Our challenge

Together, Dan Brandt, a schoolmaster from , North London and Nick Carmichael, an investment banker from Clapham are planning to compete in an event called the March in June 2010. 

The event is similar to Marathon des Sables, i.e. it is a 250km footrace across in this case, the Gobi Desert (China), completed in 6 stages over 7 days and it is fully self-supported - meaning you carry everything you need to survive the week other than water, medical assistance and a place in a tent each night.  Basically this means 6 marathons in as many days in searing heat and across treacherous terrain. The race travels through the , the second lowest place on earth, huge distances from the ocean in any direction. It is also one of the hottest place in , commonly known as the 'Oven', with summer temperatures sometimes reaching 50 degrees celsius. 

Why we are competing

We are competing to raise money for Nick’s sister-in-law Camilla Milbank and The Back-Up Trust.  In July, Camilla suffered a broken neck in a riding accident and has been left severely paralysed.  Quite unbelievably, Camilla’s father Charles also suffered a broken neck in December on his way home from visiting Camilla having fallen down a flight of stairs.  Charles is currently also paralysed and they are both now in .

How you can support us

We are meeting the costs of this event ourselves and any money donated will go directly to our chosen causes.

We are aiming to raise funds for a wonderful spinal charity, The Back-Up Trust, as well as the Friends of Camilla Milbank Appeal. 

You can support The Back-Up Trust by donatng via this site.  Should you wish to donate more directly to Camilla you can do so via the Friends of Camilla Milbank Appeal at www.friendsofcamillamilbankappeal.com , though this appeal is not a registered charity.

We will be very grateful for any donation you are able to make to these wonderful causes and your generosity will hopefully help us through the desert!

About The Back-Up Trust

Registered charity number 1072216

The Back-Up Trust are a small, dynamic charity that works to transform people's lives after spinal cord injury. Their vision is a world where people with spinal cord injury can realise their full potential.

Their mission is to;

* inspire people affected by spinal cord injury to transform their lives

* challenge perceptions of disability

* deliver services that build confidence and independence and offer a supportive   

   network

For more information on the fantastic work carried out by The Back-Up Trust please visit their website at www.backuptrust.org.uk

About the Gobi Desert (and specifically the Turpan Basin where the 2010 race will be held)

It’s a place that’s acquired legendary status in the history of the 4 Deserts, spoken of by competitors in awestruck tones betraying the scale of the challenge it posed. Memories of the Turpan Basin still burn very brightly in the minds of those who took part in the Gobi March 2005. 

The event is on record as the hottest ever 4 Deserts race, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s nothing unusual for this part of China though. The city of Turpan is also known as Huo Zhou, “a place as hot as fire” and the Basin’s often referred to as “the oven”. You get the picture.

“You could see the heat coming off the ground, like you were looking at the back of a jet engine,” says Gobi March 2005 competitor, Lucy Marriott of the UK. “It felt like you were being cooked alive.” 

RacingThePlanet hasn’t been back to the Turpan Basin since 2005’s searing event, but will return for the Gobi March 2010. You might question the wisdom of staging a race in a furnace, but remember – where you have extremes of nature, you also find great beauty and, quite often, exceptional cultures. The Turpan Basin simply has all the elements that make the 4 Deserts the unique experience it is.

For Hong Kong based Scot, Stuart Leckie, the Gobi March 2005 represented a 4 Deserts baptism of fire, but the combination of stunning landscape and fantastic people helped ease his pain.  

“We walked through some amazing countryside, ranging from totally arid desert and intensively irrigated grape-growing valleys, to sandstone hills and deserted plateaus,” recalls Stuart, who went on to complete the Atacama Crossing 2006 and Sahara Race 2007. “It was my toughest event, but was it worth it? Undoubtedly.”

Sounds pretty cool, so let’s turn up the heat again.

 

“Run if you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, but never stop”
- Dean Karnazes

 

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