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Archive for the ‘Marathons’ Category
The last word on the Gobi March 2009
June 24, 2009From Adventure Racing to Ultra-Marathons…
As you will have surmised, the Gobi March has drawn to a successful close with a fantastic race enjoyed by all.
The final stage of the competition was a 10 kilometer course passing through the Old City of Kashgar (the one that is about to be razed to the ground to make way for a modern replacement) and the finish took place in front of the Id Kah Mosque.
This stage was won by Weichao Wei (China). He blitzed through the finish line at 12.09.25 holding up the Chinese flag . In 2nd place was Riel Carol (France) at 12.13.30. Patrick Diaz (United States) followed soon after at 12.13.51. Shane O’Rourke (Ireland) came in looking strong at 12.15.50 with John Lewis (United Kingdom) in close pursuit, and then Shawn Harmon (United States). Eric LaHaie (United States) was the most recent arrival at 12.17.31.
Having led most of the way, Eric LaHaie was the overall winner, with Diana Hogan-Murphy (Ireland) being the overall winner in the women’s division. Group Cohesion was the first placed team.
I promised to bring you the remaining stages and thank racingtheplanet once again for putting them on youTube.
And the final day with the first competitors crossing the line:
Our sincerest congratulations go out to all and every one of you.
Adventure Racing and its dangers
June 23, 2009Adventure Racing is one of the extreme sports that we blog about regularly, and it is best to remember that it is an extreme sport – witness the tragic death of 3 participants in the Raid du Mercantour last weekend, 21st June.
Adventure Racing is an example of how the mixture of terrain and weather conditions can catch out even the most experienced of runners and trekkers.
When I first started writing about Adventure Racing, the first thing that crossed my mind was that, whilst physically and mentally challenging, a long hike through difficult and varying terrain was a bit ‘tame’.
I apologise profusely to all Adventure Racers – and hasten to add that that thought lasted less than 10 minutes as my research broadened.
Since then I have been impressed and amazed at the antics that the sportsmen (and women) get up to, and think that, as an extreme sport, it is probably one of the best.
Don’t shoot me down in flames if you don’t agree… but Adventure Racing is quite something.
For those of you who are not too sure what Adventure Racing is all about, it’s a combination of two or more disciplines, including orienteering (if an orienting map is used) and/or navigation (when non-orienteering maps are used), cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills. An expedition event can span ten days or more while sprints can be completed in a matter of hours. There is typically no dark period during races, irrespective of length; competitors must choose if or when to rest.
You need to be superfit. You need to have a team you know well and trust. You need to have mental and physical stamina. And you need to know how to do all the above disciplines … and more.
It’s many sports all rolled into one…
The first official Adventure Race was “The Raid Gauloises”, held in New Zealand in 1989, and consisted of 400 miles of mountaineering, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing and rafting over a two week period. The first U.S. race was the Eco Challenge, held in Utah in 1995.
Adventure Racing has become so popular that it has even had a TV series made in its honour – the Odyssey series (trainingsept ):
So why do it? Well, it has been said that Adventure Racing is one’s own personal road to self-discovery as it allows an individual to find his or her limits and push through them because the ‘Race’ often takes participants out of their comfort zone by challenging them with unfamiliar surroundings, often while sleep deprived and physically exhausted.
Anyone can become an Adventure Racer. It’s an easy crossover for cyclist, runners and water sport enthusiasts. Many former tri-athletes, marathon and ultra-marathon competitors looking to add more spice to their chosen fields have taken it up. Some sportsmen found themselves suffering recurring injuries in their sport and so turned to Adventure Racing as an alternative. Aging athletes, on the other hand, discovered that while they can no longer keep up with 20-somethings in a foot race, in a 24+ hour races, they have some competitive advantages!
As with ALL sports, accidents and tragedies DO happen.
This is the RAID season in France and there are many keen participants.
“I’m used to hiking in mountains since I’m a kid, doing a lot of alpinism, skiing, climbing…I’ve discovered adventure racing about 10 years ago and I love it!” says Carine Porret.
“I like adventure racing because I’m a racer, I like the spirit and the race parties!….” says Franck Salgues
“I’m Brasilian living in Miramas,France,in a beautiful winery,I travelled the world for the past 7 years to compete in diferents AR,” says Karina Bacha.
I could give you hundreds of quotes.
“I was born with a compass in the hand! I participate in a lots of orienteering competitions with all my family…my three daughters and my wife are like me: addicted to!….” says Michel Denaix.
But I won’t!
As I said above, this is the Grand Raid season in France, but on Sunday in the Grand Raid du Mercantour in the South of France about 80kms north of Nice, the region suffered adverse weather conditions and three runners died under tragic circumstances. It was the ‘running stage’ of the race and had already been reduced from 100kms to 80 because of the abundance of snow still around. The alarm was raised as a number of competitors had not returned by the 6pm cut-off time, and emergency services were scrambled in an attempt to locate the missing people. All 3 were in their 50′s and it is suspected that they died of hypothermia and hypoglycaemia. Our sympathies go out to their families.
This is not an extreme sport for nothing…
2nd ranked endurance race in the world
June 19, 2009The Gobi March continues. Only one more day to go though, and so many of the competitors still going strong – even when the going gets really tough.. Extreme sport, extreme courage, extreme challenge, extreme perseverence… well done to all of them.
I am going to show you a series of videos from racingtheplanet over the past few days, starting with Stage 2 as I have previously aired Stage 1. Plus I’m going to give you a few more facts and figures about this extreme endurance race…
The Gobi March is an ultramarathon, adventure race, expedition race and extreme race all rolled into one…
It’s a 250km race over a period of 6 days…
The Gobi March is now the largest international sporting event in Western China. The majority of the area where the Gobi March is being held is closed to tourists, requiring special permits…
175+ athletes compete…
38 is the average age…
35 countries are represented…
30 athletes will not finish…
25% will be aged 40 – 49…
19 is the age of the youngest competitor…
It will be 110* Fahrenheit (43.3* C) after noon…
The event is set up to allow for generous cutoff times. The leaders run the whole course, and many walk the whole course…
Each competitor will carry a 20 lb (+/-) food and gear pack…
10,000 calories will be burnt daily…
20 + pounds will be lost in bodyweight over the 6 days…
(sounds like the perfect diet to me!!!)
2 competitors, French Valerie Autissier and Cyril Goss, are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary on the March…
At the end of Stage 5, German sisters Larissa Hippchen and Caroline Kracht, said, “The stage was long and the river bed never ending,” but they were thrilled to cross the finish line…
Simone Bishop (South Africa), Kimberley Dods (South Africa) and Hannah Sandling (United Kingdom) have been nicknamed ‘The Glamour Girls’.
Current status at the end of Stage 5 finds Eric LaHaie still at the top.
Eric LaHaie (United States) and Riel Carol (France) crossed the finish line together at the end of Stage 5 at 17.50.29 . The pair had run for the past 40km in a duo. “There was no way I could have kept that pace if I had been alone,” said Riel. LaHaie and Riel were running at a pace of just under a 9 minute mile, picking up the pace as they neared the finish line. For the first 50km, Riel had LaHaie in his target, but as the pair began to tire through the grueling stage, they admitted to relinquishing competitive ambition to see it more as a shared experience. LaHaie said, “I was in bad shape for the first part of the stage, and my knees were giving out, but when Riel caught up with us I said to him, ‘you set the pace, I’m going with you.’”
Sean Abbott (United States) who had remained in the top three throughout the race came into camp at 17.59.17. Abbott was greeted by the top two who shared first place for the stage, placing him in second place today.
And why take part in something as extreme as this? As RacingThePlanet says, it’s “life enhancing for all, life changing for many.”
And whilst the competitors are out there slogging their hearts out, the race organisers and helpers have some fun…
That’s it for today, the Day 5 video is not yet available…
A quick Gobi March update…
June 17, 2009Going from one extreme endurance race to another… whilst waxing lyrical about the Mongol Derby, we mustn’t forget the Gobi March – all in the same corner of the world. Both endurance marathons beyond compare.
Yesterday, stage 3, was taken by LaHaie (United States) who was seemingly unaffected by the altitude and gradual but continual ascent. Riel Carol (France) took second place and Weichao Wei (China) third. Diana Hogan-Murphy, despite struggling with the course , was still leading the women’s division.
Stage 4 is drawing to a close as I write, this section includes a summit of Shipton’s Arch, a 3000 meter natural arch, said to be the tallest in the world. American Sean W. Abbott has come in first … more on the other placements later.
Enjoy these highlights from Day 1, courtesy of racingtheplanet.
OMG, what terrain, what scenery…
Kashgar – an extreme vacation, but you’d better be quick
June 15, 2009As you know, Kashgar was the check-in point for the the Gobi March with contestants arriving before the 14th June to acclimatise, sightsee and complete the final paperwork.
The tragedy of Kashgar is that the ancient part of the town is about to be razed to the ground to make way for modern enterprise, so if you want to see how it looks – watch the video from racingtheplanet ,and then book a flight, but quickly… Kashgar has not much time left.
2009 will be the year that all the old vestiges of Kashgar’s 1,500 year old, Old City will be razed to make room for further civic development, new housing and business centres.
Bearing this in mind, the decision was made that the finish line of the Gobi March 2009 will take place in front of the largest mosque in the whole of China, situated next to the 2nd tallest statue of Chairman Mao in the world. Competitors will race through the Old City, winding in and out of the small, labyrinthine arteries and pathways lined with intricately carved doorways of centuries old residences. Bakeries, embroidery workshops and carpet weaving, family-run cottage industries are peppered along the sides of the dusty and uneven streets. Soon, all that will remain are memories, as these families who have resided here for generations are displaced.
For not much longer will you have the opportunity to wander through this walled community of local Uyghur families, and tread over the same ground that thousands of people before them have for centuries.
So there’s an idea for an extreme vacation before extreme modernisation destroys antiquity!
In the meantime, the first contestants have nearly completed stage 2 of the Gobi March, with Eric LaHaie poised to win this stage, and Diana Hogan-Murphy still the leading female.
UPDATE: Weichao Wei (China) has taken stage 2 although LaHaie is still in the overall lead by 39 minutes. He came in second – 3 minutes behind Wei. Two competitors have withdrawn today. Andrew Whiteside (United Kingdom) officially withdrew at check-point 1, and Anastasios Votis (Canada) did the same at check-point 2. Temperatures are soaring. Yesterday’s highest temperature was 39.8 degrees (Celsius).
Let me remind you that RACINGTHEPLANET is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food, are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams.
The toughest endurance race in the world – the Gobi March has begun
June 14, 2009We love bringing your attention to anything extreme – and this race … the second of the Four Desert races, began today. We covered the Atacama Crossing (Chili) in March – so now it’s time for another of the most extreme races in the world – The Gobi March.
The Gobi March is known to be the most unpredictable and hostile of the 4 Deserts events with ever-changing weather and terrain, including sand and dust storms, floods and extreme heat and cold. Competitors will be required to ascend 3,000 m above sea level to Shipton’s Arch (also known as “Heaven’s Gate” by the locals. It’s a phenomenal landmark said to be the tallest natural arch in the world. The arch once figured in the Guinness Book of Records for its exceptional height, but editors of the book could not verify the location of the arch exactly, so the listing was dropped. It was only recently rediscovered out of obscurity by a National Geographic team in 2000.
View from the base of the rubble pile
A little trivia on the arch:
Trivial perhaps but astonishing figures… The height of the arch is estimated to be 1,200 feet, about the height of the Empire State Building. The span of the arch is roughly 180 feet. The “true” height of the arch is debatable: viewing the arch from the east (normal approach route) it appears to be 200 feet tall from the top of the 100 foot rubble pile; from the west side (approachable via a technical canyon ascent), the height is closer to the estimated 1,200 feet. The height depends upon what constitutes the base of the arch, which is either the base of the rubble pile (which is partially under the arch and where the span achieves its maximum width) or the floor of the west side canyon head, 900 feet lower.
Back to The Gobi March:
127 competitors from 28 countries have set off on the 20th RacingThePlanet event. This is the youngest and most inexperienced field to date with 101 competitors competing for the first time in a 4 Deserts event. however, these aren’t raw recruits – so to speak. Several have summitted Everest, one, 24-year-old Wei Weichao of China, came 7th in a 100km race in Beijing. These are competitors, albeit new to RacingThePlanet, who have tried their hands at other extreme pastimes. Wei Weichao is hoping for a top ranking to become the first-ever from China to win the Gobi March.
Many competitors will be raising money for charities throughout the world. RacingThePlanet in conjunction with The Esquel Group has donated sporting goods and computers to schools in and around Kashgar.
Against the backdrop of the 2nd largest statue of Chairman Mao in the world, competitors completed their check-in. After check-in, most competitors returned back to their rooms to pack, and re-pack, hoping to shave off those last few grams off their load, before loading onto a convoy of buses and making their way to the site of campsite 1: Gazi. The lightest pack is being carried by experienced ultramarathon runner Diana Hogan-Murphy of Ireland who carefully counted her daily calories and weight down to the most minute detail. “I realised that it would just be too hot to eat most of the things I thought I might want to, so stuck to basics and made sure that it was high calorie, and light.”
The bus-ride took the competitors to the start of race – the first campsite. They were greeted by a huge gathering of clapping and cheering local Uyghur and Kirghiz people and entertained by local Uyghur men on horseback playing an what is probably an early form of polo, with a sheep’s pelt being the instrument for scoring.
The race got off to a good start and now, at the close of the first day, the last competitors have all reached camp successfully, some visibly exhausted and relieved to be able to drop their loads at camp 2, but spirits were good. “I feel like I have run 26 miles,” joked Sean Abbott of the United States, as he stretched out his legs. “Well I feel as I have done more,” responded Matthew McLellan from Australia…
The first competitor to pass through the finish line at Stage 1 was Eric C. LaHaie (United States). In second place was Riel Carol (France) at 13.19.30, a seasoned athlete having paced for the London Marathon for the past two years. Third was Chinese National Weichao Wei at 13.27.53, whose speed was testament to his success at the North Face Race 100km earlier this year where he placed seventh overall. In the women’s division, Diana Hogan-Murphy (Ireland) who passed through check-point 3 at 12.49, is expected to arrive shortly, having lead the race as a woman for the whole stage.
You can follow this race directly on the Racing ThePlanet link (www.4deserts.com/gobimarch) or keep reading our Blog as we will be bringing you updates.
With thanks toracingtheplanet for the videos.
A man who sets himself one challenge after another against extraodinary odds, to raise money to help others…
June 8, 2009You might have heard of Major Phil Packer… the man who was paralysed in February last year when the vehicle he was in was hit by a rocket in Iraq. He suffered broken ribs and a crushed lower spine. He was the man who was told he would never walk again and yet he finished the London marathon, albeit painfully slowly, but remember – 18 months before the doctors said he would never get out of a wheelchair.
We like talking about extreme personalities and this is one man who is definitely worth a mention or two. Thanks to AffiliAid for this introductory video:
Phil Packer says: “From the original prognosis that I would never walk again, I have been very lucky and my injuries have improved. I set out to raise £1million by completing a number of challenges including 3 Main Events; Rowing the Channel, walking the London Marathon, and pulling myself up a Mountain. El Capitan is the last event before I concentrate on providing opportunities for people with disabilities and raising the profile of disability sports. I will travel to the USA during the first two weeks in June and with the expertise & support of Andy Kirkpatrick, Ian Parnell and Paul Tatersal, will pull myself up 1800ft in 3 days”.
A quick excerpt of Maj. Phil Packer completing the London Marathon (6MadeInEngland9):
and how he has successfully got others involved in his charity efforts (AffiliAid)
Packer started his 1,800 ft climb up the sheer rock face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park yesterday, 8th June.
His ascent of El Cap. is being attempted despite the fact that he was told he would never walk again.
Major Packer, who lives in Westminster, London, has said the three-day climb will be his final fundraising campaign before concentrating his efforts on promoting opportunities for disabled people.
Climbing a rock face would be a challenge most of us would balk at but with a characteristic display of courage over disability, Major Packer is determined to conquer the face that many able-bodied people have failed to do.
Pulling yourself up with your arms (the equivalent of doing more than 4,000 push-ups) is a painfully slow way to scale a rock face and though he’s in constant pain since the rocket attack last year, it’s not enough to discourage him from taking up this challenge.
He wants to prove that his disability is no bar to rock climbing even though he’s no fan of its dizzying heights.
Unseasonable rain over the Yosemite Valley won’t make his task any easier though experience suggests this trifling inconvenience won’t interrupt his attempt.
He and his team are climbing to support ‘Help for Heroes’ and to raise awareness of Disabled Climbing Opportunites.
Packer’s live update of his climb states: “Great day, currently at 250 meters. Very tough, arms are tired, but every pull up is one pull up nearer the top. Passed Pitch 6 out of 16. Sleeping on a portaledge tonight.”
Having attempted and completed a marathon, kayaked, sky-dived with the Red Devils and accepted El Cap’s challenge, Major Phil Packer is, in our opinion, the perfect candidate as one of our extreme sports personalities.
To find out more about him, or if you would like to contribute to his fund-raising efforts, please go to: www.philpacker.com
His is a noble cause and I will keep you posted on the climb…
RacingThePlanet Namibia 2009 has been won by Salvador Calvo Redondo of Spain
May 28, 2009This clip from racingtheplanet is worth watching. It gives you an idea of the terrain that was covered over the last few days of the race – but does not show the rigours of the first day in the canyon.
A starkly beautiful landscape.
Salvador Calvo Redondo (Spain) has been officially awarded the prize for first overall winner with the time of 25 hours and 47 minutes.
In second place came Ryan Sandes (South Africa) who admitted that it was “hard” but joked how “Salvo made me chase him the whole way.”
Sandes was the first person to cross the finish line on the final day. He finished at 10:19:46. Next to come through was Redondo at 10:20:30, closely followed by Javier Gomez (Spain) at 10:20:34. Redondo walked up to Sandes to congratulate him, and the pair who had fought so hard for the entire race, shook hands with mutual respect. Of his incredibly fast sprint to the end Sandes said, “I was missing this all week, and I just gave it one last burn”.
“I am very grateful to Ryan for the race we had together,” Salvador replied.
The first placing woman was Lucy Hilton (United Kingdom), she gave thanks to the volunteers who “kept [her] going.”
The first placing team was Team Swana (Israel). Team spokesperson Kobi Itzchaki (Israel) gave thanks to his fellow competitors for “making it special” but also to RacingThePlanet. “for the opportunity to enjoy the challenge and beauty of Africa”.
Speaking to racingtheplanet later, Sandes had this to say about the race:
He is going to be a competitor worth watching in the future.
