RacingThePlanet's 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series (the "4 Deserts") is a world-class series of 250-kilometer / 150-mile ultramarathons across the largest deserts on Earth as well as a completely new location each year. These locations include the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Namib Desert in Namibia, and Antarctica.

The RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon, an annual race that takes place in a new location each year, first took place in Vietnam in 2008, followed by Namibia in 2009, Australia in 2010, Nepal in 2011, Jordan in 2012, Iceland in 2013, Madagascar in 2014, Ecuador in 2015, Sri Lanka in 2016, Patagonia in 2017, New Zealand in 2019, Georgia in 2021 and Lapland in 2022. Mostly recently, RacingThePlanet celebrated its 20-year anniversary with a special race in Jordan.

We like to think of RacingThePlanet as its own category or genre. The races are ultramarathons but do not fit into the classic definition of an ultramarathon. Instead, we refer RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts as a series of self-supported endurance footraces which can be completed by running or walking.

Each RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race is a seven-day, six-stage, 250-kilometer ultramarathon. During the race,  competitors must carry their own personal gear, food and clothing in a backpack. The only assistance provided to competitors is water (plenty) for drinking and making food, tents to sleep in at night, and medical and management support.

Quite simply these are some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring landscapes on Earth combined with rich culture.  The 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, which take place in the largest deserts in the world, represent the driest, oldest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. The courses have also been set up to pass through some of the most beautiful, pristine and untouched lands on Earth.

The Atacama Crossing takes place in the Atacama Desert which is the largest cool coastal desert in the world and represents the driest non-polar desert of the 4 Deserts races. 

The Gobi Desert is the largest cold winter desert. A cold winter desert is created by the rain shadow effect in which a tall mountain range causes warm, moist air to rise and cool. As the air cools, water vapour condenses out and falls as rain or snow, leaving the air dry and creating a desert on the lee (upwind) side of the mountain.

The Namib Race takes place in the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert. The Namib Race replaces the Sahara Race, the original 4 Deserts race in Africa, which started in Egypt in 2005. It has since been moved to Namibia due to the instability and safety concerns in North Africa and the Middle East. 

The Last Desert takes place on the coldest and windiest continent, Antarctica.  Antarctica has the highest average elevation of all the continents.  Antarctica is considered a polar desert with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland.

You may participate in Namib Race (Namibia), Gobi March (Mongolia) and Atacama Crossing (Chile) at any time. There is no specific order in which you must do the races and you do not have to commit to all three; however, if you are interested in competing in The Last Desert (Antarctica), you must first qualify by successfully completing at least two of the other RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts races. 

There is no qualification required to take part in a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race but competitors must be healthy and maintain a certain level of fitness. All competitors are required to submit a medical form with information on fitness level, a form with emergency contact details and a stamped doctor's certificate two months before the race.

The typical competitor is a high achiever - someone who believes in maximizing every opportunity in life. Our competitors generally work full time, some have families, many perform community service and all lead healthy lifestyles. Our competitors consist of medical doctors, professors, investment bankers, small business owners, actors, entrepreneurs, journalists, top athletes and coaches, military professionals, managers, and stay-at-home moms and dads. We have many father/son, father/daughter, mother/son and brother/sister competitors. The races are international with approximately 40 countries represented in each event. Typically, 30% of competitors are women and 70% of competitors are men.

More than 10,000 individuals over 20 years have competed in a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race. Many competitors return multiple times. There are almost 350 members of the 4 Deserts Club. These members qualified for the club by completing all four of the 4 Deserts races. Additionally, we have between 60-80 volunteers, staff and medical team members working at every race.  In total, 800-1,000 participants take part in RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts races each year.

RacingThePlanet and 4 Deserts races consist of six stages taking place over seven days. Competitors typically arrive two days before the start of the race and are free to leave any time after the race concludes. Make sure not to miss the fun part - the Awards Banquet!

The race is set up to allow for generous cut-off times. Approximately 20% of competitors will run most of the course, 60% combine running with walking, and 20% will walk the entire course. A competitor that can complete 40 kilometers / 25 miles in 10-12 hours should be able to meet the cut-off times.

Our competitors are busy people - we don't expect them to train all the time, but a minimum amount of training and preparation is expected. Some competitors complete events with minimal training; others want to win and spend many hours training. Each competitor has his or her own goal. We simply want people to finish.

There are a number of resources available to help people prepare and train for RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts races; some of these are listed below:

- Expert articles prepared by doctors, health and sports professionals on a variety of topics related to training, preparation and medical care. All of the articles are available on the RacingThePlanet Store website and in a special Competitor Area of each event website.

- The expert article titled Preparing for an Event is a particularly useful to help get started.

- Competitor blogs are a great way to collect training tips to implement into a personal training plan. The blogs also provide a way for competitors to share questions and advice with one another.

- You may also hire a personal trainer or nutritionist.

How far in advance do I need to sign up?

RacingThePlanet and the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series are very popular - some races sell out more than one year in advance. We recommend that prospective competitors complete an online registration as early as possible and at least four months before the start of the race. Places are confirmed upon receipt of the deposit payment. Once the race is full, new applications will be added to the waiting list.

The entry fee for RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts races, excluding The Last Desert (Antarctica), includes almost everything from the arrival at the race hotel in the host city on Friday before the race start until departure on Sunday after the race conclusion. Specifically, this is:

- International staff and medical support throughout the race

- Bottled water for the duration of the race

- Campfire with hot water available for cooking / making warm drinks in the mornings and evenings for the duration of the race

- Tented accommodation during the race

- Transportation to Camp 1 and from the finish line to the race hotel

- Two nights of hotel accommodation (one night pre-event and one night post-event, double occupancy)

- Pre-race and post-race breakfasts and one pre-race lunch

- Awards Banquet ticket (including dinner, awards presentation and photo slideshow)

- Finisher's medal

- Official event t-shirt or jacket

Additional costs to consider are flights / transport to the race hotel and mandatory equipment.

A fully qualified team of medical doctors from United States or other parts of the world, many of whom have attended a number of RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts races over the years, works at each race.  Many of the doctors are emergency physicians with affiliations at wilderness medicine programs at Stanford University, the University of Utah and the University of Georgia, among others. During the race, there is a medical doctor at most checkpoints to offer assistance and care on the course. There is also a medical tent located at every campsite where competitors can seek medical assistance or advice. Note that this is a self-supported race, so each competitor must bring the mandatory medical items listed in the equipment list.

Competitors must carry ALL mandatory equipment items, including food and electrolytes, at all times during the race. Equipment lists with mandatory gear requirements can be found on the equipment page of each race website. The equipment list has also a section of optional and recommended gear items.

When full, most competitor backpacks range in weight from 7-15 kilograms / 15-33 pounds, with the average backpack weighing 9 kilograms / 20 pounds (without water). Note that the backpack weight will decrease each day as food is eaten and items are used along the course.

At the end of each stage, competitors, volunteers and staff gather in incredible campsites managed by a local camp team. The campsites are typically located in spectacular places with clear views of the night time skies. Competitors sleep in tents of up to ten people. There are also camp fires in the mornings and evenings to boil water and cook food.

We provide information on common flight routes and local contacts to help competitors make arrangements to get to the country of the race. We also provide information on staying additional nights at the hotel, airport transfers, domestic flights (if required) and other travel arrangements.

The race website will be updated daily during the race with real-time breaking news, stage updates, results, competitor blogs, features, and hundreds of photos and videos. Most recently we have added GPS tracking so your friends and family can see exactly where you are each day. These updates will keep family, friends and colleagues up-to-date with race results, weather conditions, stories from the course, and more. Supporters can also contact us if they wish to attend the finish line celebrations in person as we have a special “friends and family package” available at every race, even Antarctica.

RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts typically accepts 16-20 volunteers for each RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race. Those interested in volunteering should complete a volunteer application as early as possible - we accept volunteers on a rolling basis and receive many more applications than we can accept. The volunteer team works hard during the race, but the job is fun and very rewarding - many volunteers return year after year.

Each race highlights an indigenous culture in the region with the hope of preserving the culture for generations to come. Competitors will experience the cultures of the Mongols in Mongolia, Atacamenos Indians in Chile and African tribes in Namibia.

Many say that the best part of the race is meeting other competitors and making new friends from all over the world. Many competitors meet up after the race, stopping to have dinner when passing through another competitor's hometown or getting together regularly for social events. Others choose to register for additional races as teammates. Some competitors have even met their future spouses!

Absolutely - we encourage it. Giving back is one of the primary themes of the RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts mission. Many of our competitors have raised significant amounts of money for charities all over the world.

No. The Last Desert (Antarctica) is only open to those who have completed at least two of the other RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts races including the Gobi March (Mongolia), the Atacama Crossing (Chile), the Namib Race (Namibia) or any of the Roving Races. 

Life-enhancing for all, life-changing for many.