Off Limits
Four big deserts, one giant challenge. Racing the Planet’s fourpronged extreme race is the ultimate test of human endurance
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re you an adventure running fanatic
looking for your next challenge? If
so, Racing the Planet’s 4Deserts
challenge may be just what you’re after.
To become a member of the toughest
ultra-marathon runners club in the world,
participants must push the limits of human
tolerance for a total of 28 days and 1000
of the most inhospitable kilometers on
earth. In short, it’s a marathon junkie’s
ultimate fix, taking them through China’s
baron Gobi Desert, the Atacama Desert
in Chile and across the Sahara in Egypt;
all, in themselves colossal feats, but
no more than preparation for the final
frontier – a 250 mile seven-day journey
across Antarctica. The completion of all
four races in a calendar year is as close
to organised marathon suicide as there
is, yet two men managed to complete it
in 2008. One of them, the guy they call
‘the ultra-marathon man’, Dean Karnazes,
says it was harder than running the
equivalent of 50 marathons in 50 days.
The equation… Here’s how to become a member
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Complete this… Atacama Crossing
Plus this … Gobi March
> Race location: Chile,
South America
> Race date: March 6
> Race distance: 250 km
> Most challenging feature:
> Race location: Gobi
Desert, China
> Race date: June 27
> Race distance: 250 km
> Most challenging feature:
July 2010 Men’s Fitness
The Atacama Desert is said
to be 50 times more arid than
Death Valley in California,
taking place approximately
one mile above sea level.
Not one to be taken lightly, This
year’s route follows the old
silk route, said to be the hottest
place in China, as well as the
second lowest place on earth.
Dean Karnazes on…
Four Deserts compared to running
50 marathons in 50 days:
I guess it was similar in that it was also a
multiday challenge, but that’s where the
similarities ended. With the 4Deserts,
you are entirely self-reliant. You carry all
your own food, clothing, equipment and
supplies for six-days in a backpack. And
with the 4Deserts, you’re sleeping on the
ground in a tent, which is uncomfortable.
They were both very difficult endeavors,
and I faced much different challenges
with each. You’ve got to be tough, and fit
for the 4Deserts, but if you’re up for it I’d
highly recommend it… though to be honest,
not necessarily all in a the same year.
The differences between
the four races:
The Atacama Desert was swelteringly
hot during the day and extremely cold at
night. The landscape was like being on
Mars but the humidity was only about 5
per cent. The Gobi was greener, but the
river crossings meant your feet got soaked,
so you had to contend with wet feet and
the possibility of blisters. The Sahara was
brutal. Hot and impossibly deep sand dunes
for miles and miles, made running painfully
tough. The footing in Antarctica was also
harsh, but instead of deep sand it was deep
snow. It was a different set of challenges
for each race, which is why I loved it.
The toughest race of the four:
Nothing was easy during any of them, not
even Atacama, which I won. I also took
second place in the Sahara, but there
were several points where I thought I
wouldn’t finish. The lowest point though
was in Antarctica. I had a reaction to
the seasickness medication (competitors
arrive by boat) and I felt like
an elephant that had been
shot with a tranquilising
dart. Trying to race when
I felt so disoriented was
really nasty, but I lived.
Think you’re equal to the
challenge? Follow Dean
Karnazes workout tips:
Miles in the legs
Nothing can replace getting
mileage in the legs. I run
between 100 and 300kms
every week. It’s the only
way you can know for
sure that you’re capable of
covering the distance.
Vary your workouts
I mix it up with cross-training
that includes mountainbiking, windsurfing, climbing,
stand-up paddle boarding,
surfing and snowboarding
in the winter. I aim to train
every part of my body.
Never switch off
My office and desk are
designed so I can do
everything while standing. Even on
an average day I do reps of push-ups,
sit-ups and pull-ups (I have a pull-up
bar installed in my office) in between
emails, meetings and conference calls. I
train every spare second of the day.
Eat Like a Caveman
Try to eat all-natural and minimally
processed foods. If a caveman wouldn’t
have eaten it, nor should you.
Avoid the ‘three whites’
Don’t eat white sugar, white flour or white
fat (i.e. lard). While you’re at it, avoid
high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), transfats and hydrogenated oils, too.
For more on Dean Karnazes’ incredible
marathon feats visit:
www.ultramarathonman.com/flash
To learn more about the 4Deserts, visit:
www.racingtheplanet.com
of the 4Deserts club
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And this… Sahara Race
Equals this… The Last Desert, Antarctica
The largest non-polar desert
in the world and reputed to
be the hottest, driest place on
earth. Also home to the allest
sand dunes on the planet.
> Race location: Antarctica,
South Pole
> Race date: November 17
> Race distance: 250 km
> Most challenging feature:
A place where in places no rain
has fallen for two million years.
Temperatures can range been
-20 and -30 degrees Celsius.
This is a real man’s race.
Men’s Fitness July 2010
Words: Damian Brandy
> Race location: Sahara
Desert, Egypt
> Race date: October 3
> Race distance: 250 km
> Most challenging feature:
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