GOBI MARCH (MONGOLIA)
250 KM / 155-MILE, 6-STAGE ULTRAMARATHON

21-27 June 2026

214

DAYS TO GO

Race Coverage

RACE Coverage

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Mary GADAMS

Event Director

United States, Resident in Hong Kong

Carlos GARCIA PRIETO

Course Director

Spain

Jo SCOTT

Volunteer Manager

United Kingdom

Art MCNEILL

Camp Manager

United States

Dalaikhishig TSOGTSAIKHAN

Local Manager

Mongolia

Carly STEGGLES

Event Manager

United Kingdom, Resident in Australia

Mary GADAMS

Event Director

United States, Resident in Hong Kong

Mary Gadams will be the race director for the 20th Edition of the Gobi March in Mongolia. Mary founded RacingThePlanet in 2002. Prior to founding RacingThePlanet, Mary worked in investment banking and strategy, including as a global strategist in the Chairman's Office of the Samsung Group in Seoul, Korea, working on special projects including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital and global strategy. Prior to that time, she also spent eight years with a large investment bank in the United States.

Mary has lived in six countries and been involved in a significant number of sporting events. She was team captain of three Eco-Challenge teams, with a best finish of sixth in the ESPN X Games, and has completed dozens of marathons and ultramarathons, including the Boston Marathon (three times) and the Marathon des Sables multiple times with a personal best in the women's division of 26:30. Mary's ultramarathon experience spans the Western States Endurance Run (100 miles), the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race, the London to Brighton Race (55 miles), the Hong Kong Oxfam Trailwalker (100km), the Texas Trail Run (50 miles), the JFK 50-Miler, the Atacama Crossing and the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset. She has also made it to the summits of Sgurr Alasdair in Scotland, Mt. Toubkal in Morocco, Mt. Kinabalu in Malaysia, Japan's Mt. Fuji (twice), Mt. Fansipan in Vietnam and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Mary earned an undergraduate degree in the US and a master's degree in the United Kingdom. She also studied Chinese in Shanghai, China, French in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, Spanish in Seville, Spain, and Korean in Seoul, Korea.

Carlos GARCIA PRIETO

Course Director

Spain

Carlos Garcia will be the Course Director for the Gobi March 2026, our 20th Edition. Spaniard Carlos Garcia Prieto has worked as the Course Director at more than twenty RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathons and more than a dozen different ultra-distance events in total. A qualified architect, Carlos established his own design company after graduating from the Higher Technical School of Architecture at University of Madrid in 1990 with a degree in architecture and has since gained more than 15 years' experience in designing commercial spaces and public architecture.

Carlos' skill and knowledge of course design is an obvious by-product of his experience as both a designer and competitor. He completed his first RacingThePlanet race in 2007 and soon after decided to tackle the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series. He is a 4 Deserts Club member, having successfully completed the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2007, the Gobi March (China) 2007, the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008 and The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2008. He has also completed the Marathon des Sables, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Grand Raid Reunion, RacingThePlanet: Vietnam 2008 and a number of other ultramarathons. A lover of the outdoors and pursuer of sporting challenges, multilingual Carlos has now worked as the Course Director for the Sahara Race (Egypt) in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014, The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2012, the Antarctica Ultramarathon 2024, RacingThePlanet: Australia 2010, Jordan 2012, Iceland 2013, Ecuador 2015, Sri Lanka 2016, Gobi March (Mongolia) 2018, 2023, 2024 and 2025, Georgia 2021 and Lapland 2022. He has also set a number of 100-kilometer courses in the Sahara, Namib and Kalahari Deserts.

Carlos is an active member of the ultramarathon community. He regularly talks on ultrarunning and is a contributing editor for leading sports publications in Spain and Italy. What does this RacingThePlanet enthusiast say he loves most about the races? "In RacingThePlanet races you are never alone. You can run alone, but you will always find someone that will give you a hand."

Jo SCOTT

Volunteer Manager

United Kingdom

We are excited to welcome Jo back for her seventh RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon. Based in the north of England, Jo is well-practised at supporting runners in ultramarathons - usually in weather that’s colder, wetter, and much muddier than the deserts. A full-time artist and illustrator, she previously worked with software providers for the arts and sporting industries, managing clients ranging from Tate Galleries to the Silverstone Race Circuit. Jo has also competed in triathlons and running events, is a keen long-distance hiker, and when not out on the trails can often be found with a sketchbook in hand. She is also the creative mind behind the special poster presented to finishers of the 4 Deserts Grand Slam (Plus)

Art MCNEILL

Camp Manager

United States

Art McNeill brings great leadership and practical skills to the volunteer team. He is a dedicated paramedic and fire fighter in the City of Chicago Fire Department and has more than ten years of experience working in fire departments, hospital emergency departments, emergency air transportation vehicles, and industrial and offshore oil rigs as well as spending some time working in Shanghai. He dedicates much of his professional time to leading continuing education courses and mentoring others in his field. Art joins the Gobi March 2026 Management team for the first time and help five time at a RacingThePlanet event having previously been a volunteer at the Gobi March (China) 2014, the Atacama Crossing 2016 and 2022, the Namib Race 2019 and The 20-Year Race (Jordan) 2024. Art describes him as "a guy who likes wide open places and watching the crazies who run there".

Dalaikhishig TSOGTSAIKHAN

Local Manager

Mongolia

Dalai Tsogtsaikhan of Mongolia will be the Local Manager for the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2026, having previously served as Local Manager at the Gobi March 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Carly STEGGLES

Event Manager

United Kingdom, Resident in Australia

Carly began her career as an Insolvency Accountant at KPMG in London, however after a life changing 18-month overland journey emigrating from the UK to Sydney, she (thankfully!) realised that finance wasn’t her calling. Swapping balance sheets for burpees, Carly founded OzSquad and Buggy Bootcamp in 2012, building two thriving outdoor fitness communities that continue to bring together runners, new mums, weekend warriors, and exercise enthusiasts alike across Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

With over two decades of personal running experience, from fun runs and marathons to obstacle races and ultra-trail events, Carly has also coached countless other runners toward their personal goals, especially at the iconic Ultra Trail Australia festival in the Blue Mountains. While a knee injury has recently shifted her focus away from racing herself, she now stays closely connected to the running community through working at endurance events: she manages race logistics, checkpoints, and teams of volunteers, as well as getting out on course tail-walking, marshalling and bringing the race vibes when she can! Her early career in insolvency sharpened her skills in crisis management, logistics, and operations - strengths she now applies to the fast-paced world of endurance events.

In 2025, Carly supported the Atacama Crossing (Chile) as a volunteer, shortly followed by the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2025, where she worked as Operations Coordinator, relief Volunteer Manager, and Checkpoint Captain. Carly joins the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2026 as Event Manager and cannot wait to get back out to the Mongolian grasslands with her cowbells!

GOBI MARCH (MONGOLIA)
250 KM / 155-MILE, 6-STAGE ULTRAMARATHON

DAYS TO GO

Race Coverage

RACE Coverage

Mary GADAMS

Event Director

Carlos GARCIA PRIETO

Course Director

Jo SCOTT

Volunteer Manager

Art MCNEILL

Camp Manager

Dalaikhishig TSOGTSAIKHAN

Local Manager

Carly STEGGLES

Event Manager

Mary GADAMS

Event Director

Carlos GARCIA PRIETO

Course Director

Jo SCOTT

Volunteer Manager

Art MCNEILL

Camp Manager

Dalaikhishig TSOGTSAIKHAN

Local Manager

Carly STEGGLES

Event Manager

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GOBI MARCH (MONGOLIA) 250 KM / 155-MILE, 6-STAGE ULTRAMARATHON

DAYS TO GO

Race Coverage

RACE Coverage

Mary GADAMS

Event Director

Carlos GARCIA PRIETO

Course Director

Jo SCOTT

Volunteer Manager

Art MCNEILL

Camp Manager

Dalaikhishig TSOGTSAIKHAN

Local Manager

Carly STEGGLES

Event Manager

Mary GADAMS

Event Director

Carlos GARCIA PRIETO

Course Director

Jo SCOTT

Volunteer Manager

Art MCNEILL

Camp Manager

Dalaikhishig TSOGTSAIKHAN

Local Manager

Carly STEGGLES

Event Manager

GOBI MARCH (MONGOLIA)
250 KM / 155-MILE, 6-STAGE ULTRAMARATHON