Invitations have been issued to nineteen qualifiers for The Last Desert^TM in Antarctica, the penultimate leg of the 4 Deserts ^TM journey

(5 December 2006, Hong Kong) – RacingThePlanet, organizer of the prestigious 4 Deserts series, is pleased to announce this year's qualifiers for a place in The Last Desert, a 250-kilometer footrace across the "Final Frontier" in the coldest and windiest place on Earth - Antarctica.

Nineteen individuals have qualified for The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2007. These individuals include:  Byeung Sik Ahn, 33, Korea; Alexander B. Bellingham, 37, United Kingdom; Kyung Il Cho, 55, Korea; Peter R. Clarke, 56, United Kingdom; William C. Coffey, 41, Ireland; Benjamin W. Ferguson, 31, United States; St. John A. Flaherty, 60, United Kingdom; Francesco Galanzino, 45, Italy; Joseph J. Holland, 41, United States; Yoshiaki Ishihara, 61, Japan; Kazuo Isomura, 67, Japan; Gary Johnson, 37, United Kingdom; Julia Leder, 28, United States; Moo Woong Lee, 63, Korea; Christopher J. Lewis, 52, United Kingdom; Sandra K. McCallum, 44, Canada; Jacob C. Nielsen, 36, Denmark; Satoru Otsuka, 66, Japan; and Ji Sung Yoo, 35, Korea.   

In all, eight countries are represented in this year's qualifying field which also includes highly-ranked competitors Francesco Galanzino of Italy and Byeung Sik Ahn of Korea. Both individuals have top three placements in other 4 Deserts events and are expected to compete for the title of 4 Deserts champion. The reigning 4 Deserts champion is Kevin Lin of Taiwan, who although placing third in The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2006, still had enough top finishes in the other 4 Deserts events to secure the title. The qualifying field also includes Satoru Otsuka of Japan, the only man in the world to qualify twice for The Last Desert (Antarctica).  

In order to qualify for a place in The Last Desert, competitors must have completed the Gobi March, a 250-kilometer footrace across the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Crossing, a 250-kilometer footrace across the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Sahara Race, a 250-kilometer footrace across the Sahara Desert in Egypt. Competitors had to be self-supported throughout the events with only a ration of water and a place in a tent provided each day.

During the events, competitors faced sandstorms, salt flats, massive sand dunes, undulating grasslands, high altitude mountain crossings, cold rivers and streams and temperature extremes ranging from freezing to more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon completion of The Last Desert (Antarctica), competitors will have traversed the harshest terrain in the world and endured the hottest, coldest, windiest and driest places on Earth.

The 4 Deserts also takes competitors to some of the most beautiful and culturally interesting places in the world. Throughout the events, competitors have interacted with nomadic Mongolians, Uygurs and Kazaks in China, Atacamenos Indians in Chile and Bedouins in Egypt - ancient cultures with long histories of survival in their native deserts.

The Last Desert will take place from January 23 - February 1, 2007. The competitors will depart from Punta Arenas in Chile for a short flight to King George Island, Antarctica where they begin the final stage of the journey. The stages, totaling 250 kilometers, will take place in a secret location around the Antarctic Peninsula .

The terrain is expected to consist of snow, ice, rocks and mud. Temperatures should average around 11 degrees Fahrenheit but may drop to as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit, and winds are expected to be strong with an average of 20 miles per hour likely.

The group will be supported by an experienced Chilean team with 20 years' experience in Antarctica as well as the RacingThePlanet organization. 

International media will be following the event and RacingThePlanet plans to provide live website coverage from Antarctica with hourly breaking news, pictures and video clips. Past television coverage of the 4 Deserts has included: National Geographic, BBC, NBC Sports, CCTV (China), MBC (Korea ), KBS (Korea), CNN and RTE One (Ireland) to name a few.

About RacingThePlanet®

RacingThePlanet Limited is an international outdoor lifestyle brand and global leader in organizing some of the world's most prestigious outdoor events including the 4 Deserts, a series of 7-day footraces across the world's largest and most forbidding deserts. These events include the Gobi March in China, the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Sahara Race in Egypt and The Last Desert in Antarctica. These locations represent the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. The 4 Deserts attracts individuals from all backgrounds and from all walks of life, the majority being professionals including bankers, lawyers, airline pilots and medical doctors. The 4 Deserts is one of the world’s most prestigious outdoor events. With several ancillary business units including an online merchandise shop, a television and film production unit and an online portal, RacingThePlanet Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong. For further information about RacingThePlanet, please visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.

For further information about The Last Desert in Antarctica please contact Catherine A. Cole at ccole@racingtheplanet.com or visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.