The 4 Deserts™ shifts to Egypt with a 250 kilometer race planned across the hottest place on Earth
(August 25, 2005) -- Hong Kong - In an area where famous battles were fought and Alexander the Great once journeyed, the Sahara Race,TM the third leg of the 4 Deserts™ series, will take place September 25th - October 1st in the great Sahara Desert of Egypt. The Sahara Race™ will feature 100 competitors from more than 20 nations around the world with equal numbers coming from Asia, North America and Europe. Competitors are now in the final preparations for the start of the grueling challenge: 250 kilometers by foot, self-supported, across the hottest and one of the most inhospitable places on Earth-the Sahara Desert.
The Sahara Race is a seven-day competition, divided into six-stages. Beginning on the morning of September 25th, competitors will have to make their way through multiple checkpoints until reaching five campsites established daily. Each stage is roughly a marathon (42 kilometers in length) but there is also one 80 kilometer stage held over two days during which competitors race through the night guided by bright green glow sticks. Only a ration of water and a place in a tent is provided daily. Competitors must carry all their own food and gear for the duration of the race which adds to the immense effort of making it to the finishing line. "Stamina, a good fitness level and careful mental preparation are key to successfully completing the race," comments Mary K. Gadams, Founder and C.E.O of RacingThePlanet.
The race will be in a pristine and little traveled area of the secluded Sahara Desert in Egypt. Competitors will follow a course from the Farafra Oasis to the Bahariya Oasis crossing the spectacular Black and White Deserts. In the White Desert, often referred to as the "ghost town," natural chalk sculptures formed over thousands of years by wind erosion rise up out of the desert to provide spectacular scenery. The terrain throughout the race will vary from sand dunes to dried river beds to rocky plateaus. Competitors will also be treated to several natural sulfur springs along the way before making their way back to Cairo to finish at the ancient Giza Pyramids.
This year's field is the most competitive yet with all past 4 Deserts champions expected to compete. As usual, the field will be exceptionally diverse with individuals ranging in age from 21-year-old Han Jang of Korea to 73-year-old Laurie Brophy of Wales in the United Kingdom. Also among the competitors will be Kyung Tae Song from Korea, who is blind and will enter the race aided by his guide. Competitors represent many professions including investment banking, law, venture capital, medicine and academia, among others.
An international team of volunteers and medical doctors will be on hand to provide support throughout the race. Brian J. Krabak, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins Institute in the United States will again lead the eight-person medical team. Johns Hopkins will use the opportunity to conduct medical research.
The international media will also be following the event with television shows planned for leading channels in the United States and Korea. Live website coverage will also be provided throughout the event.
The Sahara Race is the third leg in the 4 Deserts series. For a handful of competitors, completing the Sahara Race will mean qualifying for The Last Desert in Antarctica - the ultimate challenge and the last stage of the 1000 kilometer race across the world's four major deserts.
About About the 4 DesertsTM
The Sahara Race™ is part of the 4 Deserts™, a series of footraces across the world's most forbidding deserts: the Atacama Crossing™ (Chile), the Sahara Race™ (Egypt), the Gobi March™ (China) and The Last Desert™ (Antarctica). These locations represent the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. The 4 Deserts™ attract individuals from all backgrounds and from all walks of life, the majority being professionals including bankers, lawyers, airline pilots and medical doctors. Competitors range in age from 21 to 73 years old.
About RacingThePlanet®
RacingThePlanet® is an international outdoor lifestyle brand and world leader in organizing some of the world's most prestigious outdoor events including the 4 Deserts™, a series of 7-day footraces across the world's largest and most forbidding deserts. These events include the Gobi March™ in China, the Atacama Crossing™ in Chile, the Sahara Race™ in Egypt and The Last Desert™ in Antarctica. Headquartered in Hong Kong, RacingThePlanet® has representative offices in the United States, Korea, Japan, Sweden and Chile.
For further information about The Last Desert in Antarctica, please contact Mary K. Gadams at mgadams@racingtheplanet.com or visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.
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