ATACAMA CROSSING (CHILE)
250km / 155 mile, 6-Stage Ultramarathon

30 March - 5 April 2025

129

DAYS TO GO

Race Coverage

RACE Coverage

Atacama Crossing Home

Natasha FANSHAWE

Self-employed

United Kingdom

Sebastian LASSALLE

Triathlon Coach

Argentina

Raymond ALDERDICE

Retired

United Kingdom

Hannah LYONMEARS

Clinical Research Doctor

United Kingdom

Carrie OWER

Retired

United States

Antonio (Brito) TEIXEIRA

Engineer

Portugal

Fiona BOLAND

Teacher

Australia

Arthur CHIN

Retiree

Malaysia

Monica ROSA

Emergency Room Nurse

United States

Kathryn (Katie) SANDERS

Doctor

United Kingdom

Wendy HARDING

Realtor

South Africa

Zyrianova RADOSLAVA

Nutritionist

Individual Neutral Athlete

Monique JANSEN

Free Lance Marketing Consultant

Netherlands, Resident in Spain

Ekaterina THEISEN

Fitness Coach

, Resident in Singapore

Maria GARCIA

physiotherapy student

United States

Michael THEISEN

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

Germany, Resident in Singapore

Iryna ZHAYVORONOK SOFILKANICH

Lawyer

Ukraine, Resident in Spain

Susana (Susi) ALVAREZ

Teacher/Nutritionist

Bolivia

Timothy (Tim) NAYLOR

Employment-break (previously in financial communications)

United Kingdom

Carly STEGGLES

Personal trainer and business owner

Australia

Youn Jee KANG

LATAM Human Rights Officer

Korea (South)

Samantha JACKSON

Executive Assistant

United Kingdom

Sing Moon (Miranda) HUNG

Hong Kong

Mark MCINTOSH

Course Team / Physiotherapist

United Kingdom, Resident in New Zealand

Charlie LATHAM

Course Team / Writer

England

Dante ARMEAGA

Lawyer / Teacher

Mexico

Sandra STRAUBE

Owner Manager of a market research company

Bolivia

Natasha FANSHAWE

Self-employed

United Kingdom

Natasha Fanshawe calls herself a RacingThePlanet junky, stating that participating in the races is a life addiction. She has raced twice (in Jordan and Namibia) and volunteered eight times, including taking on a management role at The Last Desert 2018 and Gobi March (Mongolia) 2019.

She set up her own company Light Style Space, as a declutterer, where she helps people to get rid of unwanted stuff and simultaneously runs a sustainability network called "And The Future" with a friend. She also works on events when help is needed. If the event involves food or an adventure, she is there, and she thinks RacingThePlanet fulfills the latter. Amongst other job projects, Natasha has worked for the Olympic Committee in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics.

The races she has volunteered at previously include the Atacama Crossing 2011, RacingThePlanet: Iceland 2013, Ecuador 2015, Patagonia 2017, The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2018, Gobi March (Mongolia) 2019 and most recently RacingThePlanet: Lapland 2022. She has also completed RacingThePlanet: Jordan 2012 and the Namib Race 2016 as a racer. She is working herself up to racing in another event. Until then, we' re thrilled to have her return as a volunteer for the ninth time at the Atacama Crossing 2025.

Sebastian LASSALLE

Triathlon Coach

Argentina

Raymond ALDERDICE

Retired

United Kingdom

Raymond (Ken) Alderdice is a former insurance broker from Ireland. In 1974, at the age of 16, he started working and after 44+ years, he retired in 2018. Ken was looking for adventure during his retirement days and came across the Atacama Crossing (Chile) on TV, and he thought that RacingThePlanet would be a really good place to start. He made his debut as a volunteer at the Gobi March (Mongolia) in 2019 where he was inspired to race himself. He set his sights on RacingThePlanet: Georgia 2020 and lost 10 kg as part of his preparation. After six thwarted attempts due to COVID restrictions and injury, he at last made it to the start of the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 for his first time as a competitor at a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Race. He has, however, volunteered on three more occassions, at the Namib Race 2021 and 2024, and the Atacama Crossing 2023. Ken is a keen traveller who loves the outdoors. He has been skiing every year since 1987 and plays golf all year round. You can also spot Ken sailing or doing volunteer work with disabled people. Ken says: "I want to see places that I wouldn't normally travel to and RacingThePlanet allows me to do that!"

Hannah LYONMEARS

Clinical Research Doctor

United Kingdom

Hannah is a UK-based medical doctor and currently completing a PhD in traumatic brain injury. She has grown up supporting her family and triathlon club with various Ironman and other sporting events around the UK and abroad. She has completed triathlon and running races and has been lucky enough to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and the Himalayas in India and Nepal. Along with sporting pursuits, she loves travelling and musical theatre. The Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025 will be Hannah’s first time volunteering for a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event!

Carrie OWER

Retired

United States

Carrie Ower joins us for her first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event as a volunteer at the Atacama Crossing 2025. She was inspired to volunteer by being part of the Friends and Family Experience while watching her husband complete the Gobi March in Mongolia in 2023. She is looking forward to her second Friends and Family Experience as she watches her husband participate in The Last Desert race in Antarctica in 2024. A retired Employee Benefits Account Executive, Carrie loves to travel and enjoys an active lifestyle that includes chasing after her three beautiful grandchildren, being her husband's (unofficial) copilot, walking and running. Her love of travel led to her providing SAG support for an epic cycling journey across Scotland for the NC500 in 2023. She is enthusiastically looking forward to supporting RTP and cheering on all of the Desert adventurers as they fulfill their dreams of competing in a 250K stage race across the desert.

Antonio (Brito) TEIXEIRA

Engineer

Portugal

Antionio "Brito" Teixeira is a mechanical engineer from Portugal who also has experience organising trail running events in Portugal and Cape Verde. The Atacama Crossing 2025 is first experience at a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon.

Fiona BOLAND

Teacher

Australia

Arthur CHIN

Retiree

Malaysia

Malaysian Arthur Chin recent retired as a partner after a 30-year career with KPMG in Malaysia. Arthur is an active member of Lions Clubs International providing him with great experience with volunteerism and humanitarian endeavors. Arthur is physically fit and an active long distance runner and trekker.

Monica ROSA

Emergency Room Nurse

United States

Kathryn (Katie) SANDERS

Doctor

United Kingdom

Wendy HARDING

Realtor

South Africa

Wendy Harding joins us from South Africa for her second RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event at the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025 having been a great volunteer at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. She has been fascinated with RacingThePlanet events for many years and is excited to finally join one as a volunteer. She is preparing to race herself at RacingThePlanet: Greece later this year.

Zyrianova RADOSLAVA

Nutritionist

Individual Neutral Athlete

Rada Radoslava loves life. She is an independent partner of "Herbalife Nutrition", to help people lose wight and improve their overall well being. She has always been active and finds creative ways to do this together with her two children. She likes reading books, learning languages bringing up her children in an active way, sports and travelling. Rada likes a good balance of being in noisy company and total silence. The Atacama Crossing 2025 is her first time at a RacingThePlanet which she joins with her husband who is racing having finished 3rd in the Namib Race 2024.

Monique JANSEN

Free Lance Marketing Consultant

Netherlands, Resident in Spain

Ekaterina THEISEN

Fitness Coach

, Resident in Singapore

Maria GARCIA

physiotherapy student

United States

Michael THEISEN

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

Germany, Resident in Singapore

Iryna ZHAYVORONOK SOFILKANICH

Lawyer

Ukraine, Resident in Spain

Iryna Zhayvoronok Sofilkanich is from Ukraine but has lived in Spain for more than 20 years and currently lives in Tenerife having grown up between Poland, Argentina and Barcelona. She loves travelling around the world which she has done since she was a child and speaks 8(!) languages including English, Spanish, French and Italian very well - saying she is happy to learn a new one if needed! The Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025 is Iryna's second time as a volunteer at a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathon - her "very sporty" husband is also racing. She is a fast learner, easy going, first-aid qualified and will be a great help at the race.

Susana (Susi) ALVAREZ

Teacher/Nutritionist

Bolivia

Timothy (Tim) NAYLOR

Employment-break (previously in financial communications)

United Kingdom

Carly STEGGLES

Personal trainer and business owner

Australia

Youn Jee KANG

LATAM Human Rights Officer

Korea (South)

Samantha JACKSON

Executive Assistant

United Kingdom

Samantha (Sam) Jackson from the United Kingdom joins the Atacama Crossing 2025 volunteer team for her third RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race (in less than one year). She was inspired to join after her son, Charlie, volunteered at the Gobi March 2023 and joined herself at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. She loved it so much that she then join volunteer team at The 20-Year Race in September 2024 and is already excited to get back to the deserta gain. Sam has over 30 years experience as an Executive Assistant. She is a keen athlete and enjoys meeting people from across the world.

Sing Moon (Miranda) HUNG

Hong Kong

Mark MCINTOSH

Course Team / Physiotherapist

United Kingdom, Resident in New Zealand

Briton Mark McIntosh is a physiotherapist from Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom. He is particularly interested in musculoskeletal and neurological rehabilitation, and integrates this with his role as an adaptive sports instructor. Mark speaks conversational French and Spanish and previously joined the RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series volunteer team at the Gobi March (China) 2015, the Sahara Race (Nambia) 2016 and RacingThePlanet: New Zealand 2019. Mark is excited to rejoin the RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts team at the Atacama Crossing 2025.

Charlie LATHAM

Course Team / Writer

England

Charlie Latham from the UK is passionate about writing, running, and events. He has worked at 60-80 events as both a volunteer and in paid positions over the last decade. Most of these events were music festivals but he has also worked on Ironman events, a couple of marathons, sports events, dog shows, and other events. He has experience in almost every aspect of events and loves every part of putting on an event and making the best experience possible for everyone attending. He is also a qualified counsellor and has worked in a residential mental health house for six months with people who had been in hospital for multiyear periods and were unable to care for themselves. Before the pandemic he was on a mission to go around the world without flying, and after 2.5 years he had made it from London to Panama but unfortunately had to end the trip due to the pandemic. He has extensive travel experience and this has helped him to be adaptive to different experiences and he gets along with almost everyone. Charlie is a runner, but nothing as crazy as a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon and he looks forward to bringing smiles and positive energy throughout the seven-day race. The Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025 is Charlie's third time volunteering on the course team at a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon having been on the course team at the Gobi March 2023 and The 20-Year Race (Jordan) 2024.

Dante ARMEAGA

Lawyer / Teacher

Mexico

Dante Armeaga is a Mexican Lawyer who works for the Mexican Education Ministry in Toluca, one of the highest cities in Mexico. He was born and raised in Toluca, but has also spent time living in Singapore and London. His cousin ran the Gobi March and Dante was "blown away by what he told me" and wants to experience a race himself. He is just getting into running but has decided to volunteer at his first RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon at the Atacama Crossing 2025.

Sandra STRAUBE

Owner Manager of a market research company

Bolivia

ATACAMA CROSSING (CHILE) 250km / 155 mile, 6-Stage Ultramarathon

DAYS TO GO

Race Coverage

RACE Coverage

Natasha FANSHAWE

Self-employed

Sebastian LASSALLE

Triathlon Coach

Raymond ALDERDICE

Retired

Hannah LYONMEARS

Clinical Research Doctor

Carrie OWER

Retired

Antonio (Brito) TEIXEIRA

Engineer

Fiona BOLAND

Teacher

Arthur CHIN

Retiree

Monica ROSA

Emergency Room Nurse

Kathryn (Katie) SANDERS

Doctor

Wendy HARDING

Realtor

Zyrianova RADOSLAVA

Nutritionist

Monique JANSEN

Free Lance Marketing Consultant

Ekaterina THEISEN

Fitness Coach

Maria GARCIA

physiotherapy student

Michael THEISEN

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

Iryna ZHAYVORONOK SOFILKANICH

Lawyer

Susana (Susi) ALVAREZ

Teacher/Nutritionist

Timothy (Tim) NAYLOR

Employment-break (previously in financial communications)

Carly STEGGLES

Personal trainer and business owner

Youn Jee KANG

LATAM Human Rights Officer

Samantha JACKSON

Executive Assistant

Sing Moon (Miranda) HUNG

Mark MCINTOSH

Course Team / Physiotherapist

Charlie LATHAM

Course Team / Writer

Dante ARMEAGA

Lawyer / Teacher

Sandra STRAUBE

Owner Manager of a market research company

Natasha FANSHAWE

Self-employed

Sebastian LASSALLE

Triathlon Coach

Raymond ALDERDICE

Retired

Hannah LYONMEARS

Clinical Research Doctor

Carrie OWER

Retired

Antonio (Brito) TEIXEIRA

Engineer

Fiona BOLAND

Teacher

Arthur CHIN

Retiree

Monica ROSA

Emergency Room Nurse

Kathryn (Katie) SANDERS

Doctor

Wendy HARDING

Realtor

Zyrianova RADOSLAVA

ATACAMA CROSSING (CHILE)
250km / 155 mile, 6-Stage Ultramarathon