. Because it is situated in a rain shadow formed by the towering Himalaya range, rain-carrying clouds are effectively blocked from reaching the Gobi by the world’s tallest peaks, so it is a very dry place.

The climate of the Gobi is one of great extremes, combined with rapid changes of temperature, not only through the year but even within 24 hours (sometimes by as much as 75 °F). June can be hot, with temperatures reaching 110 °F during the day.

The Gobi March takes place in the Xinjiang Province of China, in an area currently closed to foreigners, along the ancient Silk Road. Special permits are being issued to the competitors (who hail from 26 different countries around the globe).

The terrain will include many river crossings, rocky landscapes, gorges, mountain trails, and long expanses of flat desert. Altitudes along the course will reach almost 10,000 feet. To keep things interesting, the course may be modified daily (TK Insert map photo) depending on expected water levels of the rivers or poor weather conditions, as well as severe dust and/or sand storms which could prevent or severely limit visibility.

History of the Event
The Gobi March was founded in honor of three missionaries, Mildred Cable and two sisters -- Francesca and Eva French. Mildred Cable and Eva and Francesca French were Missionaries who began their work in China around the turn of the century. After more than 20 years of doing routine missionary work in China, the trio headed northwest – to the Gobi Desert and beyond. Many of their colleagues were shocked. In the words of Cable, "Some wrote, saying in more or less parliamentary language, that there were no fools like old fools."

They were not deterred, traveling for months by ox cart before arriving at the City of the Prodigals, the last city inside the Great Wall, named for its reputation for attracting criminals. Here they set up a base where they spent winters. The remaining eight months of the year they evangelized, traveling the vast trade routes of the Gobi Desert in Gansu and Xinjiang Provinces. They made a point of visiting the lonely, the rejected and the poorest of the poor, feeding orphans, healing the sick, and educating girls. More than once, they were assailed by bandits, caught up in local wars, or the occasional blinding blizzard.

Mildred Cable once said: "Only a fool crosses the great Gobi without misgivings." But with every painstaking step Mildred took, she was to see parables for life … a life that embraced the message she had come to bring. "In this trackless waste, where every restriction is removed and where you are beckoned and lured in all directions …. one narrow way is the only road for you. In the great and terrible wilderness, push on with eyes blinded to the deluding mirage, your ears deaf to the call of the seducer, and your mind un-diverted from the goal."

A special award will be presented to a competitor who best exemplifies the characteristics of Mildred Cable and Eva and Francesca French.

Culture
The location of the Gobi March was specifically chosen for the ancient culture and rich history and traditions which are present today much the same way they were hundreds of years ago. Competitors will experience Ugyur and Tajik culture (along with many other indigenous cultures) throughout the Gobi March.

Ugyur people are known as: "The singing and dancing nationality." They attach great importance to clothing and are always tidily dressed, even on desert treks. People of Ugyur wear small four-corner flower hats and speak Turkic.

"Tajik" means "Royal Crown." The Tajik nationality has maintained a long-standing friendship with the Han people. In 643, when the Monk Xuan Zang of the Tang Dynasty brought home Buddhist scriptures from India, he stopped over in what is today's Tashkorgan and listened to local Tajik fairy tales. Later he recorded these tales in his 'Notes on the Western Region of the Great Tang Dynasty.' The Tajik have fought hard maintain their sovereignty and culture throughout the years.

In the Gobi Desert, participants will experience up to 13 indigenous cultures, each with its own unique way of life. Every stage will highlight an indigenous culture in the region with the hope of preserving the traditions for generations to come. In addition to raising money for the earthquake victims in mainland China, the race organizer of the Gobi March will be making a donation of books to local schools in event region.

One Rough Race
The Gobi March (or, “Death March,” as some have called it) can be challenging, to put it mildly. Like the Atacama Crossing I recently competed in, the format of the Gobi March is the same. Racers must carry all of their own food and equipment throughout the duration of the 155-mile event. A daily ration of water is all that’s supplied. Beyond that, you’re on your own. Self-reliance is critical.

While I’ll make every attempt to update this blog during the race, satellite reception in the desert is reported to be sporadic, and dust and sand storms can further complicate matters. For daily updates and race footage, the official event site will likely be the most reliable source.

Parched but smiling,
Dean Karnazes

To track the racing live, click: Gobi March

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

- The North Face
June 02, 2008

Get the Facts & Get Involved - Gobi Desert, China (June 6 – June 14)

Expedition_2008_desertbprgc03EMBRACE THE RACE
During the run across the Gobi Desert, each runner must carry his or her own gear, food and clothing. The average backpack weighs about 20 pounds (9 kilos).

Expedition_2008_desertbprgc04FACE THE REALITY
Children worldwide start the day by walking miles to fill up jugs of water weighing up to 20 pounds. This takes time away from attending school as they must return to the water source throughout the day. Imagine all this effort to bring potentially unsafe water to your family.

Get the Facts:
• 1.8 million children die each year of waterborne diseases.
• In Africa alone, women and children spend 40 billion hours each year collecting and hauling water.
• learn more...

You can prevent such a tragedy.  By donating just $30, you can provide safe drinking water to one person for life.

Expedition_2008_desertbprgc02_2WALK IN THEIR SHOES
Imagine you have no running water.
Where would you need to travel in order to fetch your family’s water?
What type of container would you use, how would you get to your water source? Imagine having to carry all that water home.
Also, how confident would you be serving it to your family?
Keep in mind:
• 1 out of 6 people in the world lack access to safe drinking water.
• The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is six kilometers.
• learn more...

Expedition_2008_desertbprgc01_2 GO THE DISTANCE
Learn More:
Click here to view slide show.

Spread the Word:
Send the message to your friends and family. By sharing this email 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!

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

- The North Face
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