Who’s Taking on the Gobi March / UltraLite (Mongolia) 2026

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The Gobi March and UltraLite (Mongolia) 2026 gets underway on 21 June. Find out about the field - the stats, the facts and the interesting stories. 

• 158 Competitors

  • Gobi March: 132
  • UltraLite: 26

• 40 Countries represented

  • Includes Thailand, Finland, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina, Zimbabwe and Mongolia.
  • Most represented are United States, Hong Kong, United Kingdom and Australia.
    • This includes 4 people from Alaska.

• 36% female / 64% male

• Age range: from under 20 to 71 years young

• 65% are first-timers

  • 4 Deserts Club members x 2 – Belinda Holdsworth and Richard Behringer.
    • En Lin Foo (Malaysia) will join the 4 Deserts Club after the Gobi March
  • Plus 5 x 4 Deserts Club members among the staff and volunteers: Carlos Garcia, Marie-Paule Pierson, Jacqueline Eastridge, Byeung Sik Ahn and Kevin Lin.

• Most races:

  • Belinda Holdsworth is joining her 15th race! It all started 17 years ago in Namibia.
  • Dean Scott is joining is his 10th race and his 3rd Gobi March in Mongolia.
  • 10 people will joining their 5th more race.
  • 6 people are coming back to the Gobi March (Mongolia).
    • 3 people have done the Gobi March when it was held in China.

• Qualification for The Last Desert (Antarctica)

In order to qualify for The Last Desert you need to complete two RacingThePlanet Ultramarathons. At the Gobi March:

• 24 people new people will qualify.
• 12 more people are already set for the voyage to final frontier of Antarctica.

For those are not qualified, there is the option to join the Antarctica Ultramarathon, UltraLite (Antarctica) or as a Friend / Family member.

• Nine Teams

The team category provides additional camaraderie and competition, plus an extra chance for a podium place.

• 5 Official Teams who must stay together every step of the course:
  • Soh Far Soh Good – a father, son and daughter-in-law team from Singapore.
  • Lai Lai Den – a mother-son team from Singapore / Malaysia.
  • The Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights from Hong Kong.
  • One Steppe Beyond from Australia.
  • HKUGAC Lame 3 representing their college in Hong Kong.

• 4 Group Teams who can race separately:
  • Team Iberian from Portugal / Spain.
  • TEAM A⭐H⭐O HAPPY from Japan.
  • HKUGA·D.R.E.A.M. 1 & 2.

There are also three Unofficial Teams who will run together non-competitively in UltraLite (Mongolia): The Road Less Gravelled from Australia, Team Buells from the United States and representatives from Breaking 250.

• 4 Deserts Grand Slam Contenders x 3

The 4 Deserts Grand Slam is when competitors take on all 4 Deserts Ultramarathons within 12 months. Three courageous people are taking on this feat in 2026/27. Less than 100 people have achieved this so far.

• Samah Benmaad from France.
• Odd Edoy from Norway.
• Stephen Patton.

• Special Mentions

There really is a diverse and fascinating field of competitors at the Gobi March 2026. Some special mentions include.

• A school project from Hong Kong with 8 students each accompanied by a teacher, parent or mentor.
• A group from Portugal and Spain.
• A Mongolian herder.

We also have a taekwondo black belt / ballerina, an aspiring astronaut, entrepreneurs, social media influencers, students, professors, a larger than usual number of lawyers and engineers, and a huge number of family members joining the race together in various capacities.

• Families

More than 30 people have a family member at the race – either racing together, doing UltraLite (Mongolia), or on the volunteer team. The addition of the UltraLite category is a great way to race with your family and friends who may be at different stages of their ultramarathon journeys.

Some of the notable family groups include:

• Smiths – father, mother and son – all taking on the full distance, but not as a team.
• Bambers – mother and 3 sons.
• Grandfather and granddaughter (plus her husband).
  • Grandfather Nick Milano is racing the full distance.
  • His granddaughter, Alexis Buell, is taking on UltraLite (Mongolia) with her husband, Landon.
• Ester, Pablo and Santiago – parents and son.
• Asmuths – father and son.
• Wests – join as a couple doing the UltraLite category.
• Tanners - mother and son.
• Byeung Sik Ahn has completed 11 races, including winning 2. He has inspired his nephew to follow in his footsteps.
• Cheungs – father and daughter.
• The Sohs join as a team made up of father, son and daughter-in-law.
• The Demodys – Lisa will join the Gobi March as a team with her friend while her husband races in the UltraLite.
• Petr Latka will race the Gobi March while his wife, Yvonne, takes on the UltraLite.

• Top Contenders

With such a large number of first-timers, picking the top contenders is challenging, which leaves the field open. Below are some to watch:

• Female
  • Elise Lagerstrom – who was the female winner of the Atacama Crossing 2025.
  • Ester Alves – the Portuguese has a strong history of results including 10th female in the Marathon des Sables and 3rd female at the Atacama Crossing.
  • Lena Tsang – who has some impressive finishes, but will be supporting the group from HKUGA college so may forgo her competitive advantage.
  • Sarah Bol – finished 10th female at the Atacama Crossing and now comes to her 2nd race with the experience gained at stage racing.
  • Meiji Cook from Thailand is a triathlete and endurance athlete with a strong presence in Thailand’s health and fitness community.
• Male
  • Bukhsuuri Bazar – a Mongolian herder who has run a marathon in 2:31 and is racing on home ground.
  • Jens Klinkhammer – who has consistently finished in the Top 20, including two 8th place finishes, most recently at RacingThePlanet: Greece 2025.
  • Mabasa Mubatapasango who changed his life to take 8th place at the Namib Race 2021.

We know there are going to be surprise speedsters so it’s going to be an exciting race to follow.

• Staff

  • We have a team of 44 staff and volunteers including the management, medical, course and media teams. In addition, there is a fabulous local team – many who have worked for us since the first race in Mongolia.
  • 20 countries are represented.
  • 39% female / 61% male. o Aged from 23 to 75.
  • More than half have been at a race before – either to volunteer or race.
    • 11 have completed a race a competitor.
    • 4 are 4 Deserts Club members.

More information on the Gobi March / UltraLite (Mongolia) 2026 field

• See the full list of Gobi March and UltraLite competitors ready to take on the challenge.
• Follow the Gobi March / UltraLite (Mongolia) 2026 from 21 June together with LIVE tracking.
• See the details of the course for the Gobi March which the competitors will tackle.