The Last Desert Ultramarathon Is Underway

It seems not everyone is having problems getting around Antarctica. Over the weekend Racing The Planet launched the 2010 edition of the Last Desert, which is an annual ultramarathon event that takes place way down south. This year's race features 56 competitors from 22 countries around the globe.

The race got underway on Saturday with the runners hitting the ice on King George Island, where South African Ryan Sandes ruled the day, which consisted of a 90km (55 mile) run in temperatures below freezing. Sunday's second stage was suspended due to bad weather, so the race has moved on to Deception Island today, where they continue to run in a snow storm. For updates on the event as they are posted, click here.

This is the fourth edition of the Last Desert Race, and as usual it caps another year of the 4 Deserts Series. Due to the challenging weather conditions, this is the most difficult of the four races, and in order to compete, the athletes have to have finished two of the other races in the series, which includes the Gobi March, Atacama Crossing, and the Sahara Race, in addition to the Last Desert. The seven day, six-stage even, which will cover more than 250km (155 miles) will come to an end on Saturday.

The 2008 Last Desert Ultra is Over!

The Last Desert Ultramarathon ended yesterday when inclement weather prevented the fifth stage from happening altogether. The Stage 5 Update, posted on the website has all the details, but basically it boils down to this. After bad storms prevented the ship from reaching Deception Island on Monday, the plan was to go to Half Moon Bay and go ashore for the final leg of the race yesterday. Unfortunately, high winds and choppy seas made that impossible as well, so race organizers from Racing The Planet elected to play it safe and call off the last stage completely. The ship is now steaming back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia.

With the race now officially over, the standings remain unchanged since the last post I made on the event. South African Paul Liebenberg has been declared the winner, with James Elson of the U.K. and Russian Evgeniy Gorkov taking second and third respectively. Dean Karnazes finished in fifth place overall, and was crowned the champion of the 4 Deserts races. Dean and Paul also managed to become the first two people to complete all four of the races in one calendar year, and Dean has now completed his "Desert Grandslam" which adds the Badwater to the mix. American Louise Cooper was the fasted woman of group, holding down the 8th spot overall.

According to the updates, this was certainly a race to test the endurance of these amazing athletes. Apparently along the trail they encountered snow that was twice as deep as expected, and blowing winds were a constant issue while out on the course. The racers were disappointed to not get one more run through the snowy landscape, but are also happy to be headed home after the challenging race.

Congrats to everyone who participated in the Last Desert. Looks like it's an amazing event.

The Last Desert 2008 Ultramarathon Begins Today!

The Last Desert, the fourth and final ultramarathon of the Four Deserts events from Racing The Planet, gets underway today as competitors will depart from Ushuaia, Argentina this afternoon for a two day sea voyage to the Antarctic, where they will run a series of races over the course of six days.

The first stage of The Last Desert is scheduled to take place on Thursday on Aitcho and/or Deception Island, depending on weather conditions. From there, the competitors will sail to either Cuverville, Danco, or Orne Islands for the second stage, on Friday. The fluid nature of the locations is due to the very unpredictable weather conditions in the region, which keeps the racers guessing as to where they'll be next. The remaining three stages in the Antarctic have similar descriptions, and there could be a sixth stage to be held in Ushuaia as well.

There are a total of 27 competitors in this year's race, which is an invite only affair. To qualify, you must have successfully completed at least two of the other 4 Deserts races, which include the Gobi March, Atacama Crossing, and the Sahara Race.

One of the competitors in this year's Last Desert is none other than Dean Karnazes, who is hoping to become the first person to complete all four of the 4 Deserts and the Badwater Ultra in the same year. This is the last of those races, and Dean has done quite well for himself thus far, finishing 4th at the Badwater, 2nd at both the Gobi and Sahara races, and taking first place in the Atacama Crossing.

Good luck to all the competitors. Race safely and keep those toes warm!

Karnazes Goes For "Desert Grand Slam"

A few days ago I mentioned that Dean Karnazes had won the 2008 Atacama Crossing and that he intended to become the first man to complete all of the 4 Deserts Marathons in a single calendar year. Well, according to this story over at Trailspace.com , Dean has added yet one more desert to his list, as he attempts the "Desert Grand Slam".

In addition to the Atacama, which he has just finished, he'll head to China for the Gobi March in June, The Sahara in October, and wrap things up with The Last Desert Marathon in Antarctica in November. That will complete the "4 Deserts". But in July he'll turn his sights on The Badwater Ultra held annually in Death Valley.

Karnaze's corporate sponsor North Face has put together an official Desert Grand Slam website to provide more info, including a link to Dean's blog on the events.

The "Desert Grand Slam" seems a bit contrived to me, but then again, the 4 Deserts and The Badwater are five really tough races, and anyone who competes at a high level in any of those events is a talented runner, let alone all five of them in one year. With a win in the Atacama already under his belt, Dean is off to a good start. One thing that is clear though, he sure doesn't mind suffering a bit in the races he chooses.

Last Desert Ultramarathon Update

The Last Desert ultramarathon, which got underway last week, continues today with the sixth and final stage yet to be run. The event is part of the Racing The Planet series of endurance events, and is held in Antarctica. This year, there are 15 competitors, each of whom have successfully completed the other three events in the "4 Deserts" series.

The results page doesn't contain a lot of information at the moment, so I can only guess that they have had issues updating the official times. As of now, all 15 competitors are still active, although it sounds like they have faced some brutally cold conditions during the various stages of the race.

The most recent update in the Breaking News section indicates that Stage 5 was completed yesterday, with this leg being shortened due to a massive ice shelf blocking part of the course. Racers ran in "frigid and full blizzard" conditions, with American Joe Holland taking first place, with Italian Francesco Galanzino coming in second, and Korean Byeung Sik Ahn taking third place. It is also noted that Galanzino has claimed the overall 4 Deserts crown as well, having placed high in each of the events this year.

I'm not sure which would be worse, running an ultra in the cold of Antarctica, or facing the heat of the Sahara. Then again, the other two legs of the series, the Gobi March and the Atacama Crossing wouldn't be a walk in the park either. Something tells me that I would run the fastes in Antarctica though, as I'd want to get back to the warm ship as soon as possible. All for of these races are crazy events. Can't wait for next year's versions! :)

Last Desert Ultramarathon Is Over!

The Last Desert Ultramarathon that I posted about last week is finally done, following a few weather delays, which is to be expected considering the race is run at the South Pole. The stage race kicked off this years Four Deserts series of Ultras in an impressive fashion, with stages as long as 100 miles in the cold polar conditions.

First place goes to Scott Smith of the USA, Second to Chuck Walker, also of the USA, and coming in third was Kevin Lin of Taiwan. For more information about the race, check out the Last Desert page over at the Racing The Planet webpage.

Last Desert Ultramarathon Begins Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, Jan. 24, 2006 marks the start of the Last Desert Ultramarathon, which takes place in Antarctica and is part of the Four Deserts series of Ultras held around the Globe each year. The 250 km course is still being finalized, probably due to shifting weather at the South Pole, but this Ultra is a stage race that will take place over several days and will push the competitors to their limit. There are only 15 competitors in what is sure to be a grueling event, even if it is "Summer" in Antarctica this time of year.

You can follow the whole event, as it unfolds over the next few days over at Racing The Planet's website. Live updates will be made available when ever possible.

For the record, the other events in the Four Deserts, which will take place later in the year, include: The Gobi March (May 28th), The Atacama Crossing (June 23rd), and The Sahara Race (Oct. 29th). Each of these, obviously takes place in a grueling, desert environment.

While you're over at the Racing The Planet website, be sure to check out this article, which looks at balancing life and ultramarathons and the lessons that can be learned from applying ultra training to your career. Interesting read, and some nice insights into what it takes to run the Four Deserts.