Q&A: 3D Gobi March Race Map

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Q: What was your first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon? Which races have you completed, and which one was the toughest for you — and why?

Josh: My first race was the 2022 Special Edition race in the Georgian Caucasus. This was the most difficult race I have ever done, as I was very underprepared. For example, I brought almost 5 kg of gels, no sunscreen, and an unnecessary extra pair of shoes. Fortunately, I managed to finish the race!

Since then, I have completed the Atacama Crossing, the Gobi March, and a bunch of very long distance races, like the Yukon Arctic Ultra.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Mappings.AI? What inspired you to leave your job and focus fully on building Mappings.AI?

Josh: While racing in the Arctic with my partner, we realized how much better our preparation would have been if we could have had highly accurate terrain maps and ways to simulate our pacing strategies within those terrain maps.

A few days after I returned home, I started researching the use of satellite data for building accurate and highly detailed recreations of outdoor spaces.

It turns out, due to the falling cost of rocket launches, this is the best time ever to build a company that uses satellite data— so I quit my job at GS and started Mappings!

Q: How is Mappings.AI different from Google Maps?

Josh: Google Maps overlays old satellite images on top of bump maps with low resolution and no interactive features—the images usually display the land in a totally different season than the race.

Mappings build immersive 3D maps, with satellite imagery and vegetation and terrain set for the days of the race. With Mappings simulation features, athletes can plan every facet of their race from home, prepare all the gear they need, and share their race story with family.

Q: How can athletes use Mappings.AI to prepare for a race?

Josh: Every time we demo the terrain for athletes, they are surprised by the dozens of questions they start asking themselves once they actually see the route!

To start, I would suggest the following:

1. Input 500 km/h in the “Pace” field and fly through a stage in 2-3 minutes. Ask yourself (or your coach) questions like-- are my shoes good for this type of terrain? Should I use poles? Do I tend to get blisters on this type of terrain? What spots look exposed? Which sections seem to be easier to get calories in?
2. Go to your Strava/Garmin and find where it says “Grade-Adjusted Pace”. Take your “Grade-Adjusted Pace” from your long training runs and input it in the “Pace” field and start teleporting around the race route to see when you can expect to get to certain section. Based on this, you can plan your nutrition for each day of the race! (Assume about 200 calories of snacks per hour.)
3. Once you have flown through the route, and made your more detailed plans, show the route to family and talk them through your plan!! It can be so helpful to discuss your plans for raceday, and its great fun for your loved ones to share in your journey.

Q: What is your long term vision for Mappings.AI?

Josh: I would love to build maps of the 100 biggest ultras so that no athlete ever has to show up unprepared! We are also building maps for fire departments in the US to model wildfire behavior and coordinate their response, as well as building 3D maps of national parks to support hikers and families who want to pick the best trail for themselves.

Q: How can someone purchase Mappings.AI?

Josh: You may purchase the 3D Gobi March Race Map on the RacingThePlanet store at this link:

https://www.racingtheplanetstore.com/products/3d-gobi-march-race-map

You can also find it at https://mappings.ai/shop/