A record number of competitors is expected for the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2006, a seven-day, 250-kilometer footrace across the driest place on Earth, the second event in the prestigious 4 Deserts series in 2006.

(July 18, 2006) - A record number of competitors, including individuals and teams, from 20 countries have registered for the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2006, the second event of the year in the 4 Deserts series.  The field of competitors, normally limited to 100, has been expanded to 135 to accommodate the record number of applications.

This year’s event will take place in remote areas surrounding the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama located in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest place in the world, a place that is 50 times more arid than Death Valley in the United States.  Starting at an elevation of 14,000 feet (4300 meters), the event will include a crossing of Salar de Atacama (salt flats), rated as one of the most difficult stages of any endurance event in the world; a section of slot canyons that will take competitors through narrow canyon walls in glacier-fed streams; an area of waterfall-like sand dunes; and magnificent gorges in the Valley of the Moon and Valley of Death.  The finish will be in the historic Town Square of San Pedro de Atacama, the archeological capital of Chile, on Saturday, 29 July 2006.

This year’s field includes the Gobi March (China) 2006 winner, Byeung Sik Ahn of JeJu Island, Korea; a seven-person team raising money for Save the Rhino International who will compete in a full rhino suit; blind competitor Yong Sul Lee of Korea; and Seven Summits record holder Annabelle Bond of the United Kingdom. There are several family members participating including a husband and wife, Drs. Gordon A. and Louise A. Irving along with their son, Richard; two sisters Annabelle Bond of the United Kingdom and Lucy Marriott of Hong Kong; husband and wife, Yasue and Masashi Fujisaki of Japan; husband and wife, Joanna J. and Philip C.E. Brain of the United Kingdom; and a team of three brothers from Chile, Christian A. Contreras, Javier E. Contreras and Rodrigo A. Contreras. The youngest competitor is 19-year-old Richard Irving from Washington in the United States and the oldest is 67-year-old Kazuo Isomura of Japan.

A select few are expected to qualify for The Last Desert in Antarctica upon completing the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2006. These individuals will have completed the Gobi March in China, the Sahara Race in Egypt and the Atacama Crossing in Chile. To date, fifteen individuals in the world have completed the 4 Deserts series. The Last Desert 2006 in Antarctica was the first ultramarathon to be successfully staged in Antarctica.

Many competitors in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) will be raising money for charities. Some of these charities include: Alternatives for Girls (USA), Andrew and Grace Home (Singapore), Army Benevolent Fund (UK), Cancer Children Foundation (Singapore), Cancer Research (UK), Child Welfare Scheme, Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (UK), Cynthia Spencer Cancer Hospice (UK), Harbor House, Phab (Physically disabled, able bodied), Save the Children (UK), Save the Rhino International and The Stroke Association. In addition, RacingThePlanet Limited has donated a defibrillator to the Town of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Fortune Magazine and Bloomberg Television are the official media partners of the Atacama Crossing (Chile), and will also be the media partners for the entire 4 Deserts series. KBS, Korea’s top television channel, will be filming for a one-hour prime time special. A daily journal of the event will be posted on the Financial Times’ website at www.ft.com. La Tercera, one of Chile’s leading newspapers will have a reporter at the event, and several of Chile’s leading television channels will be filing reports from the field.

The Coca-Cola Company will provide 26,000 bottles of Vital water which will be consumed by both competitors and staff during the seven day period. ECCO will be testing trail running shoes in the Atacama Crossing, and Johns Hopkins Medical Institute will be again conducting medical research at the Atacama Crossing (Chile).

The Medical Team will be directed by Brian J. Krabak, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins Institute in the United States. Other members of the Medical Team include Brandee L. Waite, M.D. of the University of California at Davis, Jeffrey S. Peterson, M.D. of Stanford University, Carla Pierce, R.N. of Boulder, Colorado and Grant S. Lipman, M.D. of Stanford University.

The London Business School will be conducting a management study at the Atacama Crossing. The London Business School, a graduate school of the University of London, is typically ranked as one of the top five best business schools in the world by the Financial Times and other leading business publications.

Live website coverage of the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2006 will be broadcast from RacingThePlanet's website at www.racingtheplanet.com. The website will feature hundreds of pictures, breaking news texts, daily journals, video clips and field updates. Full results will also be posted at www.atacamacrossing.com.

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 DesertsTM, a series of 7-day footraces across the world's largest and most forbidding deserts. These events include the Gobi MarchTM in China, the Atacama CrossingTM in Chile, the Sahara RaceTM in Egypt and The Last DesertTM in Antarctica. These locations represent the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. The 4 Deserts™ attract 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 and has representative offices in the United States, China, Egypt, Korea, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Japan and Chile. For further information about RacingThePlanet, please visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.

For further information about Atacama Crossing in Chile please contact Catherine A. Cole at ccole@racingtheplanet.com or visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.