The 2015 Gobi March will certainly go down in history with the most volatile weather conditions of any 4Deserts race.

On today's final stage before the Long March on Thursday (50 miles), the heat was brought both literally and figuratively. From a literal standpoint, it was the first day where the course ran hot and water was going down easy. As I sit here typing this blog I am shirtless, which is hilarious because I was double-layered during my blog session yesterday! From a figurative standpoint, Kyle (current leader) heated things up today. The stage began as the last three have, with Kyle, Ralph and me running together. Once we hit the first checkpoint, Kyle decided to push the pace real hard again. Ralph and I obliged as we chased him 26.3 miles through the Gobi Desert.

As we made our way to the finish line, the order represented the current overall standings. Kyle came in at about 3:23, I followed seven minutes behind at 3:30, and Ralph was just two minutes behind me. We went from making history with the first ever 1-2-3 American finish in one stage, to now doing it three times in a row! Kyle extended his overall lead on me to about seven and a half minutes.

Tomorrow is going to be a beast, but I feel great knowing that I will carry the prayers and words of all my friends and family with me through the desert. The love I feel through every one of you is unimaginable. Time to rest!

Adam

As I sit in the Cybertent typing up this blog, I have on multiple layers and an alpaca wool hat. That's due to the fact that it was raining hard for much of the day and it was cold you could see your breath! Fortunately for my running group, we only had to endure it for a little more than an hour.

Today's distance was the first marathon distance, lasting 26.7 miles. The current top three overall (Kyle, Ralph and myself) got out to an early lead and carried it throughout the stage. After the first of three checkpoints, Ralph put the petal down and really went out hard. I planned to keep him in my sights without completely chasing him down. Kyle was behind me for about half of the day, but at the final checkpoint, I took off my bag to re-fill my water and he caught me. From that point on, Kyle and I ran the remaining eight miles side by side! It was an awesome experience, and we both admitted after the fact that we needed one another to push ourselves in the final section (which included hard rain and dropping temperatures).

We crossed the finish line tied for second place, and Ralph came in about ten minutes ahead of us. As it stands, I am currently in second overall and Kyle has less than a 30-second lead on me. Tomorrow's distance is another marathon (26.3), so hopefully we get a nice day of weather before the Long March of 50+ miles on Thursday!

Love you all and please continue sending your love and support. It carries me more than you know.

Adam

First off, I want to start by thanking everyone who has written me an email or commented on my blog. You are literally bringing tears to my eyes and I can't thank you enough for the heartfelt encouragement and support. Now, on to today's stage.

The second stage was 25 miles, beginning with a crazy climb of about 3.5 miles (gaining around 1,700 feet in elevation) up a snow-covered mountain. Talk about difficult! It was an amazing challenge that was easier to appreciate once we reached the summit. At one point I remember thinking that a ski lift would have been a nicer way to reach the top.

Once we reached the top, it was pretty much all downhill from there. Kyle McCoy, yesterday's third place finisher and resident of Washington, set a hard pace and my plan was just to keep him in sight. We broke away from the field and carried that all the way to the finish. I came across the finish line in second, somewhere between one and two minutes behind Kyle! Ralph Crowley, another American from Massachusetts, came in third less than ten minutes behind us. The founder of the 4Deserts series, Mary Gadams, told us that never in the 46 races they've held have three Americans ever finished 1-2-3 in a stage! What makes that even more amazing is that every race has six stages, and we are part of the group that did it first. I'm was very humbled to hear that.

Tomorrow's stage is a little over 26 miles, so we're in for another fun day. Until then!

Adam

Today was one of the most memorable days of running that I've ever experienced. This morning in the mountains of the Gobi Desert was quite chilly, but after I began running, my body temperature was at a good level. That is, until we hit the sand dune. The course included a one kilometre climb up a sand dune, which might as well have been quicksand! It was near impossible to run on the dune, and as I neared the top of the ridge, I literally had to bear crawl in order to move forward. That in itself would have been a great challenge. But pair that with the fact that a serious snowstorm had begun, and all bets were off. I was running along the crest of the dune with snow hitting my face so hard that I couldn't even see! Snow and sand in the same setting? Just amazing.

The rest of the course continued through the snow and visibility was low for nearly half of the 22 miles. However, I was fortunate enough (through the strength of God) to come out on top in first place! It was a battle until the end with some really great runners, and I finished just a minute or two ahead of second place. It was an unforgettable start to what will surely be an amazing week ahead.

Thank you so much to all of my family and friends supporting me on this journey! I can't express my sincere gratitude, and I look forward to keeping you updated throughout the week!

Adam

Hey all!

We're closing in on one day until the start of the race.