RACE INFO

RACE INFO

RACE INFO

RTP Home

Gobi March Blogs 2014

Atul Patki

7

Posts

Gobi March (2014) blog posts from Atul Patki

06 June 2014 12:34 pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Long March is done. It was supposed to be 68km but thanks to some of volunteers that they kept old course at one cp making it to 70km. After completing this long march I have no regrets of them adding those mere 2km but at night , I was cursing them.. J

We started long march at 10am yesterday and I finished today at 5:20am, only 19 hrs and 20 min I was running.. sucks. Too old but better than Jordan where I took 24 hrs and 5 min to complete 87km.

The view on the course was amazing. After all, we were running in the land of Ghengis khan. At one place I saw 5,2 years kids playing w ships and goats alone home. Parents were gone on horses. No fear to those kids of anything. They were living in heaven after all. They looked at me and waved with their hands. Felt so nice.

Saw wild horses, wild ships, goats on mountains. Saw camels but they looked different than Jordanian camels. These were shorter in heights but had lot of hair.

In villages, people were smiling at us or waving or taking pictures w us, treating us like guests or vips. Lovely people. Never seen such natural and innocent smiles on so many faces at a time.

Last end , I reached at our camp on Seymar lake, one of the beautiful lakes in the world. Tomorrow, we will be running last 14k and we are done and then return journey begins. Do not wait to go back home but feel sad to leave this precious land and people here. They have no money but they are rich in happiness. Love this land of Ghengis khan.

All my friends and families, thank u for your blog comments. With your such encouragement, I could finish this. Sorry, I could not write individually and thanked you due to time restriction. But you all are equally important in my life. Thank you.

This may be my second last or last blog but you can keep writing on it and I will see it when I come home and comment on those later.

Cheers

Comments: Total (6) comments

Pravina Anikhindi

Posted On: 16 Jun 2014 07:57 pm

Good job Atul, we all are proud of you :)

Leena Ektare

Posted On: 10 Jun 2014 02:46 pm

Atul, Great run again. Your determination took you through!

Archana Anajpure

Posted On: 09 Jun 2014 04:20 am

Many many Congratulations Atul!! Its great that u r almost done. Have a safe trip back to VA.

Ashok Pradhan

Posted On: 09 Jun 2014 03:05 am

One more adventure successfully completed, Atul, congrats. I really like the way you become one with your surroundings during these adventures, and see their beauty despite their harshness...that is a great quality, don't ever lose it!

Amjid Khan

Posted On: 07 Jun 2014 03:36 pm

Great job Atul! Sounds really rough but also amazing at the same time. Hope you have a relaxing journey home. You\'ve deserved it!

Tejal Patki

Posted On: 07 Jun 2014 10:44 am

Great job papa! It's great to hear that you're almost done. Can't wait for you to come home and tell us all about it :)

04 June 2014 12:47 pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Day 3 was shortened, so they added 8 km to today’s run. The course was hard and brutal and adding another 8 km made it worst. Day 1 was close to 48 km and it took mw 10 hrs and here it was same 48.8 km and it took me more than 12 hrs to finish. So guys, you can imagine that it was torture. Good news I am still blister free. Whatever changes I made for socks and shoes from Jordan run worked perfectly. Few things went wrong in my food choosing and that made my sack heavy. But it does not matter, my tent mates are always hungry. J

We started our day today with long trenched walk of 8 km and then it was a big steep hill, took me 3.5 hrs to complete next 10 km. But I could see beautiful scenery of china and kazakistan. It was simply heaven on earth. Chinese Government and Military are helping us in every corner of the course to make sure that we are on track and not confused with terrain.

In local villages, people are treating us as heroes and taking pictures w/ us while running, even military people are doing so. They say, we respect you doing this bc this course is not easy even to military people. Feels good… yaa.

3rd and 4th cps (check point) were too long to walk. As this course was too brutal and last person may not show up till 10p, tomorrow , the race will start at 10am instead 8am, so that tailenders like me can get ample rest. Tomorrow is a long march, with 68km and considered as too difficult. We have to do 2800m climb in that. Its like climbing Kalsubai peak of Maharashtra 2 times or climbing 1/3rd of distance of Mt. Everst in a day. Too bad to compare, right ? But it’s a fact and we have to face tomorrow.

I am not sure, when I will finish my long run and when I can write again on this blog and give you all details, but please please pray for me for success. Last stage is just 15km.

Today is June 4th, that reminds me few things about this day.. Happy b’day to my Sis. Happy anniversary to my Brother and Sis in law. Happy Bday to my friend Ratnakar and belated happy Bday to my mother in law.

To my beautiful daughters,

All the best for your upcoming exams and games.

Thanks all for taking time and writing on my blog.
It helps me a lot. Thank you.

Cheers.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Mihir Kurane

Posted On: 10 Jun 2014 03:59 pm

Atul, I am reading all your posts after your race is done. Great to know that you did better than at Jordan. I guess experience helps!!

Milind Pradhan

Posted On: 05 Jun 2014 01:08 pm

Atul ... Glad to know your progress. Keep it up. Are there any Chinese Restaurants? :) Waiting for our Reston Kabab luncheons. TC

03 June 2014 01:56 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Hi all,

Finished stage 3. It started w/ freezing rain. Then it converted to small snow storm. The course was too steep and became muddy. We all were falling down all the time. Shoes became muddy and heavy. Our course director decided to shorten the route and stopped at 25k. thank God. We got a chance to stay a night in yurt hut. We are so lucky. Its 2:30p and we are at camp. But tomorrow, they plan to compensate the distance by adding some. Hope its not too much and not too bad course.

3rd day/stage is done. 2 to go. Hope we all can survive… couple of drop outs today.

Got a lot of time to rest and dry clothes.

More tomorrow after stage 3.

Thanks to all who are taking efforts and time to write blog and making me run faster every day.

Cheers

Comments: Total (4) comments

Richie Malcolm

Posted On: 04 Jun 2014 08:42 pm

Keep going Atul! After the long stage it'll be done and almost dusted.

Amjid Khan

Posted On: 04 Jun 2014 07:51 pm

All the best Atul. The conditions sound really tough out there but sound like you're doing great. Hang in there buddy!

Sushama Patki

Posted On: 04 Jun 2014 06:02 pm

Good Luck for the long march Atul !!! Keep running, keep smiling and take care.

Chris Murrer

Posted On: 04 Jun 2014 03:05 pm

Keep it up Atul!

03 June 2014 01:37 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Day 2:

At last, day 2 is done. It was 40km long race… just going on and on. Started at 8am and finished at 5:17p. Course was just long w river beds, trenches and slippery rocks. Did not enjoy at all. Atleast, the final camp site of this stage is close to river. Feels good to listen the sound of flowing river water.

Saw Chinese military presence everywhere to protect runners. People from villages were waving at us and taking pictures w us. It felt like vip. J

Thank God that we reached in time. It started raining. Hopefully our tents wont leak. Fingers crossed.

So 90km are done. Tomorrow is supposed to be uphill, more and more hard days ahead. Wish me best..

Thanks all and to my dear Tejal and Mihika..

Cheers

Comments: Total (5) comments

satish shah

Posted On: 03 Jun 2014 10:58 pm

hey Atul, you been great. I know you will do it so we can enjoy margarita in PV

Richie Malcolm

Posted On: 03 Jun 2014 06:49 pm

Good luck! Stay strong and push on!

Leena Ektare

Posted On: 03 Jun 2014 02:40 pm

Keep up the spirit Atul! you will do it.

Christian Vang

Posted On: 03 Jun 2014 03:27 am

Atul, looks good with 90k done, hope the tents hold up better this time. Keep digging in to this great adventure. It is amassing that you continue these races....lots of respect....stay focused

Agnes C

Posted On: 03 Jun 2014 02:41 am

This is no harder than Jordan and if you have finished Jordan, you can also pull this one off!! Every step is a step closer! Keep up the spirit and will cheer for you!!

01 June 2014 12:29 pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

It was 1st stage of 50 km. Most course was difficult. Full of slippery rocks. I fall down badly but was saved. Nothing happened. Thank God. Have a little pain in my right leg but should be fine after night rest.

Nothing much to write today. Wish me well for tomorrow.

cheers

Comments: Total (2) comments

Vasudeo vaze

Posted On: 14 Jun 2014 02:13 am

Heartiest congratulations.Hope you are back.

Sushama Patki

Posted On: 02 Jun 2014 03:33 pm

Hope you are OK. Checked the results online and see that your stage 2 completed successfully. Stay happy & healthy AND remember you can do it. Best wishes for the next stage from me, Tejal & Mihika !! TAKE CARE.

31 May 2014 12:30 pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Hi friends and families,

Today is zero th day of Gobi desert. We just came at the camp. Before coming here, we were given warm welcome by Bortala Government. They had regional dances and songs for us to see and feel their culture. After lunch, we packed up and left Bortala Camp hotel. We got first surprise that  there is going to be a storm. So we were moved to huts than normal tents. The tents are a little further than original camps, like 2  km away, so that adds more for our 250  km run. Too bad.

At the huts, we were greeted by local people dancing and singing and playing different types of instruments. The wind is really blowing too much and its cold. Tomorrow is our first day to start our race. Finished dinner with my load of proteins. Need to reduce weight of my backpack. It was 7kg in Jordan but its 9.8kg in Gobi. Food change gone a little off. But hopefully, I will recover that problem very soon.

Will write blog tomorrow if there is no issue with cybertent due to weather.

Till then, wish and pray for me. Thanks all for all of you for writing on my blog. It helps me a lot to be mentally and emotionally happy. J

Love you all.

Cheers

Comments: Total (2) comments

Duncan Sharp

Posted On: 02 Jun 2014 12:28 am

Good luck Atul. Enjoy every minute of it!

Tejal Patki

Posted On: 01 Jun 2014 01:53 pm

Keep up the strength Papa! We all believe in you and know that you will do great :) I know that you will succeed in this one as well so keep up the confidence and hope to see you soon!

05 May 2014 01:07 am (GMT-04:00) Atlantic Time(Canada)

Happy Cinco de Mayo !!

Hardly 3 weeks to fly to China and less than 4 weeks to start my second gruesome desert run.

Hey friends,

Your good wishes and cheers made me complete my last run successfully. I need same cheers and good wishes, rather more than last time for Gobi desert run.

Please, please wish me and cheer me thru my this blog. I will be checking my blog while running in Gobi desert. Its a rainy and windy and hilly desert with 9800 feet steep uphill on long march of 80km on day 5th. Its going to be tough, I know. But with your backing of cheers and blessings, I am sure, I will be able to cross the line.

My run starts on June 1st and finishes on June 7th.

Thanks to you all

Cheers
--Atul

Comments: Total (25) comments

Milind Kulkarni

Posted On: 27 May 2014 04:17 pm

When you successfully completed your first marathon several years back, I was blown away. Then you ran north pole marathon to set the bar higher. With your first desert run, you made me reinvent my standard yet again. Do you see a pattern in here? I am ready to upgrade my standard on June 7th :) All the very best for your run. I know you will make us proud!

shrikant ektare

Posted On: 25 May 2014 04:46 pm

I was told that Gobi means a water-less place. I have read "Long Walk" by Sławomir Rawicz 20 years back. This was a 11 month long walk thru Gobi desert. If you read this very famous book, you may be able to appreciate it lot better I could. I am eager to hear the first hand experience from you. Take care..

Swati Dandekar

Posted On: 25 May 2014 01:38 pm

Atul, All the best for this adventure and the ones in the future!

Joan Parks

Posted On: 22 May 2014 11:30 am

Your life shines with all the colors of the rainbow. Good luck on your next adventure and don't give up.

Christian Vang

Posted On: 21 May 2014 11:16 pm

Dear Atul, Wishing you all the best for your 2nd in the row of the most amazing races. You have the mind, body and soul for doing this. Stick to your game plan and it will carry you through another trilling area of the world. Will be with you all the way…..Go for it and say hi to our old Tent Mates.

Ravi Bhave

Posted On: 21 May 2014 04:02 pm

All the best Atul. I am sure you will complete this with not much trouble. Gobi chi bhaji banvun ye. LOL

Sandeep Ardhapurkar

Posted On: 21 May 2014 01:02 pm

Atul Best wishes for your new adventure. I am sure it is a very difficult terrain, but your experience, preparation and attitude will get you through! Waiting to see your pictures!

kishor joshi

Posted On: 21 May 2014 12:38 pm

good beginning ensures good success, get going, i am wit u

Atul Patki

Posted On: 21 May 2014 12:16 pm

Deal all Friends, Thanks for posting and wishing me. I appreciate your warm gesture. Please continue to do so while I am running in Gobi desert from June 1 to June 6th. It helps at the end of each stage when I sit tired and feel lonely. This relaxes me mentally. Thanks again ! Without your blessings and wishes, it would have been most difficult task for me. Thank you from bottom of my heart !!

Vasudeo vaze

Posted On: 14 May 2014 01:06 pm

Hi, Best luck.We are sure you will complete it without trouble.

Atmaram Vidhate

Posted On: 13 May 2014 08:14 pm

All the best Atul !!!

Sharad Bhandare

Posted On: 13 May 2014 07:54 pm

Good Luck to you for the Gobi Desert Run..And wish you all the Success and Enjoy the same.

Leena Ektare

Posted On: 08 May 2014 07:07 pm

All the very best Atul! Way to go.

divya deshpande

Posted On: 07 May 2014 07:09 am

Buddyy all the best... U already are a winner uv done so many runs etc. Proud of you !! You can do it !!

Rajesh Joshi

Posted On: 07 May 2014 05:17 am

Though it's tough, it seems to be quite exciting for a person like you who always likes to take up tough challenges in life. So prepare well and succeed. All the best !! Our blessings would be with you always, throughout the run.

Pravina Anikhindi

Posted On: 06 May 2014 08:11 pm

अतुल नेहमी सारखे हे पण तु यशस्वी पणे करशील माझी खात्री आहे, परत सुखरूप ये. खुप खुप शुभेच्छा

anil watamwar

Posted On: 06 May 2014 07:36 am

JAI MAHARASHTRA, HAR HAR MAHADEV, MARTH MOULYA. Remember the great SHIVAJI and go for it. We are happy and proud of you. Keep the spirit high, Cheers Wattya

Parag Shukla

Posted On: 06 May 2014 03:21 am

Atul, All the best for Gobi adventure. Do run and share your experiences. Parag

Satish Chavan

Posted On: 05 May 2014 07:52 pm

Dear Atul, You have several achievements under your belt, and you will complete this one too with flying colors; I have no doubt in my mind. You have the strength, and determination to complete these runs. Wish you all the best !!! Let's party after you come back !!!

Prasaad Joshi

Posted On: 05 May 2014 06:55 pm

प्रिय अतुलदा खूप खूप शुभेच्छा !!! तू कायम यशस्वी होतोस ... याखेपेला फारसं वेगळं नसेल कारण परफेक्शनला इम्प्रोव्हायझेशनची गरज नसते परत आम्हा दोघांकडून भरघोस शुभेच्छा !!!

Vivek Gore

Posted On: 05 May 2014 05:09 pm

Atul, with all the achievements you have already amassed, I just don't see something as pesky as the flu holding you back. Remember, just like Gobi is an ordinary vegetable for most people, Gobi March should be nothing but ordinary for someone with your experience.

Jaydeep KarandikR

Posted On: 05 May 2014 04:29 pm

All the best to you Atul ! You are a veteran in these and this race should be should be very easy for you.

Hemant Anikhindi

Posted On: 05 May 2014 03:59 pm

Atul, tons of good luck! Break a leg (!) Make us proud(er). You can do it.

Hrushikesh Karambelkar

Posted On: 05 May 2014 02:14 pm

'Ithe Haway Kunala Flu" Looking forward to your updates, pics and experiences !!!!

Mukul Mhatre

Posted On: 05 May 2014 02:06 pm

Good luck Atul! Flu cannot hold you down...We know you will overcome all obstacles big and small and finish the race..