Pre Race: Arrived at Camp 1 - the ruins of Khar Bukhiin Balgas Palace

Racers and staff have arrived at Camp 1 beside the ruins of Khar Bukhiin Balgas Palace amid wide open green land with animals passing by.

The traffic was unusually kind leaving Ulaanbaatar so the journey “only” took around 4 hours, but it feels like a different world away. 

They were welcomed to Camp by a local Mongolian ensemble of musicians and a chilly, windy evening with dark clouds and blue skies depending which direction you look. 

One nice thing in Mongolia is that sunset is not until 9pm – and sunrise is at 5am so there is plenty of daylight. 

Khar Bukhiin Balgas Palace is a historical site of an ancient 10th-century Kitan fortress and palace ruin. It is noted for its pre-imperial history and stone monastery. The surviving structures consist of a two-story palace and a stupa. In 1998, the Khar Bukh ruins were placed under state protection. 

 
Temperatures are expected to get down to 5C tonight with wind up 17kph, but no rain is forecast. 
Tomorrow is expected to reach 25C with sunshine and clouds, but no rain.  We will see …. 

As competitors head to bed, their minds will be filled with questions: Did I do enough to prepare?  Will I perform up to the level of my training?  How will I react when the plan goes sideways?  

WEBSITE UPDATED: 

PHOTOS - of Arriving to Camp 1

VIDEOS - including a new one of Competitors Arriving to Camp 1. 

The 20th edition of the Gobi March starts tomorrow at 8am with UltraLite competitors starting from Camp alongside those doing the full 250km Gobi March.  

We will send four or five breaking news updates during each Stage

• You will be able to follow competitors on the live tracking
• Results will be updated after the first 10 people have completed the Stage. You can see the UltraLite results as well.
• Photos from volunteers will be added periodically during the day, but the full set of professional photos and videos are then added each evening after the Stage has finished.
• Don't forget to send messages of suppport which competitors can read on the website.Go to the Gobi March Results page or UltraLite (Mongolia) Results page - find the competitor and click "send an email". Send them before 11am Mongolian time each day for them read them the same day. 

You can see what lies ahead for them over the next 7 days on the course page of the website and read this race report from the 2025 which summarises each stage through the eyes of the women’s champion, Michaela Punz-Raml.

With 65% of the competitors joining a RacingThePlanet race for the first time, it is a very open field.  Bets are on to see who will finish first for the men, women and teams. 

Pre Race: Competitors are En Route to the Mongolian Steppe

Competitors are En Route to the Mongolian Steppe.

After a race briefing this morning and competitor check-in where all equipment was checked and the bags were weighed, competitors are enroute to Camp 1 in the Mongolian Steppe. 

The big question that racers always want to know is now answered  – “what is my backpack weight?”
•    Lightest backpack: 6.1 kg – Rob Robinson from the United Kingdom
•    Heaviest backpack: 17.4kg – Quinn Tanner from the United States

Both are records compared to 2025 where the lightest pack was 6.4kg and the heaviest was 16.4kg. 

Rob joins his second race after finishing 14th at the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2025 “pro-amateur ultramarathoner from the UK who calls the sun-soaked flatlands of Florida home”.

Quinn completed RacingThePlanet: Greece last year “For him, it’s not just about the race itself, but the opportunity to immerse himself in new environments, meet amazing people, embrace different cultures, and explore uncharted territories around the globe.”
 
Remember you can read the bios of each racer on the Results Page – and this is also where you can also send messages of support that they can read in the CyberTent each evening. 

Competitors were also encouraged to bring books, pens, clothes, sports equipment and other items to give out to the children of the nomadic families along the course. Today these were collected and will be taken to the course for competitors and staff to give out at Checkpoints. 

In addition to this RacingThePlanet is donating 20 solar batteries to familes which make a huge difference to their lives. 

Read more about how these donations and the impact they have.


Today summarised by Ernie Torrain
The  briefing is a straightforward meeting which takes roughly 30 minutes. The race organizers introduce themselves and tell us what to expect this week. There is a large and experienced medical staff.  Let's hope they are the equivalent of the carried umbrella that ensures the rain does not arrive.  

Next up is more administrative stuff, small group meetings to verify that all forms have been submitted and each of us has the required gear, electrolytes and food.

I have passed gear check with a pack that weighs 10.5kg, roughly 25 pounds.  This is actually pleasing to me because while I think my pack looks cartoonishly large compared to the other racers, it is more or less the average pack weight. Still, 25 pounds is a lot.  The good news is that every meal and snack consumed this week will reduce the pack’s weight and volume.

We had the rest of the morning to deal with the nervous realization that this adventure is finally about to begin.  

Buses leave for Camp 1 at 1pm.  The ride will be scenic and the energy will undoubtedly be great.  I am hoping to take a nap to offset my lingering jet lag. The ride will take up to six hours.  Most of us have brought takeaway meals from town for tonight’s dinner in camp.

One more restless sleep followed by a Sunday morning briefing and then the race gets started… 


THE WEBSITE HAS BEEN UPDATED
 
VIDEOS – from check-in today with an interview with Roberto Rivolo and

PHOTOS – from check-in and the briefing today

NEW BLOG ENTRIES

• Ernie Torrain – “Stand Up and Be Counted”
• Mabasa Mabatapasango – “One Day Before the Race”

Quote for today “One of the reasons why I decided to sign up for the Gobi March is to follow the steps of the incredible visionary emperor Chinggis Khan” Roberto Rivolo
 
Follow all the updates on the Gobi March Live Page
https://www.racingtheplanet.com/gobimarch/live

Subscribe to the RacingThePlanet YouTube Channel to receive notifications when a new video has been added. 

Pre Race: Official Race Activities Start Tomorrow

Welcome to the first official breaking news for the Gobi March (Mongolia) and UltraLite 2026!
 
Competitors and staff have been arriving from around the world to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and host town for the Gobi March – most are have made it, but not without flight and luggage chaos. The last few people are set to arrive first thing in the morning. 
 
Today was the last day for exploring Ulaanbaatar (UB), last minute shopping and final checking and packing (and re-packing) of equipment. 

Volunteers had a day of training and race preparation. 

Meanwhile on the Course, there has been snow, rain and blue skies – maybe a sign of what lies ahead.
The Gobi March 2025 also had snow in Ulaanbaatar the day before leaving for camp, followed by high temperatures, then heavy rain on The Long March. 

The forecast is for light rain and gusty wind for Stage 1. 

Competitors went out for the “last supper” of real food and most people are in bed enjoying their last night tonight in a comfortable bed.

It is now nearly midnight in Mongolia. 

 Official race activities start early tomorrow with a pre-race briefing and race check-in before heading out to Camp 1.

 
For now you can enjoy:
PHOTOS - of volunteer training and from the course.
VIDEOS – meet the volunteers and shorts clips from the course.
FEATURE – Who is Taking on the Gobi March 2026.  Find out the stats, facts, interesting stories and top contenders for the Gobi March 2026
BLOGS – about competitors’ individual preparations for the race.

• Kevin Hwang’s blog – 150 miles of gratitude
• Mabasa from Zimbabwe – has been logging his preparation over the last few months.

Get ready to follow all the updates on the Gobi March LIVE page. 


“If I think about all the things that have brought me the most fulfilment in life, the commonality is that they were not the easy ones.” Kevin Hwang, United States who is taking on 3rd RacingThePlanet race aiming for the 4 Deserts Club. 

Pre Race: It's About to Get Real

It's About to Get Real. 

Competitors and staff are starting to arrive in Ulaanbaatar for the 20th edition of the Gobi March in Mongolia. 

Breaking news will officially start on Friday, 19 June, but you can already start to get ready to follow the race with all the news, results, photos, videos, blogs and more. 

• LIVE PAGE: https://www.racingtheplanet.com/mongolia/live
• You can also read this feature to find out more about Who Is Taking On the Gobi March 2026

Pre Race: Breaking News

Breaking News is posted when the race is LIVE. The first Pre-Race Breaking News for the Gobi March will be added on Friday, 19 June 2026. Click above to sign up to receive Breaking News by email.