Gobi March (China) 2014
'Chema' and Isis Breiter Retain Lead on Stage 2
Press Release / 04.06.2014
Spanish Olympian Jose Manuel 'Chema' Martinez Fernandez has sustained his lead in the Gobi March 2014, crossing the finish line of Stage 2 today with a time of 8:55:39. He looked very strong as he came into camp and, after being interviewed by a TV crew, promptly had a quick dip in the nearby river.
He was followed in second place by Samuel McGrath of the United Kingdom, who edged into the second slot with a time of 9:41:56. Italy’s Sebastiano Arlotta Tarino finished the day in third place with a time of 10:11:31.
There were changes at the front of the pack. Norway’s Ole Norstad’s foot injury prevented him from continuing on from his spectacular first day’s efforts where he crossed the finish line in second place. Today he had to withdraw from the race because of his injury and chose to stay at camp to cheer on his friends and fellow competitors.
In the women’s field, Mexican competitor Isis Breiter held onto her strong lead finishing the course as first-placed female in 12:50:33. The Hong Kong-based, Danish competitor Lene Larsen held onto her second place slot, finishing in 13:43:10, and was followed by South Korea’s Yang Yujin, who took third place with a time of 14:58:30.
It was a chilly awakening at camp this morning as the sun rose through the vast, cloudless sky. A rather subdued mood accompanied the breakfast fire as competitors focused their minds on the challenge ahead. As the musicians gathered for the starting line, Brett Foote from Australia comically requested a Metallica or Linkin Park number.
Others were strategizing for the course ahead. “My plan is to walk, walk, walk,” announced Shinichiro Fujii of Tokyo, who is here for his second race in the 4 Deserts Race Series after completing the Sahara Race. Today’s stage, dubbed ‘The Golden Mountains of Altai,’ was a 39.8-kilometer route along the foothills of this spectacular mountain range that borders Kazakhstan.
As competitors moved through the race, emerging at Checkpoint 2, the day was starting to warm up. South Korea’s Lee An Ik came through the checkpoint revealing the content of his mind as he pushed ahead: his family. “I am going to give my medal to my grandson who just turned 100 days old; he is visiting me in Korea from North Carolina,” he told us.
As the day morphed into afternoon, the weather turned colder with drizzle and as competitors moved over the finish line there was a mixture of emotions on display. British competitor Tim Cairns, who is based in Hong Kong and racing the Gobi March for his first time on behalf of the charity Seeing is Believing, was amazed to hear that he was in the top 20. “Didn’t think I could do that!” he cried.
As competitors relaxed at the campsite, we found Fredrik (Ted) Stromwell, an orthopedic surgeon from Sweden, typing his blog in the Cybertent and informing his friends and family that he had moved from 16th to 12th place today. Feeling amazed at his performance, he told us he credited this to his heart rate training.
Others were reflecting back on the day’s racing and the long, rolling course which made for some tough psychological moments as they caught numerous glimpses of the route stretching far ahead of them. Many commented on the difficulty of third section over rocky pastureland—considered typical Gobi terrain.
“The section with rocky and uneven ground and river bed crossings was very hard,” said race leader Jose Manuel ‘Chema’ Martinez Fernandez. Jessica Schumann of Germany agreed that, while the third stage was tough, the moment she saw that she was close she found a new source of energy: “Whenever I know the finish line is nearing, it’s like a boot to the ass and I get going!”
There were four withdrawals today: Jesus Molina of Spain, Ole Norstad from Norway, Shen-Yu Feng-Chi of Taiwan and China’s Victor Cheng.
All competitors are now at the Altai Mountains campsite set in green fields with yurts by a river. Tomorrow’s third stage, ‘Swing Bridges to the Bronze Mine,’ takes competitors on steep hills across a saddle, then undulating terrain before ascending a steep green hill through alpine forests and down a hairpin gravel road towards open plains. It’s a 39-kilometer course with a total elevation gain of 1,267 meters and loss of 992 meters.
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