For the 19th year, thousands of participants gathered for the iconic Ultra Gobi 121km in the Gobi Desert. This four day event, covering a total distance of 121km, features a unique team-based format that sets it apart from traditional ultra and endurance races.
On September 29th, the grand opening ceremony kicked off with a vibrant parade of all 120 teams and 5,833 participants. The ceremony finished with a dazzling fireworks display, sending best wishes to all competitors for the race ahead.
The first day
The first day of the event is an experience day, where all participants get to feel the race and enjoy the scenery along the Gobi Desert, before immersing themselves in the race atmosphere. The official race days for the Ultra Gobi 121km are from October 2nd to 4th.
Game Rules
The Ultra Gobi 121km offers both team and individual registration options. While the team category is designed for enthusiasts, the individual category caters to elite athletes. This year, 132 participants have signed up for the individual category out of a total of 5,833 registrants.
The individual category is a traditional non-stop, single-stage race open to elite or seasoned ultrarunners, with a cut-off time of 22 hours for 121km. The individual category starts the race on October 3rd, which marks the second official race day of the team category.
The team category, on the other hand, emphasizes team cooperation. Teams of 6 to 10 runners compete across 3 race days and stages (experience day excluded), and the final result is determined by the combined time of the sixth runner to cross the finish line each day. This is referred to as “the sixth person’s result rule.”
To ensure fair competition, the finish time for each stage is adjusted based on the team’s gender composition and average age. This innovative timing system rewards teams that strategically balance speed and diversity, encouraging dynamic team formations and strategic planning. By assigning different sprinters, leaders, and pacesetters for each stage, teams can optimize their overall performance, and focus on prioritizing the top sixth person’s result after calculating timing adjustments.
The unique game rules transformed the Ultra Gobi 121km from a traditional running race into a special endurance event involving game theory, appealing to the audience beyond the traditional running and trail-running community.
The course
The Ultra Gobi 121km course traverses more than ten diverse terrains, passing through historic ruins along the Silk Road and fostering dialogue across time and space. The early portion of the course is primarily characterized by Yardang landforms, while the latter part is dominated by Gobi terrain.
The experience day racecourse offered an open view and flat terrain with relatively low difficulty, with a nine-hour cutoff time for teams on the 28.70km course.
What Happened on Experience Day
The weather on the experience day was favourable, this made the experience day quite a pleasant journey and a nice way to kick off the race day the next day.
On this day, it is essential for teams to conserve energy, familiarize themselves with the terrain, and choose between running fast toward the finish, or trekking their way forward the end while enjoying the scenery along the way.
As the sun began to set, the experience day came to a close. Today, we witnessed a breathtaking spectacle: colourful flags fluttering across the vast Gobi Desert as participants raced toward the finish line team after team.
The Ultra Gobi 121km is highly sought-after by top business schools worldwide due to its unique rules that emphasize teamwork, leadership, collaboration, and physical endurance. Over the past 18 years, the race has attracted 83 top business schools from Asia, Europe, and America, with over 170 teams and 60,000 participants. It has become a prominent event within the Chinese business community, renowned for its ability to develop essential teamwork, leadership skills, and physical resilience.
Tomorrow, runners will usher in the first race day. Tune in for this spectacular team-based endurance race, and best of luck to all participants!
