RacingThePlanet | 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series

Race CALENDAR

The 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series is widely recognised as the most PRESTIGIOUS FOOTRACE series in the world

The series consists of the Namib Race (Namibia), Gobi March (Mongolia), Atacama Crossing (Chile) and The Last Desert (Antarctica). Competitors in the races traverse 250 kilometers in seven days over rough country terrain with only a place in a tent and water provided. They are supported by highly qualified staff, all with experience in hiking, marathons and ultramarathons, and medical teams specialising in wilderness medicine.

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Headlines

05 Apr 25 The Atacama Crossing 2025 has Concluded
HUGE congratulations to Anton Zyrianov and Elise Lagerstrom (USA) for their remarkable victory in this grueling 250 km (155 mi) footrace across the Atacama Desert. Kudos to the winning teams as well! Team Taiwan+ (Kevin Lin and Chang Wei Huang) triumphed in the Official Team Division, while The Guanacos (Ester Alves, Manuel Nunes, and Filipe Santos) claimed victory in the Group Team Division.
10 Mar 25 The Gobi March is Just 100 Days Away
See who's competing in the 19th Edition of the famed Gobi March.
26 Feb 25 The Atacama Crossing is the Grand Finale of the 4 Deserts Grand Slam / Plus 2024-25
Twelve remarkable individuals are set to achieve the 4 Deserts Grand Slam / Plus when they complete the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025. Find out more about who they are and what a huge achievement this will be.
17 Feb 25 Gobi March - Four Months Away
The 19th Edition of the Gobi March is nearing the 120 day mark, with just four months until the start. See all the details.
29 Jan 25 Marathon will be the Host Town for RacingThePlanet: Greece!
We are excited to announce that Marathon will be the Host Town for RacingThePlanet: Greece. Marathon is a town in Greece and the site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides, a Greek herald at the battle, was sent running from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, which is how the marathon running race was conceived in modern times.
21 Jan 25 Zoom Recording: Tips and Advice from RacingThePlanet Alumni
This Zoom Information Session featured three guest speakers who have completed RacingThePlanet Ultramarathons. They shared their experience and in particular:

* What inspired them to take part in their first race
* What they wish they had known before their first race
* Gear and nutrition tips
* Top 3 tips they would give to someone preparing for a race
* Most valuable lesson learned at a race
* Which race is their favourite and why - of the ones they have completed
19 Jan 25 Next Race: Atacama Crossing Begins on 30 March
Sign up for Breaking News to get the latest updates from the Atacama Desert.
09 Jan 25 The Great Race to Air on NHK on Saturday, 11 January at 10pm
Watch this five-minute trailer of scenes from the Gobi March. "The Great Race" will air on NHK Television on Saturday, 11 January at 10pm. This will only be available in Japan.
04 Jan 25 National Geographic: Why Mongolia should be your next wellness escape
Barren yet beautiful, the moonscapes of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert are an alluring world of steppes, boreal forest, sand and rock. Here, visitors can bookend their days with yoga and Buddhist teachings, camp under brilliant night skies and ride with some of the last nomadic people on Earth.
01 Jan 25 The Auckland doctor who ran an ultra marathon in every continent in a single year
Congratulations, Inia Raumati.

Photos

Experience a race through these
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First-hand from the field

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Sneaky Farewell Gift

Howzit fellow followers Only 7 days to go! Can you feel it? Writing to you from S...

Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025

One week to race start

One week until the start of Racing the Planet Atacama. For those not fa...

Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025

Thank you for your encouragement! From Jacqueline Furniss, careening toward the Atacama Desert start line in a few days

It has been 15y since I ran a race, and despite a lot of training and preparation over the past...

Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025

Personal Trainers and Nutritionists

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Tania Carmona

My coaching approach is designed for runners of all levels who want to build strength, improve endurance, and run efficiently. I place a strong emphasis on strength training, ensuring that my athletes develop the resilience needed to prevent injuries and enhance performance.

Hannah Walsh (Women Only)

Hannah helps (extra)ordinary women train for their dream ultramarathon. Breaking 250 is her flagship female-only training programme and community. It is a unique blend of one-to-one coaching and peer-supported mentoring to the start line of your biggest adventure yet. Hannah's inaugural Breaking 250 cohort trained for Lapland 2022, then Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2023 and now Greece 2025.

John Bezou

John founded Hypoxia Performance after a 20-year military career where he served as Master Resilience Trainer and Director of Human Performance. John is a certified level 1 coach with USA Track and Field. John completed the 4 Deserts Grand Slam in 2022.

Kristina Huffman

Kristina is a UESCA Certified Ultra Running coach and UESCA Certified Running coach as well as RRCA Level I Certified Running coach.

Richard Behringer (Advice to Get Started)

Richard, from the United States, is a 4 Deserts Club member who provides detailed advice to the RacingThePlanet community on a voluntary basis acquired from his experiences competing in the four different RacingThePlanet races to get you to the finish line.

Hannah Alexander (Nutritionist)

Hannah Alexander is a qualified nutritionist (Bachelor’s of Applied Science – Human Nutrition) with experience in endurance nutrition. She has recently worked with professional ultrarunner Scotty Hawker on his nutrition and hydration plan for his first place finish at Atacama Crossing 2023, as well as another athlete who placed 2nd in another multi-day stage race.

Zandy Mangold

Zandy grew up amongst the roots and rocks of rural New Hampshire, but has lived in Brooklyn, NY since 2001. After graduating from Connecticut College where he earned Academic All-American honors in cross-country, he embarked on a career as a photojournalist, and it was actually a photography assignment for RacingThePlanet that introduced him to ultrarunning. Zandy was Overall Champion at the Atacama Crossing 2017.

Roberto Rivola

Roberto grew up in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, spent his professional life in the various language regions of Switzerland and settled in the Engadine area in 2013. He has participated in numerous events and knows the trails of the Swiss alps well. Roberto has completed the Sahara Race 2018, and was 1st in his age group at Atacama Crossing 2023.

Jeff Ross

Jeff originates from Scotland, UK, and has been living in Malaysia since 2011. Jeff is a Certified Fitness Instructor and a Certified Revolution Running Coach.

Scotty Hawker

Scotty Hawker is a professional trail and ultramarathon runner based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Scotty won first place at the Atacama Crossing 2023. Scotty has been training, racing and travelling around the world since 2014 throughout Europe, Asia and South America. He's finished in 3rd place at the UTMB, and 2nd place in the CCC, two of the most competitive ultramarathons in the world.

Jeremy Inabnit

Jeremy is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports & Medicine (NASM) and a Certified Ultrarunning Coach with United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA). Jeremy was first in his age group at the Atacama Crossing 2023.