Gobi March (China) 2014
First-Time 4 Deserts Victories at Gobi March Finish Line
Press Release / 08.06.2014
Jose Manuel ‘Chema’ Martinez Fernandez of Spain and Isis Breiter of Mexico have won the Gobi March 2014, finishing the final stage at the picturesque Lake Sayram today— and earning their first 4 Deserts medals.
“I was so tired at camp. I was cold and exhausted, but now I feel great!” said Overall Champion Chema who finished today’s course in 1:00:07 and is en route to finishing the 4 Deserts Grand Slam this year.
“The best part of the race was coming up the hill to Checkpoint 7 [on Stage 5] and seeing the beautiful Lake Sayram in the distance,” said Isis Breiter, who won the women’s division, completing this final stage with a time of 1:37:40. “It made the difficulty of climbing the hill worth it. I trained hard for this, a lot of mountain training at over 3,000 meters.”
Competitors set off at staggered start times this morning, leaving at 8:30am, 9:30am and 10:00am for the frontrunners. The 14-kilometer course took them along the shoreline of Lake Sayram with the finish in a beautiful open field with sweeping views of snowcapped mountains.
As the first competitors started to arrive at the finish line, emotions moved from huge grins to tears and emotional hugs. It was a scene of true reflection at the finish line—as well as the chance to feast on Coke, beer, fried rice and naan bread to the accompaniment of traditional music and dancing.
“It will take a few days to sink in,” said first-time 4 Deserts competitor Oliver Moratin. “First I have my beer, then a shower, then in a few days think about the accomplishment.”
Yoshiko Kogi from Japan was in tears of joy at the finish. “The feeling is amazing, I can’t explain it,” she said. “I have been through so many emotions recently; my grandfather passed away, my nephew was born and throughout the race I kept thinking about my grandfather watching over me. The Long March was very difficult for me, but coming over to see the amazing view of Lake Sayrum was spectacular.”
Claude Kollin, a pediatric surgeon and CEO of Martina Children´s Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, was also in a reflective mood. “It’s the moments you remember,” he said. “Running through a village and giving the children a high five—I made their day, what they didn’t know is that they made my week. I was running with an injury, so I was ecstatic when I was able to actually run this stage and not have to walk or hobble. It is an incredible feeling.”
It was this realization of pushing beyond limitations and overcoming adversity that continued to resonate on the bus ride back to the Bortala Hotel. Park Chanho of South Korea also had an injury; he had hurt his ankle on the first and second stages. He explains that on the Long March he felt bad as he was holding back the sweepers, so he started to sing ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ and ‘Hey Jude,’ which helped him make it all the way to the finish.
This afternoon competitors are enjoying being back at the hotel with its modern amenities—and this evening will enjoy the Awards Banquet.
SleepMonsters
