Hi Everyone

Yes it's that time again - time to dig deep into those pockets of yours ;)

I'm participating in the 2016 Gobi March (19th to 25th June) - which is another one of those 250kms-running-across-a-desert-carrying-all-your-equipment-in-baking-heat-kind-of-things! Lots of sun, sand, and sweat all over again!

The race takes place in North-West China - 3 hours from Urumqi in the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, near the border with Mongolia.

It’s 4 days of 40-ish kms per day followed by a “long” day of 80kms. Should be a walk in the park – just a very, big, empty, sandy park…! What could possibly go wrong!

Anyway you can follow my meagre progress, or lack thereof on the site above.

http://www.4deserts.com/gobimarch/

The organisers post live race updates and each competitor can blog about the "experience" - but advance warning – that will mostly involve me complaining about blisters, chaffing and potentially running out of food! 

http://www.4deserts.com/blogs/gm_comptetior_blog.php?pid=MjkyNw==&blog=138 (live blogging from here)

A few random facts about the Gobi Desert to whet your appetite:

- Gobi means waterless place! 

- Approximately 500,000 square miles - but I'll only be traipsing through 250kms of it

- Temperatures during the Gobi March can vary greatly with a range between 0-40°C / 32- 104°F during the day and as low as 0°C / 32°F at night.

- The race starts at 2,400m / 7,874 feet and finishes at 500m / 1,640 feet.

- And wind speeds of up to 140kmph

- And finally The Gobi March is part of the 4 Deserts Series, named by TIME magazine as one of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the world

So once again to encourage me to run, walk and crawl all the way to the end I'm asking all of you wonderful people to think of the children, reach into your pockets and make a donation to Save the Children. They do amazing work all over the world and need all the help they can get.

All shapes and sizes gratefully received - just click-click above and it's all done in a few mins.

Thanks once again and thanks for all of your support.

Bryan