‘Chema’ and Isis Breiter Lead a Shortened Third Stage of the Gobi March

Press Release / 04.06.2014

Spain’s Jose Manuel ‘Chema’ Martinez Fernandez has kept his strong lead today completing Stage 3—a stage that was shortened to a total of 25 kilometers due to weather conditions—with a time of 2:47:58.

He was followed by Italy’s Sebastiano Arlotta Tarino, who moved into second position in a time of 2:51:57, and Poland's Andrzej Gondek, who came third over the finish line in 3:13:40. Gondek is at his second 4 Deserts race in 2014 on his way to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam.

Isis Breiter of Mexico continued to forge ahead strongly with her leading position in the women’s division. She completed the 25-kilometer course with a time of 3:50:16 and was followed by Denmark’s Lene Larson with a finishing time of 4:11:53. Masami Noro Bell, a French competitor based in Singapore, was the third woman over the line in 4:46:36.

In the team division, Team Esquel—who are racing on home turf here in China and are so far winning the team’s division—concluded the stage with a time of 5:30:43.

Cold and rainy conditions met competitors as they awoke at the Altai Mountains campsite this morning. Some were up early to warm by the fire, while others stayed as long as possible in their sleeping bags. But this didn’t stop the 104 competitors from lining up at the starting line at 08:00 and setting out on the stage, titled ‘Swing Bridges to the Bronze Mine.’

The course was originally set for a 39-kilometer route, but as the day progressed the weather began to worsen, with snow and hail falling on the highest points of the stage and making for slippery conditions. Race organizers made the decision to change the course, cutting it to a total of 25 kilometers and using a back-up location at a traditional yurt village instead.

“The hail was a nice touch,” said Australia's Brett Foote, a chiropractor based in Ballarat who has taken on wide range of endurance races before. Scottish competitor Nicholas MacKenzie who is based in Shanghai said, "For a moment on the first section, I thought I had walked back to Scotland!"

By the afternoon the weather had cleared up—and many were commenting on just how beautiful the day’s course had been. It was a route of striking scenery that moved up and down scenic hills. “Today was a lot better than yesterday,” said Cyrille Gosse, an Indonesian-based Frenchman who has competed in the Gobi March (2009) and the Roving Race in Jordan in 2012. “This was a fantastic course.”

The best quote of the day came, perhaps, from Canadian competitor Linh Huynh. She said her motivational thought for the day was: "Gobi or go home." She added, “I am loving it out here. When [in your lifetime] do you get to walk through stunning scenery and sleep in a traditional yurt?"

By 15:50, the final competitor had crossed the line at the yurt village. American George Neira, who works at the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in New York City, came over the finish line and joined fellow competitors who were now outside, basking in the sunshine.

A total of 101 people finished the day’s course. The stage saw three withdrawals, including Samuel McGrath, who had put in a tremendous effort as a front-runner in the first two stages but was contending with a knee injury that forced him to stop. McGrath says he felt the injury on Stage 2 and then again within the first 500 meters of today’s race. He is doing well despite the disappointment and says, “I can’t wait to see my three children.”

All afternoon, competitors flooded to the Cybertent to keep their friends and family back home updated in blogs. Many enjoyed the sunshine that appeared in the afternoon—as well as an unanticipated rest and a chance to relax their bodies in the green grass.

As the evening fell, the rains returned and thunder rolled through the mountain region. But all competitors were inside and enjoying the dry settings of the yurts.

Tomorrow’s fourth stage is dubbed ‘Kazakh Backyard.’ Due to today’s shortened course, an additional seven kilometers has been added to Stage 4 for a total distance of 48.8 kilometers. The route will climb steep hills and ridges before crossing open grassland, onto a jeep track and then asphalt road through a long village. It will be the last stage before the ‘Long March’ kicks off on Thursday.

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