Mary Gadams founded RacingThePlanet in 2002. It has since grown into one of the world's leading organisers of multi-stage footraces, with 81 races held and more than 10,000 participants from around 100 countries. Its flagship 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series spans Namibia, Mongolia, Chile and Antarctica, and TIME magazine twice named it one of the Top Ten Endurance Events in the world. RacingThePlanet has also raised more than US$1 million for medical and education charities.
Before founding RacingThePlanet, Mary spent eight years in US investment banking. She then joined the Chairman's Office of the Samsung Group in Seoul as a global strategist, working on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and global strategy.
An accomplished endurance athlete, Mary captained three Eco-Challenge teams and has completed dozens of marathons and ultramarathons. These include the Boston Marathon three times, the Marathon des Sables several times and the Western States 100. She has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kinabalu, Mt. Toubkal, Mt. Fansipan, Sgurr Alasdair and Mt. Fuji (twice), and recently walked the Camino de Santiago.
Mary has lived in six countries and now calls Hong Kong home. She holds degrees from the US and the UK, and has studied Chinese, French, Spanish and Korean.
Hernan GARCIA
Course Director
United States
Originally from Argentina, Hernan Garcia works as an engineer in Tennessee, in the United States. An experienced sailor, he has sailed extensively around the world and qualified for the Olympics in Argentina. Hernan has more than 25 marathons under his belt and has completed the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2009, the Gobi March (China) 2011 and the Atacama Crossing (Chile) in 2012 and 2016.
He has served as Camp Manager at RacingThePlanet: Iceland 2013, RacingThePlanet: Madagascar 2014, RacingThePlanet: Lapland 2022, the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2023 and 2025, and RacingThePlanet: Greece 2025. He has been Course Director at the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2014, The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2022, RacingThePlanet: The 20-Year Race (Jordan) 2024 and The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2024. Hernan joins us again as Course Director for The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2026.
Ali LIDDLE
Expedition Leader
United Kingdom
We are delighted to welcome Ali Liddle back as the Expedition Leader for The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2026 for the fifth time. Originally from the UK, Ali has been working on Antarctic and Arctic expedition cruises for more years than she cares to remember.
Ali spent 15 years living in the Falkland Islands where she worked as a Primary school teacher both teaching out in ‘camp’ and at the school in Stanley. Latterly, she was employed as Education Officer for Falklands Conservation and shared her time between classroom teaching and conservation. In 1997, she spent 9 months living on South Georgia where she ran the Post Office and took every opportunity to hike, ski and explore the surrounding peaks and coastline.
She has published three books to date: Plants of the Falkland Islands and two art and craft books for children using penguins and albatross as the inspiration. Ali is a keen runner, having completed three marathons in the Falkland Islands and two in the UK, and she also enjoys cycling, hiking and camping. She has recently relocated from Northumberland to the Isle of Skye where she is renovating a cottage and enjoying the hiking opportunities of the island.
Her particular interest is natural history and the wildlife, and she enjoys sharing her knowledge of and passion for the polar regions.
Bev BRAMMER
Volunteer
United Kingdom
Bev Brammer is a retired nutritionist from Manchester, UK. Retirement didn't suit her, so she now works part-time in customer services for a large retail company. After following her husband Tony's adventures as a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon competitor, Bev experienced desert life for herself as a volunteer at the Atacama Crossing (Chile) in 2010. It sparked a lasting love of early-morning starts and roughing it.
Since then, Bev has volunteered at more than 20 RacingThePlanet and 4 Deserts Ultramarathons and has served as Volunteer Manager at several RacingThePlanet Ultramarathons. She has plenty of sporting achievements of her own: she has climbed Ben Nevis, trekked 60 miles along the Great Wall of China, and completed both half and full marathons. She also enjoys the gym, spin classes and hiking in the great outdoors.
We are delighted to welcome Bev to The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2026.
Andrea ANDREWS
Operations Manager
Chile, Resident in Australia
Andrea Andrews was born in Chile and now lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children. Her RacingThePlanet journey began in 2010, when she volunteered at the Atacama Crossing in her home country and was instantly hooked.
She returned as a volunteer at RacingThePlanet: Nepal in 2011, then took on the races as a competitor. She completed RacingThePlanet: Ecuador in 2015 and RacingThePlanet: Patagonia in 2017, just eleven months after the birth of her first child.
Andrea has since assisted the RacingThePlanet management team. She was Operations Manager for The Last Desert (Antarctica) in 2024 and the Atacama Crossing in 2025, returns to that role for The Last Desert in 2026, and will do the same at the Atacama Crossing in 2027.
Away from RacingThePlanet, Andrea works full-time in major event operations. She is Course Operations Manager for the TCS Sydney Marathon and works on other major Sydney events, including the Nike After Dark Tour.
Adventure is a big part of family life. Her husband, Gareth, is a doctor and experienced polar explorer who has organised and taken part in many expeditions to some of the world's most remote places.
Having experienced RacingThePlanet as a volunteer, competitor and Operations Manager, Andrea loves being part of the community. She enjoys helping to create the same extraordinary experiences that first hooked her in the Atacama Desert in 2010.
Rob JAMES
Event Manager, Antarctica Ultramarathon
4 Deserts Club
Wales, Resident in Hong Kong
Rob is excited to be returning to Antarctica as part of the RacingThePlanet team. Originally from the UK, Rob served in the Royal Welsh and the Gurkhas before leaving the Army and settling in Hong Kong.
Rob has spent the past 30 years working across Asia, building and delivering major sporting events for IMG and Manchester United. A keen adventurer and trail runner in his younger years, Rob discovered ultrarunning when he took part in the 100 km Hong Kong Trailwalker team event, leading to many more Trailwalker events in Hong Kong, Japan, and the UK over the years.
Being part of Hong Kong's growing endurance community led him to enter his first multi-stage race, the Gobi March (China) 2006. The Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2008 and Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008 followed shortly afterwards. In 2010, he returned to the Atacama Crossing and competed as part of a team, raising money for Help for Heroes.
In 2024, some 18 years after his first race, Rob completed the 4 Deserts Series with The Last Desert (Antarctica). With top-three finishes in his early races, he became the tenth and oldest 4 Deserts Champion.
Rob is married with three children and, when not in Hong Kong, can be found on the trails of the Black Mountains in Wales.
Simon DAMODARAN
Technology Manager
United Kingdom, Resident in Hong Kong
Simon is a long-term Hong Kong resident who has worked for RacingThePlanet since 2012 and is joining his fourth race at The Last Desert 2026.
Privacy policy and cookies:
By browsing this website you accept cookies used to improve and personalise our services and marketing, and for social activity. Read our Privacy Policy for more about what we do with your data, as well as your rights and choices – including how to manage cookies.
Signup For Newsletter
Form Submited Successfully
Thank you for registering for the RacingThePlanet newsletter.
Newsletter
Online Store
Login
