RacingThePlanet: Jordan 2012

Racing in the Footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia

Press Release / 13.05.2012

The race begins on 13 May at the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a rock formation made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. From here, competitors will embark on a 250-kilometer footrace across the multi-colored sands of Bedouin country — encountering everything from blue lizards to awe-inspiring rock formations and intriguing canyons. Seven days later, the race concludes against the rose-colored sandstone mountains of the ancient city of Petra.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the “roving race” to such a historically and culturally rich part of the world,” says Mary Gadams, the founder of the event. “We have talented local teams on the ground to help us to plot the course through this astonishing landscape and to allow competitors to learn about the rich culture and traditions of the Bedouin people along the way. One characteristic of the Jordanian people is their hospitality. This comes from the harshness of desert life — no traveller is turned away.”  

This is the fifth “roving race” in the series, after previous races in Vietnam, Namibia, Australia and Nepal, and it promises to be one of the most visually impressive with staggeringly beautiful sites and a total of four deserts to cross along the route. The “roving race” follows the same format as the world-renowned 4 Deserts series with competitors carrying all of their own food, only to be supplied with water and a place to sleep in a tent along the way.  

It may be the beautiful and historically rich nature of this setting that has drawn one of the largest proportions of RacingThePlanet veterans to date. An impressive 70% have already run in previous RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts events, and 25 are members of the prestigious 4 Deserts Club.

Top contenders this year include 51-year-old Paolo Barghini, who won the Sahara Race (Egypt) in 2009 and earned second place at The Last Desert (Antarctica) in 2010. German music promoter Rafael Fuchsgruber is another force — he took third place at the Sahara Race 2010.