Thanks a lot to the people from the 4 Desserts Race Series for a great event. It was really impressive how smooth everything went. And thanks a lot to medical team and all volunteers. Great job.

The frame and environment in Gobi, where a frame which I like to race in!!!

Also thanks a lot to Riitta, Sam, Matt and Alina for a lot of great Tuesday training. You are stars!!! (Alina miss you in HK).

I have been lucky to have a lot of competent people whom have helped me to prepare for Gobi:

• Thanks a lot to my coach Anna, whom have helped me with everything from target setting, to final race preparation, it has been very close cooperation, with all the planning.
• Thanks to Camille for kick starting my training and diet. I am really impressed of all the help I got from you, and how fast that you could spot, what I needed to focus on. And thanks for your continues help and support even after you moved to Australia.
• Thanks to Ross, for a lot of good advice in addition to all the great and focused training. I have used all your advice during the week.
• Thanks to Freeman for great running technique training. I love your humoristic way to teach.
• Thank to Ian, for a lot of strength training, and for your flexibility, when you have picked me up at 5:20 am, for an early morning training.
• Thanks a lot to Katherine, whom have trained me continuously the past 2 years, a lot of what I have learned from outrigging about race training, planning, etc can be used in running as well. (So runners come and join us in the boats-:))

Thanks a million to all of you whom have supported me before and under the race with comments and messages. This race is partially mental and partial physical. All your comments have helped me much more than what I can describe.

Thanks a lot to all my fantastic colleagues in Coop Denmark Asia, whom have made all the work, when I where away.

Lastly, there are 2 questions from your comments, which I haven't replied. So here we go:

Pernille: Is running really fun?  Yes, I find it is extremely fun, specially when there are good and varied trails. (I find trail running much more fun than road running).

Anne-Mette: How is it possible to run 250 km? I have just focused on one day at a time, and seen it like 6 races. But I am sure there are many ways to do it.

Last day of Gobi, where one big celebration. When I came to the startline, I saw people dancing and chatting, it was just a really great atmosphere.

At the end of the run, I could hear the music from the finish line. I where sure that I had used all my energy when I came to the finish line, but as soon as I crossed the line, I got a lot of new energy. I got a finisher medal, and hugged a lot of people. The atmosphere was great and I was standing there with a beer in my hand and suddenly my legs just wanted to dance.

We had a great party in the desert "in the middle of no where". A lot of people dancing with big smiles on their face, and huge medals around their neck. The party contined afterwards at the hotel, with banquet and award giving. I got an award for being woman number 2.

Afterwards we continued at the night market and at a pub in Bole. There where just so much celebration which had to be done!!!

YES – YES – YES!!!!! Long stage is done. Ohhhh man that was brutal….. I came to Gobi to be challenged and I did get challenges….
There was a Korean woman whom chased me the whole day, and that was really fun. Sometimes she was just behind me and sometimes far behind me. She just kept on showing up. At finish line I think she was just 300 m behind me. Our little game where good for both of us, because it kept our speed up, and we came in just before getting dark. And we avoided the slice which some of the other got.
We didn’t start racing before 10 am, because we had a long day, the day before. So the heat came earlier on this stage, than the other days. And the 4 most hot hours where when it went up and up, and up – the most steap part on some wet heavy grass. (That is really hard to walk in). Coming up there where rewarding! Wauw it was beautiful, jubiii.
When I got to the second last checkpoint, I where quite tired, still 16 km to go, and still being chased. It went up and down but most up. Wind where strong, and not in the direction I wanted it. But then suddenly I came to last checkpoint, and then something new happened. Instead of the standard question from the doctor. “how are you feeling?”. He said “please look at the rainbow”. I looked up, and this time I had to allow myself an extra ½ minute rest.J. Newer in my life have I seen anything so beautiful. The view over the lake at sun set, beside the enormous mountains with snow on and a big rainbow.
The doctor said. “Our camp is just beside the beautiful lake”, but at that time I where in race mode again, so my reply where. “jubiiii, must mean it go down all the way”. He laughed and said “yes”. Running, running, running. Could see the finish line and hear the drums. Done-J
And I was just really tired!!! A bus took us to camp. 2 of my tent mates where already there, and like all the other days they was really nice and welcoming – this night is just meant 10 times as much to me, as what it have done the days, when I arrived in the middle of the day. 1,5 hour later my only female tentmate arrived. The 1,5 hour just made a big difference to the weather we had been racing in, she where really wet, and had been racing in the dark. I where too lazy to get out of my sleeping bag, so I just ormed down there. We gave each other a big hug and said “congratulation”, and just sat there and chatted quietly for a few minutes. Great way to celebrate.J and then Zzzzzzzz

Status now is that I am second lady and first in my age-group. The 14 km run tomorrow will also be timed and count.
Today is rest day, and surprisingly I enjoy it, and I enjoy the beautiful lake. (normally I don’t like rest days, but 230 km of running can make a difference to many things…)

Ohhh, Anna your question about my feet, my feet are in perfect shape. One needs to be taped every morning, the other do not. 9 of my toes are in perfect shape. To describe the last toe, would be more disgusting than to describe my smell. I really tried to take good care of all 10 toes, but no worries, it is taped up and ready for tomorrow.

I am looking forward to run 14 km around the beautiful lake tomorrow, and to the celebration. But I do not look forward to say goodbye to all these fantastic people. It is a fun and very international group. There are runners from more than 40 different countries.

Thanks again, for all four fantastic and cheering comments! It is really fantastic….. Joan, mentioned in her comment, that she hopes I weak up and fall asleep, every day with as big a laugh, as we did in our tent on our Canada trip. Right now I am sitting in the Cybertent, and smile and laugh, because of all your fantastic comments……………. Thankyou so much!!!

I just love coming back and read all your comments. THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Today started great, I where running 20 km with Martin a nice man from Poland, we had a great time and cheered each other up. After that I where on my own for a while, at one point I got a little tired, and found it tough, but then I came to check point 3, for the first time in the race, I allowed myself to stay 2 minutes extra in the check point, and had a short chat with Riitta, that helped a lot, after that I could reset myself, and trail where just fantastic and great again. Riitta, you are my hero of the day!!!!!!! And then there came 20 km easy run, mainly down. So far the day has been the best. Nice and warm, many river crossings. It was also really loooooooooooong……

Tomorrow is the long march. 68km and with a lot of up and down. Then a rest day. And then a last short social run. (the last day does not count in total time, but we have to do it to finish the race). That is going to be interesting. I am really happy that my backpack is getting lighter and lighter for each meal. It is actually nice and ok to run with now!!!

This morning just started AWESOME. My legs felt like if I have been resting for several days, and ready for a run.
Everything just went really smooth, and I came to the start line 5 minutes to early. The music where on, and I had a morning dance and a chat with Sam (our always happy race director).
Then just before start I realized I had forgot to register my time card, and we was a lot of people whom had done that mistake, so there where a big crowd around the sweepers, I could hear Sam in the mic “30 sec to start”, “15 sec to start”, “8 sec to start”, then I heard “bib, bib”, yes registration done, I ran slowly to the startline, and came there just as the race started, so that became a running start…

One of the most fun part of race briefing is weather forecast. Each morning Sam reads 3 different forecast, and they are total different, because weather in Mountains just is unpredictable, today the forecast, with cold, windy, and rain won. I can’t remember if any of the forecast had hail, but that we also got.
The course where really fantastic. A lot of ups and downs, and a lot of different surface to run at. Running is just so fun, when you are on the right trail. Scenery where really amazing, could see a lot of mountains with snow on. It was actually really cold, but then at around 11 am, it just became a fantastic temperature. I enjoyed every step, and then suddenly I could hear the people from check point 2 cheering me up, and I ran up there, and got the news… Race is over, there is too much snow further up the course, new finish line and emergency camp is 3km away. First I got scared that it was the whole Gobi, there was finished now, so when they told me that we can continue tomorrow, I got so happy that I forgot everything about heavy backpack and jumped 1 meter up, with a “yes”. I ran as fast I could towards the camp, and could hear them laughing and cheering me up.
At the camp it was really warm and sunny for some hours and I got all my clothes dry. Jubiiiiiiiiii
After some hours the storm, rain and thunderstorm came down to us, but it where only for a few hours, and now it is fine again, just a little cold.
Since we couldn’t finish the stage today, we will get 8 km extra tomorrow, so now we have 2 long days in a row. But at least we have had a long rest today.
I got a special request from my colleagues Elam and Loretta. And that is to half way in the race, to write how I smell after all this running and no possibility to wash myself. Really you do not want to know it…… wet-wipes helps a little, but still, I do not smell like roses…..

Thanks again for all the comments on my blogs, it is really great, I really enjoy to read them.

Today where a little tough day, after the long run yesterday, but I had a lot of fun. Most of the route where a little boring. But I spend the time to think about each of the comments you have been writing, and it just make me really happy!!!!
I also spend a lot of time to think about all the people whom have helped me to prepare for this race, that has been fantastic!!!!
It was a nice cold and dry run today. And at the end of the route I ran together with one of my nice tent mate, it was really nice.
There was a part of the course, with a lot of small rocks to run on, and some small plants. It was a little difficult to run in, and it hurts a lot under the feet.
It is cold here tonight, but so far only very little rain.
We have already run more than 1/3 of the total distance.
I am looking forward to tomorrow, when we are going to run in the mountains.

Gobi is really a great place to be, and still 4 more days to go…………J

Cheers Lene

Thanks a million to all of you whom have send a note on my blog. I really enjoy to read it.

The first stage where changed a little, so instead of running 40 km we should run 48,5. And that was extremely lucky because then the long march will be reduced to 68 km.
The run today where fantastic, I really enjoyed it. The scenery is amazing, and I where positive surprised about the surface. I had thought it would be soft like sand, but it is not. And that just makes everything so much easier. And it was windy, so it has been nice and cold to run most of the day.

I ran on my own the whole day. So only entertainment where getting to the checkpoints, but that was also really great fun!!!!! All the checkpoint teams where super fantastic. Cheering me up and really nice and friendly.
And also there some local on the trail whom is out to have a look and cheer us up.

So far everything about this race has been far over my expectation. I have meet a lot of great people, I am in a tent full of great people.
There are many great surprise, like the citizens in Bole, whom made an opening ceremony, with song and dance.And when we came to the camp yesterday the organizers and volunteers had made a great welcome for us. And the locals where dancing and singing.

So first day really nice, and many more days to go!!!! It is good that the backpack is getting lighter for every day, because it is a little heavy (or actually very heavy).

I am super happy that I am here!!!

Now there is one week, untill I leave Hong Kong and start my trip to Gobi. I am really excited and I am looking forward to start the race. It is one year ago, that I decided to sign up for Gobi, and it has really been an interesting year. I have enjoyed the training and preparation races, I have meet a lot of fantastic people during all this training, and I have got much more help and support from experienced athletes, than what I could have dreamed about. I am looking forward to meet all the runners, organizers and volunteers in Gobi, I am sure we will get a great week together.