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Course Director Carlos Garcia and the course team are doing their final recce of the Gobi March course, checking to make sure everything is in order and ready to go! Ancient petroglyphs lie waiting to be found along the Stage 1 course. Keep an eye out!

What’s a race without sand dunes? Carlos and the course team are busy testing out the dunes of Mongolia to make sure they’re ready for the race. A beautiful stretch of sand and dunes breaks up the typical grass and hills of Mongolia during Stage 3 to make for a challenging day.

Finally, back in Ulaanbaatar! All the volunteers for the 19th Edition of the Gobi March are undergoing their race training, preparing for all their duties from operating race checkpoints to using car radios.

Competitor check-in and the race briefing was a success! We’ve had important race information, gear checks, medical documents checks and meeting new and old friends in Ulaanbaatar. The Gobi March is due to begin at 8AM on Sunday, Mongolia time.

One more sleep till Gobi March 2025! Competitors arrived safely at Camp 1, surrounded by sprawling grassland and ancient ruins. Excitement abounds as all get settled in and the final hours of the race countdown tick away. The Gobi March will begin Sunday at 8AM Mongolia time.

And they’re off! The 19th edition of the Gobi March in Mongolia has officially commenced. For the starters today, the Stage 1 starting line represents promise and possibility. Anything can happen from here, it’s anyone’s race for now.

The results are in after a long, beautiful and unexpectedly hot Stage 1! Temperatures of up to 47C (116F) were reported on the course, causing 4 Deserts Club hopeful Dirk Diemont to say, “I’ve done many of these races and today was by far the hardest stage of any.”

Stage 2, named "The Nomadic Wilderness," began promptly at 8:00 AM this morning. Racers are venturing deeper into the beautiful landscapes of Mongolia and will experience the nomadic Mongolian lifestyle firsthand, with views of yurts, livestock, and local onlookers.

Pictured: Highlights from Stage 2 Stage 3, “From the Mountains to the Sand Dunes”, commenced at 8 a.m. today with 80 racers at the startline. After a restful night in traditional Mongolian gers and with working toilets, competitors hopefully began Stage 3 slightly more rested.

Four hours into “The Long March,” all competitors remain active on the course. Kumagai Takuro continues to lead the field and is nearing Checkpoint 4, the halfway mark. Michaela Punz-Raml maintains her lead in the women’s field. Spirits appear high early in the day!

Takuro Kamagai from Japan has won The Long March to extend his lead by a further 28 minutes. Michaela Punz-Raml was the first female – crossing the line in joint 5th overall with Roger Ruijters from the Netherlands. Tanaj Volm was the second female across the line.

The Long March was ended at 10pm last night due to thunderstorms. An evacuation plan was put into place, and all competitors were taken safely to shelter. Everyone is happily resting and will have the day to relax. The outlook for Stage 5 is already looking good! Safety first!

Any amount of time spent in Mongolia is incredible! The Long March always promises intense and challenging conditions, but this one was perhaps a bit more extreme than normal. 20 competitors successfully completed the Stage, and the rest were picked up somewhere along the course

We’re back with the action as Stage 5 kicked off at 8:00 AM this morning. Today’s stage features the fabled Mongolian alpine forest and a handful of crossings of the Orkhon River. The stage is aptly called The Battlegrounds of Genghis Khan as we approach the storied Orkhon Valley

Stage 5 is Complete – Just One Last Short Stage to Go!   The last people reached Camp at 6pm to close off the Stage in less than 10 hours.  "Best Stage yet. It's been absolutely stunning. I didn't know what part of the world I was in" Julie Johnstone racingtheplanet.com/gobimarch/live

That wonderful finishing feeling! The Gobi March 2025 is officially complete, and smiles were found in abundance at Erdene Zhu Monastery and the final finish line. Finishers celebrated the moment with beverages and pizza as fellow competitors received their medals.

2026 is a 4 Deserts Grand Slam year! Gobi March (Mongolia): 21 June 2026 Namib Race (Namibia): 16 August 2026 The Last Desert (Antarctica): 13 November 2026 Antarctica Ultramarathon: 13 November 2026 Atacama Crossing (Chile): 4 April 2027  racingtheplanet.com/entry_details

Next up: RacingThePlanet: Greece 2025! The next RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon is in Greece! The odyssey across the Peloponnese region of Greece begins 28 September 2025.

Congratulations to our three newest 4 Deserts Club members: Jasmine Lo, Dirk Diemont, and Szilvia Lubics! It’s been a long time in the making for all three, and it was a pleasure seeing their longtime 4 Deserts Club dreams manifest at the Gobi March this past week.

Let’s take a moment to recognize the incredible volunteers at the Gobi March 2025! An incredible team came out from all corners of the globe, and they did an amazing job. To all the volunteers at the Gobi March this year, thank you!