(This is an overdue blog update - written 4 days after the race from an air-conditioned room in Hong Kong.)

The very last night in Gobi and at the foot of Flaming Mountain turned out to be the sandiest - thank to a raging sand storm visited our campsite in the middle of the night. Visibility and breathability was so low - it took a few brave tent mates a good 15min to close the flaps of both sides - many thanks to those gentlemen! However, even that didn't stop the sand from coming in, which last for about 3 hrs. The next morning, it's a challenge to tell who is who as everyone appeared in brown dust and blur ish shape (as a result of me not able to wear contacts that morning - mission impossible)

Then the last bit of the race - 12k it is. Going through some sand dunes, canyons  and the finish spot was next to a white mosque - one of the most beautiful routes over the week. Lots of hugs, congrats and tears at the end. Even better, we no longer had to prove severe heat stroke in exchange for a can of coke...

 

 

 

Finished in about 2hr 12min, which gave me the 38th position overall and the 5th among women for Gobi March 2011. This is nothing close to my original goal, which was just to finish (even as the last one to cross the line) and maybe make to top 30 females (out of 36). Think I must have been super lucky - rather than an indication of poor ability to estimate... However, having said that, will try to aim higher next time - wait, did I just write 'next time'?

Day 5 – Was it really 52 degrees?

 

What a long 80k! Finally arrived at the campsite after 16hr 43min. Apart from a few blisters (on top of blisters), sore knees and bruised toenails – I’m doing well. And surprised to find that I came in as the 28^th competitor for the long march…

 

It was a hot day – at some point, the temperature went above 50 degrees (as I was told). And the terrain wasn’t nice on feet either – salt flats, sandy bits, dunnettes, dirt tracks… However, we went through Gao Chang ruins and a local village. It’s lovely to walk through the village during the sunset – kids running around, locals setting up their dinners outside, farmers picking up melons – definitely the highlight of my walk.

 

Of course there are difficult parts as well. Between checkpoint 3 and 4, it’s the first time I thought about quitting as it’s just getting too hot. Many thanks to Choon Lang for leading the way and setting the pace – don’t think I could do this otherwise. Another dark moment came around midnight – I saw reflection of animal eyes… And my Chinese tent mates (kindly) told me before that there are plenty of wolf caves in the Flaming Mountain - forced me to  pick up already exhausted legs… Later on, someone confirmed these are just wild cats – oh well…

 

I’d love to write more about what happened during the walk and the day after at the campsite (which is like a war zone…) but I will save some of the stories for later and also they are trying to close the cybertent in 10 min…

 

Many thanks to those who messaged – Carol, Kelly, Laurent, Matthew, Tina, Shazz, Eve, Eric, Kai, Jingjing, Franco (sorry if I missed anyone). Receiving your messages is one of the most enjoyable things out here in Gobi. Miss you all and look forward to seeing you when I’m back. Last day tomorrow – just 12k and I’m ready to get my first cold drink at the finish line!

 

Love you all and thank you again for all the support and kind wishes! Speak later!

 

First, apologies for not blogging yesterday after finishing Day 3. Everything is OK just that I decided to go to bed early to get some precious sleep as we were asked to get up at 3am for a 3-hr bus transfer to the start line of Day 4.
 
Day 3 went well. Finished 44k in about 7hr 20min. It's long but weather wasn't too hot - max of 38 degrees - considered as mild for Gobi... While I came to the finish line, a local girl offered to run with me for the last 100m, which was really sweet. I hope the photographer got a shot of us holding hands crossing the finish line. Btw, she runs so  fast - I was completely out of breath at the end...
 
Day 4 (today) was tough. Heat took a toll on lots of us. Total distance is 37k and b/c it's in Turpan Basin, temperate goes way above 40 degrees (45 the highest). I'm sitting in an open tent typing this message at 6:42pm and the sun is still strong (usually the sun sets around 9pm-10pm here). The race went well for me today - though suffered just like everyone else. Finished in 8hr 20min and think it's the best performance I had so far. We had to climb lots of sand dunes (beautiful) and going through some tough surface, which isn't too nice for runners. I just kept my usual one and only gear and walked all the way. 
 
Figured out a few ways to kill time on the trail i) listen to James Blunt - somehow his depressing voice is perfect for a long lonely walk ii) make up stories with rocks along the way - imagine how surprised they must be to see 150 of funny looking people... that kept me entertained for a good 5k. I know it sounds weird. iii) think about life - won't go into details and bore you guys too much...
 
Dad, got your messages, which make me very happy! Love you and mum too.
 
Jingjing, Yuanyuan - glad to hear you had fun tracking me. Jingjing, don't forget your resolution (1 hr meditation a day).
 
Eve, Loick, Jamie, Gricia, Ian, Laurent - thanks a lot for the messages guys. Thanks for the CDs - a good mix! Well done on the marathon, Ian!
 
Eric - Many thanks! Will keep posing and smiling for the camera.
 
Kai - Before I forget (as I don't have a pen with me), here are a few random thoughts on RTP race for your - hope they are useful for Sahara. Wet wipes are helpful (more so than tissue paper).. Buff is great too - as can be used as a towel, if needed. Compression tights are great - wear them to bed will keep your muscle away from soreness. If you arrive at the tent earlier, take the opportunity to take a nap as it gets difficult to sleep while other people are moving around. After napping, then go to see the medic to have your feet checked, if needed. Dinner and blogging comes after. That's all I can think of now...
 
Matthew - thanks. Keep having fun in Germany. I thought a lot about food along the way - especially fresh fruit. Eat extra for me!
 
Chris - Thanks for the encouragement. I will keep going until the finish line. Hope India is fun!
 
Alright, guys thanks a lot again. Tomorrow is 80k and I look forward to it! Speak later.

We woke up this morning to heavy fog, light rain and cold weather. The fog was so thick that RTP decided to postpone the start to 12pm and cancel the first two sections, which shortens entire Day 2 from 41k to 22k.
 
It turned out to be a great day for runners - cold weather and mostly flat roads. Think the first one came in about 15hr 30min (hats off!). For me it's 3hr 7min - feel freezing cold all the way and the rain doesn't help either... Isn't this supposed to be a desert race and the hottest place in China? Makes me appreciate warm and sunny weather in HK...
 
Well, the bright side is it's over quick and everything is OK. The weather finally clears up after dinner and think I'm ready for tomorrow.
 
The satellite isn't up yet so not able to receive any incoming emails and blog comments from any of you for Day 2. A few quick notes to friends:
 
Jingjing, thanks a lot for daily report to parents! Big help! Your email came in but unfortunately b/c it's written in Chinese, so wasn't able to read it.
 
Kai, the backpack works great! A lot of people asked about it. Definitely a life saver - no back or shoulder problems so far.
 
Eric L, if you see this message, could you please send emails on my behalf to two competitors from HK - Eva and Johan to wish them good luck before the long day. Especially Eva, as she fell today and got some bad cuts but came back strong.
 
Shazz and William, Dg is doing very well and you will be proud of his determination. He is also very popular in the campsite -charming as always...
 
Everyone else, thanks for all the kind wishes - much appreciated! Time to turn in - speak tomorrow.

First day went  well – started 8am and finished 2:50pm (6hr 50 min) for a total of 34.6k.  Absolutely stunning views - Tian Shan Mountains with snowy top, plains, streams… Elevation peaks at 2,172 meters but doesn’t cause any altitude problem (knock on the wood). Temperature is mild as well - ranging from 33oC to 10oC. 

Night before the race - camped at a local Gaoyachun village. Local Uyghurs welcomed us with delicious melons and big smiles.  However, wasn’t able to sleep too well – apparently pre-race anxiety still linger (it started 1.5 weeks ago). Hopefully, tonight will be different. With Stage 1 done and being sufficiently tired, look forward to a good rest . Also will apply ear plugs – expecting escalated snoring in the tent… We are also lucky to have the first Uyghur competitor in our tent. Everyone is friendly and helpful so far – hope exhaustion doesn’t make me too cranky later on… 

Alright, I will stop here, it’s about time to have my delicious freeze dried dinner and tape my feet for tomorrow…  Thanks a lot to those who have already sent in messages. Don’t feel like I haven’t done much yet but will definitely try to keep the momentum going – look forward to Stage 2!

Exact distance for each stage - revealed 2 days before the race on Youtube

Day 1  34.6k  

Day 2  41.1k (revised to 22k)

Day 3  44.5k 

Day 4  37.3k 

Day 5  81.8k 

Day 6  11.3k (revised to 12k)

Days 1 to 3 – hills, pastures and canyons to up to 2200 meters.

Days 4 to 6 – turpan (10 km sand), scrub, salt flats and camels.  

Sounds like an interesting mix!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPqOWaNE0o0

They say the best way to see a country is to travel by foot - therefore I decided to do a 250k walk through the Gobi Desert with Racing the Planet (RTP)- hoping to discover a completely different side of China (and search for a cure for my 1/3 life crisis...) 

How will you benefit from my walk?  

First of all, I will come back with stunning pictures and good stories. Will also try to write something at my RTP blog  everyday at campsite, if I'm not too tired. 

Secondly, I might come back being a better person (I know you think I'm already good enough...) Apparently, 1/3 of the RTP competitors change their career afterwards... (I wonder what else they change?) Maybe walking alone in a desert for a week brings you some sort of life epiphany? 

What I need from you?   

You don't have to do much - but will certainly make a great impact.   

- For my previous races, I have been raising money for Oxfam.  Trying to do something a bit different this time - have been planning to set up a charitable organization. Nothing big or ground-breaking - so far the idea is just to introduce unprivileged kids to different forms of arts (painting, creative writing, music, sports...) Will try to make it simple and small scale. Unfortunately, I don't have things ready to receive your donation yet. However, I will continue to work on it after Gobi. Therefore, if you are interested in being part of this - please let me know and how much you are willing to give. Hopefully, I will knock on your door and collect your money by the end of 2011!  

- Last but not the least. When you are not too busy next week, you can track my  track my performance online or send me a message through RTP's Email A Competitor link (not to my personal email account).  Any encouraging words will mean a lot or even better - ask me interesting/fun questions - can always use a bit of brainteaser to kill time in desert...

Many thanks for all the encouragement/advice/support leading up to this big day - I very much look forward to it!   

Look forward to hearing from you in Gobi and sharing my experience with you during & after!