News: Atacama Crossing (Chile)

Credit : Dave Marquard [3 October 2015, San Pedro de Atacama] – Competitors from nearly 40 countries will race across the Atacama Desert during the coming week, carrying their own equipment and food over a grueling 250-kilometer course. Now in its 11th year, the 4 Deserts Race Series began hosting the Atacama Crossing in 2004. The race returns with an exciting field of 168 competitors, who will set out on the course Sunday, 4 October, and cross the finish line in the historic town of San Pedro de Atacama on Saturday, 10 October. Competitors will start out at the highest point of the course, an altitude of 3.3 kilometers above sea level, and gradually descend to 2.5 kilometers as they cross the Atacama Desert, known as the driest place on the planet. The race takes runners through an incredible moon-like landscape, including salt lakes and flats, sand dunes, canyons and valleys, and villages dotting the path of Incan roads dating back hundreds of years. The Licancabur Volcano rises in the background for most of the course. The otherworldly beauty of the desert is perhaps what draws competitors such as Ashkan Mokhtari back to the Atacama Crossing year after year. 2015 marks Mokhtari’s seventh year in a row to return to Chile, and upon completion, will be his 18th 4 Deserts/RacingThePlanet event since he began competing in 2008. Racers represent 37 nations, with four teams included among them. Kam Hung (Camel) Fung of Hong Kong is the first amputee to ever compete in a 4 Deserts/RacingThePlanet event. Part of the team “Five Legs Never Quit,” Fung set a goal to raise HK $3 million for the Hong Kong Amputees Association. Other notable competitors include Germany’s Mike Kraft, an ultramarathoner and accomplished climber who has reached the summit of the highest mountain on every continent; American Shiri Leventhal, women’s champion of the Gobi March (China) 2013 and top three finisher at the Great Wall Marathon; and New Zealand’s John and Daniel Bonallack, a father-son team who have together conquered endurance races in Greenland, Brazil and Egypt. After crossing the finish line at the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2015, seven competitors will become members of the prestigious 4 Deserts Club, meaning they have completed the Sahara Race (Egypt), Gobi March (China), Atacama Crossing (Chile) and The Last Desert (Antarctica). The 4 Deserts Race Series tests competitors physically and mentally, as they must carry their own food and equipment for seven days across inhospitable terrain. Volunteers and staff provide drinking water and tents each night for competitors to rest, and a robust medical team keeps them safe as they cross through dozens of checkpoints during the week.

Credit : Shaun Boyte A group of outstanding individuals is gathering in the Chilean town of San Pedro de Atacama this week to celebrate the 10th anniversary edition of the Atacama Crossing. On the morning of Sunday, 5 October, a diverse group of 163 competitors from 36 nations— spanning double Olympians, blind athletes and many raising funds for charities—will set out on the stunning 250-kilometer course. “The Atacama Crossing has become one of the most beloved races of the 4 Deserts Race Series for its astonishing location and highly challenging course,” said Mary Gadams, who founded the 4 Deserts Race Series in 2002. “I can hardly believe that it is ten years since the first edition – this is another milestone in the 4 Deserts Race Series history and I am looking forward to this special anniversary celebration of the race.” Set in the elevated plateaus of the Atacama Desert, the driest, non-Polar desert in the world, the Atacama Crossing is renowned for its high altitude – always a mile above sea level – its terrain of demanding salt flats, and astonishing lunar beauty. The seven-day, six-stage odyssey spans historical Incan trade routes, sand dunes, streams, gorges, salt flats, salt lakes, slot canyons, oases and the magnificence of nature sanctuaries such as the Valley of the Moon and Valley of Death. The course culminates on Saturday, 11 October in the town square of San Pedro de Atacama where the local inhabitants and visitors await the jubilant competitors as they cross the final finishline. The race has drawn entrants from across the globe, with highest numbers coming from the United States (35), United Kingdom (18), Canada (13) and South Korea (12). Among the race favorites is acclaimed Spanish athlete and double Olympian, Jose Manuel “Chema” Martinez Fernandez. The 42-year old is halfway through his 4 Deserts Grand Slam attempt this year—all of the 4 Deserts races in one calendar year—and he’s already won the Gobi March (China) and gained 2nd place at the Sahara Race (Jordan). Andrzej Gondek of Poland is another strong contender, also in the Grand Slam, who placed fourth overall at the Gobi March in China earlier this year. He is engaging in the race with fellow Polish racers Marek Wikiera and Daniel Lewczuk, who are part of a group of 23 competitors taking on the Grand Slam this year. The equally strong women’s field includes Isis Breiter of Mexico who emerged as female champion at the Gobi March and placed sixth overall at the Sahara Race (both in 2014). She is joined by Kristinet van der Westhuizen of South Africa, third overall woman at the Sahara Race 2014 and second placed female in that same race in 2012, as well as Emily Woodland of the United Kingdom who earned fourth place in the women’s division of the Gobi March 2012. Credit : Shaun Boyte A dazzling range of diverse human stories will be playing out in the brutal beauty of the Atacama Desert this week. The blind athlete Vladmi dos Santos, who works closely with Brazil’s Paralympic Committee, is taking on his third 4 Deserts race here after winning the Spirit Award at the Atacama Crossing in 2013. He is being guided during the race by the American firefighter Erin Leighty. The Iranian-Canadian competitor and 4 Deserts Club member Ashkan Mokhtari is returning for his astonishing 17th RacingThePlanet event—having completed the Atacama Crossing five times previously. Americans Penelope and Keith Boettiger are racing for the charity they founded, Mamush.org, which provides training for Ethiopian orphans transitioning into their adult lives. There are also six teams coming from America, Spain, Korea (South), the United Kingdom and a hybrid of Brits and New Zealanders who live in India, UAE and the United Kingdom. They will be battling it out for a podium place. “We are excited to welcome competitors such as Chema Martinez to this extraordinary terrain as well as to see the group of Grand Slam contenders – the largest group we’ve ever had – move into their 750th kilometer of the year and go from strength to strength. We wish all competitors a safe race and hope they enjoy it as much as those who have gone before them” said Samantha Fanshawe, President of the 4 Deserts Race Series. This year the Atacama Crossing is supporting the Chilean charity Fundaciòn Amigos de Jesús, a non-profit organization that takes care of children and adults with disabilities ranging from Downs Syndrome to more severe handicaps. The donation made will help to support the running costs over the next year to ensure adequate care can continue to be provided. Credit : Dave Marquard

Credit : Shaun Boyte The Atacama Crossing 2013 concluded with 132 competitors crossing the finish line, including a cancer survivor, two blind men, and two women living with diabetes. Daniel Rowland of Zimbabwe vied with Australia’s Vlad Ixel to snag first place. The two men sprinted to the finish line within seconds of each other in multiple stages. In the end, Daniel edged Vlad out with a total time of 25 hours, 38 minutes and 4 seconds. “It’s been amazing”, said Daniel. “Tough but beautiful. I came to improve on my time from last year, so to beat my time from last year and to win was great.” Vlad finished in 26:16:41. Following him were Craig Willment of South Africa, Andrea Girardi of Italy, Kyle McCoy of the United States, Adam Woolliscroft of Wales, Rick Braff of the United States, Hye Chang Rhim of South Korea, Nelson Sepulveda of Chile on his home turf, and Richard Bray of the United Kingdom. Rebecca Pattinson of the United Kingdom won first place among the women with a total time of 34:50:43. “The whole environment just lifts you up,” said Rebecca, who is the women’s champion. “I have never felt emotions like that and I don’t think I ever will again. Everyone keeps asking me what next, well I think quit while you are ahead!” Credit : Shaun Boyte Luisa Balsamo of Italy followed in second place with 35:24:14. Rounding out the top ten among the women were Annabel Hepworth of Australia, Beatriz Camiade of Mexico, Sabina Bacinelli of Italy, Amanda de Kock of South Africa, Yvonne Abson of Scotland, Vikki Bester of Australia, Andrea Lopez of Chile on her home turf, and Lisa Cox of the United States. Yosuke Kurosawa, Shinya Sasaki and Hirofumi Ono of Japan won the team championship as Team Kizuna. “We came here to win,” they said. “We always help each other. Sometimes we fight, but we think of each other and accept each other. This is why we came.” In addition to these champions, the Atacama Crossing 2013 hosted many other notable competitors. Jisung (Jesse) Yoo of South Korea has now completed 19 RacingThePlanet/4 Deserts events, more than anyone in the world. Iranian competitor Ashkan Mokhtari is coming back to the Atacama for the fifth time in as many years. He has completed 12 RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts events overall. Keijiro Hamada of Japan and Vladmi do Santos of Brazil are both blind, but made it across 250 kilometres of mud, salt flats, and sand dunes with the help of guides. “My heart is strong,” said Vladmi dos Santos from Brazil, who is blind. He described seeing the race not with his eyes, but with his heart. “I am very happy. I have made friends with all the competitors. The people see me as a normal person, not blind.” Jim Willett of Canada battled colon cancer in 2010, and has now completed two 4 Deserts events. “The highs, the lows, the connection I have with RacingThePlanet [after] all I have been through, words can not explain,” Jim said. The next 4 Deserts event is the Gobi March 2013, beginning 2 June and going through 8 June.

[29 February, 2012, Hong Kong] – The eighth edition of the Atacama Crossing kicks off this week in the Chilean desert town of San Pedro de Atacama, with one of the most ambitious groups of competitors to ever embark on the 250-kilometer footrace. Of the 160 competitors setting out on the world-renowned race through the Atacama Desert, 13 are aiming to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam. This will see them competing in all of the 4 Deserts races in one calendar year, including the Atacama Crossing (Chile), the Gobi March (China), the Sahara Race (Egypt) and The Last Desert (Antarctica). This year’s Grand Slam contenders include French journalist Cecile Bertin, Turkish communications executive Alper Dalkilic, Argentinean lawyer Juan Ferrero, and brother and sister duo Tara and James Gaston of the United States. The Atacama Crossing is considered by many to be the toughest race in the 4 Deserts series. It is equally known for its staggering beauty. The seven-day odyssey takes competitors through an otherworldly landscape of salt lakes, lava flows and sand dunes in settings that traverse the Valley of the Moon, the Valley of Death and Laguna Tebinquinche Rio Grande. The course moves along historical trade routes, through streams, dried up gorges and across the infamous salt flats. Competitors carry their own food and equipment for the week, with only water and shelter provided along the course. An average altitude of 2,500 meters and the notoriously challenging terrain brings added challenges. The field of competitors embarking on this year’s race spans nearly 40 countries and a vast spectrum of ages, backgrounds and experience; 34% have embarked on RacingThePlanet events before, such as Guy Evans, who is in Chile to earn his way into the 4 Deserts Club with his final event in the series. Canadian dentist Ashkan Mokhtari is also back for more having previously completed nine RacingThePlanet events. The Prendiville Family of Perth, Australia,has four family members competing – together they have completed seven RacingThePlanet events. The four teams taking part include Andes Gear from Chile, Friends for Life of Germany and the Japanese collective IMAMURA Family. The final team, JDRF Born to Run from Australia, stands out again for their sheer ambition. Team-members Jess Baker, Greg Donovan, Matthew Donovan, Roger Hanney and Ron Schwebel will be raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as they attempt to complete the Grand Slam as a team. If they succeed, they will smash multiple Grand Slam records along the way, such as oldest and youngest team member, and first father and son duo. Remarkably, team-member Roger Hanney himself has Type 1 diabetes. This is the eighth edition of the Chilean race and it has once again drawn interest from around the world. This year sees a significantly larger number of competitors from Luxembourg and Germany, while the most competitors hail from the United Kingdom (23), followed by the United States (21) and Australia (16). Chile is also enjoying home support, with nine residents embarking on the race.