Hong Kong's Tsang Siu-keung finished second in the week-long 250km Gobi March race across the Gobi Desert.
Winner Ryan Sandes from South Africa led the race from its first stage last Sunday and won all stages, including the demanding 79km 'Long March' section which traversed two days. Sandes completed the epic in 24 hours, 38 minutes and 20 seconds while Tsang finished in 25:09:00.
'The terrain and the climate were extremely harsh, but the scenery was unique,' said Tsang, who won the 2007 Hong Kong Trailwalker with Wong Ka-wai.
The race finished after a 15km run to Kashgar in Upal, Xinjiang Province. 'I didn't expect it to be the way it was. There are so many landscapes and they changed very quickly. It was beautiful,' Tsang added.
Tsang and Wong, who finished just outside the top 10 in the Gobi March, are both colleagues at the Hong Kong Fire Services department with Tsang working as a fitness trainer and Wong as an ambulance officer. The two have competed together on numerous occasions, including the 2007 and 2008 King of the Hills races.
'The toughest part of the race was definitely the Long March,' Tsang said. 'There were so many moments were I asked myself 'why am I doing this?'' Tsang was in pain from his Achilles tendon. Thoughts of going back to Hong Kong - sooner rather than later - kept him motivated and he was able to 'stay positive' by wishing the other competitors good luck as he passed them.
Overall, the 170 competitors (with 40 from Hong Kong) were a fast group and though 25 had to withdraw from the race, many, including Tsang, were just happy to have completed the race.
'The competitors in this race are fast and strong,' Tsang said. 'We will push each other to go harder.'
Racing the Planet, the organisers, were able to raise approximately US$23,500 for the Sichuan earthquake victims by selling Frisbees and by auctioning three hot showers at a house along the route to runners and volunteers in the middle of the race. Participants were not permitted to shower during any part of the race.
Third place was claimed by Chilean Juan Encina in 25:29:11. American ultra-marathon runner Dean Karnazes - who earned a measure of celebrity by running 50 marathons on 50 consecutive days in the US - finished fourth overall in a time of 28:37:46 in the race that started on June 8. American Lia Farley was the first woman to cross the finish line, clocking 32:09:35.
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