We did it!! Thanks to all who have supported us and who emailed us on the trail...you kept us going!
Photo: At the finish line in Kashgar June 23
Last Updated: Sept 5, 2007
NEW: Day by day coverage in Photo Gallery, homepage, stats, contributors
Adil & Martha Chaudhry
Gobi March, June 2007
chaudhry@starhub.net.sg
We did it! We successfully completed the Gobi March 2007. We are still hobbling around on sore feet and legs, but thrilled that we were among the finishers.
The race was extremely challenging. The course took us right to the border area between China and Pakistan, to the Tajik Autonomous Region of China populated largely by ethnic Tajiks. These people are extremely isolated and live much as they have for centuries in the Karakoram mountain range and foothills there, in mud constructed houses growing wheat, apricots and hay. We started near Tashkorgan in the far west, and for two days followed a river down valley over rocky but relatively easy terrain. Throughout the race we ran through dozens of villages whose occupants spilled out onto the paths and roadways to cheer us along. Check out the photo gallery called The Local People to see photos of them. For Martha it was very emotional as the people bear great resemblance to Safiya, who comes from a very similar gene pool just over the Karakoram range in Pakistan.
The first night (prior to race start) was freezing cold and stormy, so much so that two of the large 10 person tents at the camp blew into the river and were lost just before we arrived at the start! Race organizers scrambled quickly and housed us in a nearby school for the night. Gorgeous weather accompanied the race start the next morning. Martha in the exhuberance and beauty of the start went out too fast, running the first 20km with a nearly 30 lb pack despite warnings not to do so. This unfortunate mistake caused injuries that plagued her for the duration of the race. Beginners classic mistake.....The first night had us in camp early after only 36 km with time to rest, and chat. The second night, after continued downhill river-bed slogging, we bunked in the houses of local villagers, in traditional Tajik architecture which was spectacular. Day 3 wiped out several people and had us climbing up and over a mountain pass at 13,000 feet, where again inclement weather moved in and many were caught in sub-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions! Several people dropped out that day, but fortunately we were quick enough on the climb to make it up and over before the blizzard, dealing only with freezing rain in our "desert" attire on the way down the valley on the other side. The scenery was perhaps the most spectacular we have ever seen anywhere. Martha in particular loved Day 3. Many that night reached camp after midnight.
Day 4 was a long slog through river canyons leading us out of the alpine environment down towards the desert. Many river crossings made our feet wet, muddy and HEAVY. Martha suffered again from added weight of her shoes, as did many competitors, and developed severe tendonitis in both shins. She had a terrible day that day, and made it to the finish with Audie essentially dragging her. She wore her Crocs for part of the trek that day because they were so much lighter and caused less pain. Day 5 was an 80 km grind up and over one last small pass then slogging for hours down a dry river bed as the mountains turned to sandy hills then finally to desert. Nightime fell on a high desert plateau with the sky unobstructed and massive above us. We collapsed for a few hours to rest on the side of the road after about 19 hours, and finished in just under 24 hours that day. This gave us the full Day 6 to rest and recover. The heat was intense in camp as everyone lounged around with their feet up as much as possible. All were cheerful and content knowing that the race was essentially over at this point! Rising at 2:30 am the next day, buses headed out at 3:30 for the 5 hour drive back to Kashgar. A final celebratory 10 km trot through the city and cobbled windy streets of the 2,000+ year old Old City brought us to the finish line at a centuries old mosque in the village center. There the Mayor of Kashgar awaited with medals for finishers, and food, drinks and celebration greeted us all around. The mood and our spirits were soaring.
More details of the race can be found at www.4deserts.com/gobimarch. For our part, we are very proud of ourselves for finishing, and feel lucky to have had such an incredible experience. We received an award at celebration banquet held on Saturday night. The Cable-French award is given to first-time racers whom the organizers feel embody the cultural and humanitarian spirit of the race. We were stunned and honored to receive this award and will cherish it always.
Part of the reason we received it, we feel, is because of our fundraising efforts for SOS. Thank you so much to all who have donated.
Love, Adil and Martha
Last Updated: Sept 5, 2007
NEW: Day by day coverage in Photo Gallery, homepage, stats, contributors
Adil & Martha Chaudhry
Gobi March, June 2007
chaudhry@starhub.net.sg
We did it! We successfully completed the Gobi March 2007. We are still hobbling around on sore feet and legs, but thrilled that we were among the finishers.
The race was extremely challenging. The course took us right to the border area between China and Pakistan, to the Tajik Autonomous Region of China populated largely by ethnic Tajiks. These people are extremely isolated and live much as they have for centuries in the Karakoram mountain range and foothills there, in mud constructed houses growing wheat, apricots and hay. We started near Tashkorgan in the far west, and for two days followed a river down valley over rocky but relatively easy terrain. Throughout the race we ran through dozens of villages whose occupants spilled out onto the paths and roadways to cheer us along. Check out the photo gallery called The Local People to see photos of them. For Martha it was very emotional as the people bear great resemblance to Safiya, who comes from a very similar gene pool just over the Karakoram range in Pakistan.
The first night (prior to race start) was freezing cold and stormy, so much so that two of the large 10 person tents at the camp blew into the river and were lost just before we arrived at the start! Race organizers scrambled quickly and housed us in a nearby school for the night. Gorgeous weather accompanied the race start the next morning. Martha in the exhuberance and beauty of the start went out too fast, running the first 20km with a nearly 30 lb pack despite warnings not to do so. This unfortunate mistake caused injuries that plagued her for the duration of the race. Beginners classic mistake.....The first night had us in camp early after only 36 km with time to rest, and chat. The second night, after continued downhill river-bed slogging, we bunked in the houses of local villagers, in traditional Tajik architecture which was spectacular. Day 3 wiped out several people and had us climbing up and over a mountain pass at 13,000 feet, where again inclement weather moved in and many were caught in sub-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions! Several people dropped out that day, but fortunately we were quick enough on the climb to make it up and over before the blizzard, dealing only with freezing rain in our "desert" attire on the way down the valley on the other side. The scenery was perhaps the most spectacular we have ever seen anywhere. Martha in particular loved Day 3. Many that night reached camp after midnight.
Day 4 was a long slog through river canyons leading us out of the alpine environment down towards the desert. Many river crossings made our feet wet, muddy and HEAVY. Martha suffered again from added weight of her shoes, as did many competitors, and developed severe tendonitis in both shins. She had a terrible day that day, and made it to the finish with Audie essentially dragging her. She wore her Crocs for part of the trek that day because they were so much lighter and caused less pain. Day 5 was an 80 km grind up and over one last small pass then slogging for hours down a dry river bed as the mountains turned to sandy hills then finally to desert. Nightime fell on a high desert plateau with the sky unobstructed and massive above us. We collapsed for a few hours to rest on the side of the road after about 19 hours, and finished in just under 24 hours that day. This gave us the full Day 6 to rest and recover. The heat was intense in camp as everyone lounged around with their feet up as much as possible. All were cheerful and content knowing that the race was essentially over at this point! Rising at 2:30 am the next day, buses headed out at 3:30 for the 5 hour drive back to Kashgar. A final celebratory 10 km trot through the city and cobbled windy streets of the 2,000+ year old Old City brought us to the finish line at a centuries old mosque in the village center. There the Mayor of Kashgar awaited with medals for finishers, and food, drinks and celebration greeted us all around. The mood and our spirits were soaring.
More details of the race can be found at www.4deserts.com/gobimarch. For our part, we are very proud of ourselves for finishing, and feel lucky to have had such an incredible experience. We received an award at celebration banquet held on Saturday night. The Cable-French award is given to first-time racers whom the organizers feel embody the cultural and humanitarian spirit of the race. We were stunned and honored to receive this award and will cherish it always.
Part of the reason we received it, we feel, is because of our fundraising efforts for SOS. Thank you so much to all who have donated.
Love, Adil and Martha