Ben Dame from Germany and Clare Thompson from the United Kingdom lead the Gobi March after four Stages and over 150km of the Gobi March (China) 2017 – both have won every single stage so far.
Stage 4 was 44.8km / 27.8 miles starting in dense forest and then into rolling hills of green pastures before entering back into the Tian Shan foothills through valleys and surrounded by mountains.
The winning time for the Stage was 5 hours 40 mins by Ben Dame 15 minutes ahead of Rodric Williams and Jeff Ross who came in together in 2nd place.
At the back of the field Changuo Chen from China was the last to complete Stage 4 in 11 hours.There have been four competitors who have withdrawn from the race since the start four days ago.
The overall Top 5 men, women and teams are below – the full results are on the website:
TOP 5 MEN
• 1st Ben DAME – Germany – 17:37:51
• 2nd Rodric WILLLIAMS – Australia – 18:18:07
• 3rd Jeff ROSS – Scotland – 18:188:25
• 4th Dirk DIEMONT – South Africa – 18:58: 31
• 5th Ben FOX – UK – 19:31:21
TOP 5 WOMEN
• 1st Clare THOMPSON – UK – 19:59:58
• 2nd Alexandra SCHNEIDER – UK – 20:59:28
• 3rd Michelle FURLOTTE – Australia – 24:04:43
• 4th Annastiina HINTSA – Finland – 25:01:22
• 5th Angela ZEAH – Germany – 25:40:43
TOP TEAMS
• 1st Run for Fun – Jean, Alexandre & Xavier from France – 22:43:43 (16th overall)
• 2nd Smith Team Racing – Kayte, Rhys & Alison from Australia – 25:56: 33 (38th overall)
• 3rd Five Legs Never Quite – Kam-Hung, Bing Chong & Yuen Leung from Hong Kong-
36:52:08 (91st overall)
There are some incredible people doing the Gobi March and many people doing the race to raise funds and awareness for charities of their choice. You can read the story about competitor, BK Donough who is doing the race to raise US$20,000 for scholarships for treatment of substance abuse and helping to address the stigma surrounding abuse.
The next stage is the Long March which is a much long stage over more than 24 hours. It will take place in the Black Gobi Desert where temperatures are expected to reach over 40C / 104F.
About the 4 Deserts Race Series
The 4 Deserts Race Series is the world’s leading rough-country endurance footrace series. A unique collection of world-class events that take place over 7 days and 250 kilometres in the largest and most forbidding deserts on the planet for elite and non-elite individuals and teams.
Competitors are challenged to go beyond the limits of their physical and mental endurance. Racing self-supported in the most inhospitable climates and formidable landscapes, they must carry all their own equipment and food and are only provided with drinking water and a place in a tent each night to rest.
The series comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Gobi March in China, the Sahara Race in Egypt / Namibia and The Last Desert in Antarctica.
Learn more at www.4deserts.com
