The Gobi March and The 4 Deserts Series

The first in a series of four extreme desert races kicks off today with the Gobi March, a 250km run across the world’s largest cold winter desert. More than 100 elite athletes compete in this annual event, which takes place in the Gobi Desert in northwest China. Kashgar serves as host for the first of these seven day endurance races.

The Gobi March was founded in honor of three missionary women who spent years traveling the trade routes throughout China. Competitors in the Gobi March and the entire 4 Deserts competition can choose to race for charity. The ultra-adventure event also strives to promote cultural awareness of the regions that the athletes are trekking through. For example, each of the 19 competitor tents in the Gobi (handmade locally in Urumqui and Kashgar) have been named after a local minority group or geographic reference.

The next three legs of RacingThePlanet’s 4 Deserts expeditions will take place in Chile (August), Egypt (October) and Antarctica (January). There will also be a new “beyond the deserts” race in Vietnam this November.