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An Incredible 15 People Take on the 4 Deserts Grand Slam / Plus at the Gobi March 2024

At the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 we have an incredible 15 people taking on the 4 Deserts Grand Slam or 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus – this means completing all 4 or 5 races within 12 months. And there are three people who are set to complete the Grand Slam for a second time! The Gobi March is their second race in this challenge, having completed the Namib Race in May.

For most people, completing one 250 km / 155 mile ultramarathon is a huge achievement. More than half the people who complete a second or third race and many complete more than ten, but not normally in the one year.

To put this into perspective, to date, more than 10,000 people have completed a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon. Less than 400 have completed all 4 Deserts to join the 4 Deserts Club (which can be done over any timeframe), but:

  • 89 people have completed the 4 Deserts Grand Slam to date.
  • 18 people have completed the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus to date.

The line up for 2024 Grand Slam / Plus includes:

  • One third are women.
  • The youngest is under 20.
  • The oldest is 70 years young.
  • 12 different nationalities (!) among just 15 challengers.

The line up for the 2024 Grand Slam / Plus is:


WHEN ASKED WHY THEY WOULD WANT RACE 1,250 KMS IN TWELVE MONTHS

For Tania from Mexico, it is simple: "I love the idea of going around the world discovering and exploring these extreme terrains in the most humble and natural way (by foot!) while challenging and working on my own limits."

Christian from Argentina is set to complete the Grand Slam for the second time, more than 10 years after completing it in 2012. He met two other racers who were also completing this feat and said: "The principal reason that made me try to complete the Grand Slam again is the opportunity to see my very close friends Vicente and Jeison, to share the time together, and to have more special moments doing what we like to do, in wonderful places that takes from us the best we have as persons in a different time of our lives. We all think that we are blessed to have the opportunity to do this a second time and is also a very good reason to give to our children an excellent legacy of what you can do with effort and when you do things from the bottom of your heart."

Yasmin from Austria / Portugal only decided in April: "Competing in a RacingThePlanet race had been one of my big dreams for about 7 years before finally signing up for the Namib Race. I was a little worried to get disappointed because I had quite some expectations, but the Namib race was so much BETTER than I had ever imagined it could be. I loved the race, the vibe, the people, everything. And since the race I've been feeling physically and mentally stronger than ever. I love challenges and right now, I feel like I can take on anything, so why not the Grand Slam?"

Sal from Australia: "When I realised no Australian male or female had done the 5 deserts I wanted to be the first!!"

Lisa from the UK / Oman needed something to motivate her: "I had been feeling somewhat demotivated for around 6 months. When this happens I usually decide to try something crazy to get my mojo back…after a bit of research, RacingThePlant Grand Slam seemed to fit the bill; just the ridiculous (for me) kind of challenge I needed to pull me out of my funk and get my body and brain refocused!"

Inia from New Zealand: “10 year anniversary and to see if I’m still fit enough! Also part of my 8 on 8 challenge and raising money and awareness for our charity, Kia Mau, Kia Ora. Don’t know what I’m gonna do when I turn 60!"

(Note – Inia completed the 4 Deserts Grand Slam in 2014.)

WHEN ASKED HOW THEY ARE FEELING GOING INTO RACE 2 OF THE 4 DESERTS GRAND SLAM

As they go into their second race in the challenge:

  • Vicente won the Namib Race.
  • Maigua came 3rd for the women in the Namib Race.
  • Yasmin came 2nd for the women in the Namib Race.

Christian simply says: "I’m feeling great!! I’m feeling so happy to be here and waiting what the universe has for us in this time!!!"

Yasmin: "I'm super excited to go to Mongolia - a country that has been in my top 3 of destinations for years - and ready for this new challenge!"

While Sal is a bit more cautious: "I am excited and a little less anxious going into this race. I learnt so much after Namibia. It is nice to see familiar faces. I don’t want to go into race 2 feeling confident just because I have finished one. I’m sure there will be different challenges that we will face but I am really looking forward to pushing myself!!"

Tania: "I am recovered from the last one, I am excited, happy, and feeling blessed, as always, to have the opportunity to be able to do this epic adventure."

Lisa: "I am trying to retain the intense buzz I got from completing Namibia, whilst not underestimating the course in this second race. Food and race kit preparation has, of course, been a little easier as I gained a lot of insight from the first race…however, every race is different! I am a bit worried about the climbs and that I will be cold all the time (I think I was the only person who didn’t mind the intense heat too much in Namibia!); so I am going to follow my usual plan: head down and keep marching until they tell me I can stop! :-)"

WHEN DID YOU START PLANNING FOR THE 4 DESERTS GRAND SLAM

Lisa had a well laid plan: "I made the decision to sign up around November 2023, if I recall, and started training in December, giving myself just enough time to complete the RTP beginners training programme before race day!! Doh! Nothing like skating close to the edge in terms of race readiness, eh?!"

Inia has been planning it for years: "I have been planning it for years - the race on every continent challenge. Finally got the push from my fiancé Vicki who has been a huge motivation and support." The 4 Deserts Grand Slam makes up 4 of the eight continents that Inia will be running on this year!

For Yasmin it is was the result of what happens when you have many hours running in the desert: "I started thinking about it during the Namib race, because I just wanted the race to last forever and keep running, running, running. So when I got back home, I took a week to see if I'd recover well and then I signed up."

Sal was a bit more hurried: "I had planned on the Gobi March being the first race but didn’t actually understand it all. Mary said, 'Sal if you wanted to do the Grand Slam plus you have to do Namibia and it is in 3 weeks’ time..' so it all happened quickly!!"

For Christian, it started as a small and crazy idea: "We decided to do this in a talk that we had last year and it started as a small and crazy idea. Now we are here, trying to start the second desert on the other side of the world, making a pause in our lives of families, jobs, and responsibilities that we have."

As you follow the Gobi March, look out for these people whose goal is much bigger than just completing 250km across Mongolia this week.