RACINGTHEPLANET

IMPACT Magazine named the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series one of the Most Extreme Races in the World along with the Western States 100 Miler and UTMB. Impact Magazine says about the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series: "The marathon is as the name suggests—a race of four deserts across the globe, currently comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Gobi March in Mongolia, the Namib Race in Namibia and the Last Desert in Antarctica. This is a race sure to push you to your absolute limits. The race takes place over seven days, and runners will traverse 250 kilometres across these famous and unforgiving deserts, battling extreme weather from plummeting temperatures to sweltering heat. Runners traverse vast expanses of arid landscapes, confronting towering dunes, rocky plateaus and long stretches of relentless sun exposure. This is a race that is about more than just crossing the finish line. It is about pushing past mental and physical blocks, embracing the natural world in all its raw forms, and discovering inner strength." https://lnkd.in/eHYA-DyC

IMPACT Magazine named the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series one of the Most Extreme Races in the World along with the Western States 100 Miler and UTMB. Impact Magazine says about the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series: "The marathon is as the name suggests—a race of four deserts across the globe, currently comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Gobi March in Mongolia, the Namib Race in Namibia and the Last Desert in Antarctica. This is a race sure to push you to your absolute limits. The race takes place over seven days, and runners will traverse 250 kilometres across these famous and unforgiving deserts, battling extreme weather from plummeting temperatures to sweltering heat. Runners traverse vast expanses of arid landscapes, confronting towering dunes, rocky plateaus and long stretches of relentless sun exposure. This is a race that is about more than just crossing the finish line. It is about pushing past mental and physical blocks, embracing the natural world in all its raw forms, and discovering inner strength." https://lnkd.in/eHYA-DyC

We are excited to hold the 7th edition of the Namib Race in the beautiful Namib Desert of Namibia – and the 73rd RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon on the 28 April 2024. There is an impressive and inspiring field of racers coming from all corners of the planet. 46(!) countries represented Aged from under 20 to 75 years of age 23% female 47% joining their first RacingThePlanet Ultra 4 teams 9 people ready to take on the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Find out more about the field - including the speedsters and the inspiring. https://lnkd.in/evUpFX3z #racingtheplanet #namibrace #ultramarathon

Racer Profile: Tania Carmona Tania Carmona is a personal trainer and endurance athlete from Mexico, resident in Glasgow, Scotland. She is one of this year's 4 Deserts Grand Slam + hopefuls who plan to take on all four deserts and the RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon in one year. Tania began her journey as an ultrarunner and a coach in 2016 when she participated in a Spartan Race and became eager to push her boundaries and explore her possibilities. Before long she discovered her calling for coaching and a passion for helping people unlock their athletic potential. Her love for running and travel has taken her to many places so far, but she remains connected to her home country through her support of the charity Fundación Infantíl Semilla, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of indigenous children in Durango, Mexico. Tania tries to bring her parents from Mexico to each race so that they can experience new countries together. Hopefully we'll be seeing them all in Namibia soon! Best of luck to Tania and all our 4 Deserts Grand Slam (+) Contenders in 2024/25! First in the series is the Namib Race, which begins 28 April 2024.

Volunteer Profile: Jo Scott Jo Scott is a full-time artist and illustrator from the United Kingdom. Jo has worked with software providers for the arts and sporting industries, managing customers as diverse as the Tate Galleries and Silverstone Race Circuit. Jo also has lots of experience providing support for runners in other ultramarathons too - she has been a volunteer at six RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts events to date, beginning with Namib Race 2017. She has herself competed in triathlons and running events, and is a long-distance hiker. Jo designed the special poster given to finishers of the 4 Deserts Grand Slam (Plus) 2022, the Gobi March 2023, the Atacama Crossing 2023 and the upcoming race in Jordan. Jo will be joining us again as the Volunteer Manager at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. Jo's married to Dean Scott, who has finished five RacingThePlanet races and will compete in the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. We're always grateful for our superstar volunteers like Jo that add so much energy and spirit to the races!

Welcome Hannah Alexander to the RacingThePlanet family! Hannah joins our roster of personal trainers as a qualified nutritionist with a focus on endurance nutrition. She recently worked with professional ultrarunner Scotty Hawker on his nutrition and hydration plan for his first place finish at Atacama Crossing 2023. She has also helped numerous athletes with their day-to-day nutrition as well as race day plans for a range of different trail running events. Hannah is a keen trail runner herself and has completed several trail races including ultra-marathons. She has experience with a wide range of athletes including plant-based athletes and athletes with other specific dietary requirements. If you're looking for advice on how to stay fueled for your race or need help coming up with a nutrition plan, Hannah can help you perform your best! You can now find Hannah and her contact info on our Personal Trainers page, link below: https://lnkd.in/eqncRmGA

Staff Profile: Carlos Garcia Prieto 🇪🇸 If you've been to a few RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts events, chances are you've seen Carlos drawing maps in the sand! Carlos Garcia Prieto from Spain has worked as the Course Director at more than twenty RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathons and more than a dozen ultra-distance events in total. Carlos is a qualified architect and established his own design company after graduating from the Higher Technical School of Architecture at University of Madrid in 1990 with a degree in architecture and has since gained more than 15 years' experience in designing commercial spaces and public architecture. Carlos' skill and knowledge of course design is an obvious by-product of his experience as both a designer and competitor. He completed his first RacingThePlanet race in 2007 and soon after decided to tackle the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series. He is a 4 Deserts Club member, having successfully completed the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2007, the Gobi March (China) 2007, the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008 and The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2008. He has also completed the Marathon des Sables, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Grand Raid Reunion, RacingThePlanet: Vietnam 2008 and a number of other ultramarathons. He has also set a number of 100-kilometer courses in the Sahara, Namib and Kalahari Deserts. Carlos is an active member of the ultramarathon community. He regularly talks on ultrarunning and is a contributing editor for leading sports publications in Spain and Italy. What does this RacingThePlanet enthusiast say he loves most about the races? "In RacingThePlanet races you are never alone. You can run alone, but you will always find someone that will give you a hand." In addition to being Course Director for Gobi March 2024, Carlos will be the Race Director for the new Antarctica Ultramarathon 2024.

Staff Profile: Dr. Mark Ellis, Medical Director Dr. Mark Ellis from Greenville, South Carolina, works as an emergency physician at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Dr. Mark completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida and a Wilderness Medicine Fellowship at Stanford University's School of Medicine in California and is a graduate of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Dr. Mark is a man truly at ease in the outdoors. He has joined RacingThePlanet many times as the Medical Director, including the Atacama Crossing 2023, Sahara Race 2011, Gobi March 2012, Atacama Crossing 2013, Sahara Race (Namibia) 2017, RacingThePlanet: Sri Lanka 2016 and has been on the medical team for RacingThePlanet: Australia 2010, the Gobi March (China) 2010 and RacingThePlanet: Madagascar 2014. "I really enjoy working in austere environments and getting the opportunity to care for others who enjoy it as well" says Dr. Mark. When he is not in the hospital, Dr. Mark enjoys exploring and hiking southern Appalachia with his wife, Sarah, and four kids - Taylor, Noah, Emma Kate and Luke. He also spends time mountain biking, backpacking, rock climbing, photography, running marathons and traveling. Mark completed RacingThePlanet: Iceland as a competitor with his wife, Sarah, in 2013. Dr. Mark will join us once again as the Medical Director for The Last Desert 2024 in Antarctica, which begins 26 November 2024.

Racer Profile: Scott DeRue Scott DeRue of the United States is all about endurance. In addition to completing all 250km of the Gobi March (Mongolia) in 2023, he's completed most of the "seven summits" - the highest peaks on all seven continents (Denali, Everest, Elbrus, Vinson, Kilimanjaro, and Aconcagua). Scott was the president of Equinox, a luxury fitness company which operates several lifestyle brands.  Prior to his time at Equinox he served as Dean of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, capping an academic career there of over ten years. Today we're celebrating Scott DeRue and congratulating him as he was recently announced as the new head of Ironman Group, the company that owns the Ironman, Ironman 70.3 and UTMB. According to the news release, "DeRue's career has been dedicated to creating life-changing experiences that help people discover and maximise their potential." We wish Scott all the best in his new role and know that he will continue to excel in his career with the same spirit and passion he brought to the Gobi March in 2023!  We hope to see Scott back at another race in the near future.

INTRODUCING NEW TEAM RULES FOR 2024 It's been 20 years, but we keep listening to our valuable alumni. Based on feedback from our alumni, we're introducing some new team rules in the 2024 season and beyond! If you're competing as a team in a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race or considering joining this year, take a look at the new rules below: We will have two categories of teams: 1. Team Division: Teams of two or more are allowed as of 2024. Teams of at least two individuals must finish each stage together to qualify for the Team Division Award. 2. Team Division (Average Speed): Teams of three or more are no longer required to finish the race together. The average time of all team finishers will be used in consideration for the Team Division (Average Speed) Award. Competing in an ultramarathon as a team is one of the best ways to build friendships and achieve something great together. We look forward to seeing what teams step up to take on the challenge this year and beyond!