RACINGTHEPLANET

Dear Friends A month from today I’ll be starting out on the Racing The Planet 20 Year Jordan Anniverary Race, a 250km / 156 mile race across the deserts of Jordan from Wadi Rum to Petra. It’s a 250km self-supported race – carrying all equipment and food across sand and rock terrain, salt flats, canyons and riverbeds with over 3900m / 13,000ft of elevation gain and 4775m / 16,000ft of elevation loss. The format is 4 consecutive marathon-length stages followed by the Long March (c. 88km / 55 mile long stage on Day 5). It’s my 4th time running one of these events for Save The Children and would love your support once again. Many of you have made very generous contributions to previous appeals and we’ve managed to raise more than USD25,000 over the last three races - 6 years since last appeal! They do incredibly important work around the world and donations of all shapes, sizes and currencies gratefully received. You can donate to the Save The Children campaign at the link below (JustGiving has 0% platform fees for donations so all funds go directly to the charity). https://lnkd.in/erRst7ea For anyone who’s interested, I’ll be posting race updates (in all of their gory detail) from the race: https://lnkd.in/eftPZu8z Thanks in advance and once again for your generous support (full disclosure - I’ll be shamelessly reposting this from time to time over the next month to remind, encourage and cajole donations)! Bryan

Such an exciting night in London yesterday as we were invited to the premiere of the film #HerUltra by the amazing Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins and #RiverPlaceFilms. In a world where ultra-marathons are often seen as the domain of elite athletes, “Her Ultra” turns this notion on its head, showcasing the awe-inspiring journey of eight novice runners who push their limits in the wilderness of Finland. This feature-length documentary, produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins, captures the spirit of adventure and determination as these women take on the gruelling 250 km Racing the Planet Lapland ultra-race above the Arctic Circle. With only eight months of virtual training under their belts, these ladies met for the first time in person to embark on a life-changing challenge that would test their endurance, resilience, and camaraderie. Watch the Trailer: https://lnkd.in/ekzzN4JN Great to see Riitta Hänninen Samantha Fanshawe Kabuki Snyder Hannah Walsh Amy Tonnessen Fien Van Lysebettens @lynne dixon @sarah holland @abbey tobin MARIE-PAULE PIERSON @cindy drinnan Rachel Farley Natasha Fanshawe there. And missing Carmen Cordogan who was a star of the film. #herultra #riverplacefilms #racingtheplanetlapland #empoweringwomen #ordinarywomen #ultramarathon #film #filmpremiere

Every person who races 250km across a desert with RacingThePlanet is an inspiration and has a story. Louisa Forrester from Australia has always been an active person as well as having a high level career. The Gobi March last month was her fifth RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon, but this one was different. She was racing nine months after being diagnosed with Breast Cancer and three months after a double mastectomy. Until nine months ago, Louisa was fit and well with no idea of what lay ahead. Read her full story: https://lnkd.in/erB7aDkv   #racingtheplanet #inspiringstories #cancerto250km #beatcancer

The second race of the year, the Gobi March, is now in the history books and we are looking forward to the final two races of the year in JORDAN and ANTARCTICA! Whoop, whoop! See you in 2024 and / or 2025. https://lnkd.in/gix72qbW

We have completed our 18th Edition of the Gobi March in Mongolia, out 74th race since 2003. What a race with so many inspirational stories among the competitors. The locals could not have been kinder, and we hope that the powerful batteries we donated to the nomadic families will make their lives easier, and that the coloring books, jewelry, pens, pencils, crayons, frisbees, will bring much happiness to the kids. Thank you all the participants and to the people of Mongolia for another incredible journey. https://lnkd.in/eTATDScU

The Gobi March 250km Ultramarathon is live now in Mongolia. The race is challenging and the scenery is stunning. The Long March finished today - the leader finished 80km / 50 miles in 7.5 hours and the last person took 26 hours. However it is #MORETHANARACE. Today on the Rest Day competitors were given the opportunity to visit nomadic farmers in their Gers to provide donations of pens, books, clothes and renewable solar batteries. Follow the race action https://lnkd.in/fYhXNyZ #racingtheplanet #gobimarch #morethanarace #givingback #mongolia #donations

Strava talks with Inia Raumati and Tania Carmona as get ready to tackle the Gobi March in Mongolia - the second race in the 4 Deserts Grand Slam 2024. WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN MULTIPLE SELF-SUPPORTED ULTRAS IN ONE YEAR. Completing all four original RacingThePlanet ultramarathons earns runners the prestigious ‘4 Deserts Club’ badge. Finishing all four in one calendar year grants the ‘4 Deserts Grand Slam’ medal while completing these plus the ‘RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon’ race in the same year secures the ‘4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus’ trophy. This incredible feat means covering a total of 775 miles / 1,250km in a year in harsh conditions, carrying all your essentials, including a week's worth of food, on your back. Enter Inia Raumati. “Normally, I like to enter events where there's no guarantee you're going to finish.” Inia is a senior emergency doctor in Auckland, New Zealand who completed this year’s ‘Namib Race.’ In 2014, he became the first Kiwi to get the ‘4 Deserts Grand Slam’ badge of honor. A decade later and he is now marking his 50th birthday by aiming for his second ‘4 Deserts Grand Slam’ trophy. As a man who enjoys living life to the extremes, he is adding four more ultramarathons to his 2024 bucket list, for his ‘8 Races on 8 Continents’ challenge. He aims to become the first person in the world to run eight self-supported ultramarathons on all eight continents in a year, logging a total of 1,243 miles // 2,000km over 12 months. https://lnkd.in/eQAGjZbd #strava #stravastories #racingtheplanet #4desertsgrandslam #gobimarch

GOBI MARCH - 4 days to go! We are excited to hold the 18th edition of the Gobi March in the steppes of Mongolia, experiencing the true culture of this beautiful country that is commonly known as “the Land of the Genghis Khan” – and the 74th RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon. There is an impressive and inspiring field of racers coming from all corners of the planet including: > 36 countries represented > Aged from under 20 to 71 years young > 31% are women > 45% joining their first ever RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon > Twelve 4 Deserts Club members - and one more person will join at this race > 15 people who have been at the start line of this race before > 15 people taking on the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Find out more about more about the field, the top contenders and the inspiring stories in this feature: https://lnkd.in/etfgfDxe

Opportunities are like sunrises, if you wait too long, you miss them. We salute all the competitors who will be participating in The Last Desert and Antarctica Ultramarathon which begins on 26 November 2024. https://lnkd.in/euvVR9wA

"Runners, earn your bragging rights during the Atacama Crossing" USA TODAY Sports Media Group Some runs are for fun. Others are to prove you can do it. The Atacama Crossing falls into the latter category. If you want to run 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) through the driest place on Earth, this race is for you. There’s also spectacular scenery of Chilean sand dunes, salt lakes, and volcanoes — a landscape that’s been compared to Mars. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eCKhMzrv #racingtheplanet #atacamacrossing #morethanarace #earnyourbraggingrights #ultramarathon #usatoday