Scott P. Smith of the United States has won The Last Desert 2006 in Antarctica - the final event in the prestigious 4 Deserts series
February 2, 2006, Hong Kong, China - On February 1, 2006, the final event in the 4 Deserts series concluded with Scott P. Smith, 49, of the United States taking first place followed by Charles Walker, 39, also of the United States and Kevin Lin, 29, of Taiwan taking second and third place, respectively. In the women's division, Lisanne C. Dorion, 40, of the United States placed first and Team Illinois/Magellan Development of the United States, consisting of Joel E. Burrows, 30, Nancy Fudacz-Burrows, 38, and David P. Kuhnau, 35, took first place in the team division.
The Last Desert 2006 consisted of four stages totaling 250 kilometers (155 miles) across the Antarctic continent. The stages were located on King George Island, Deception Island and the Antarctic Peninsula in an area called Hope Bay. The terrain was made up of rocks, mud, ice and snow. The stages included the continent's first ever 100-miler as well as a glacier crossing. Temperatures with the wind chill hovered around minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-34 Celsius) and weather also included a blizzard and 60 knot winds during the 100-mile stage.
To qualify for The Last Desert, competitors had to successfully complete the three other events in the 4 Deserts series which include seven-day, 250-kilometer footraces across the Gobi Desert in China (Gobi March), the Atacama Desert in Chile (Atacama Crossing) and the Sahara Desert in Egypt (Sahara Race). Eighteen competitors from around the world qualified and fifteen competed in The Last Desert in Antarctica.
All fifteen competitors completed The Last Desert 2006. In addition to the winners, the other competitors in The Last Desert 2006 included (in order of their placement): Brent Weigner, 56, United States, a geography teacher with McCormick Junior High; Matthew R. Chapman, 29, Australia (based in Singapore), a headhunter for Hudson Global Resources; Alasdair G. Morrison, 57, Hong Kong and Scotland, the Chairman and C.E.O. of Morgan Stanley Asia; Vincent L. Carroll, 46, a retailer from Ireland; Gunnar Nilsson, 49, Sweden, an engineer for Aerzen Svenska AB; Derek T. Kwik, 37, Hong Kong, a Managing Partner with BraveSoldier Ventures; Masashi Hayakawa, 62, Japan, a retired government staff member; and Satoru Otsuka, 65, Japan, a retired manufacturer.
Live website coverage of The Last Desert was successfully broadcast from RacingThePlanet's website at www.racingtheplanet.com. The website featured hundreds of pictures, breaking news texts, daily journals and field updates. Full results can also be found at www.racingtheplanet.com/thelastdesert/live/index.shtml.
In 2006, the entire 4 Deserts series will be staged and competitors from more than 30 countries are expected to compete in the four events.
About RacingThePlanet®
RacingThePlanet® is an international outdoor lifestyle brand and global leader in organizing some of the world's most prestigious outdoor events including the 4 DesertsTM, a series of 7-day footraces across the world's largest and most forbidding deserts. These events include the Gobi MarchTM in China, the Atacama CrossingTM in Chile, the Sahara RaceTM in Egypt and The Last DesertTM in Antarctica. With current plans to expand into merchandising, RacingThePlanet® is headquartered in Hong Kong and has representative offices in the United States, Korea, Japan and Chile.
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