The Red Bulletin June 2019
Ultra Gobi During his seventh-century pilgrimage along the route that would become known as the Silk Road, Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang described the Gobi Desert as “nothing but barren sand and dry river beds; at night, stars shine like fires lit by devils… There is not enough water to nourish even a single blade of grass; one looks for birds in the sky and beasts on land, but finds none”. Xuanzang’s quest to obtain sacred Buddhist scriptures was adapted into one of China’s most famous novels, Journey to the West, better known outside the country in its abridged form, titled Monkey. Today, the terrain remains remarkably unchanged and the monk’s route draws a different kind of pilgrim: the ultrarunner. Launched in 2015, the Ultra Gobi is a self-navigating, self-supporting race that follows Xuanzang’s trail along the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau in western China. Once known as the Gansu Corridor, this was the only path for caravans passing between the sands of the Gobi proper to the north and the mountains of Tibet to the south. “The heat goes through you like a flame and the wind cuts your flesh like a knife,” wrote Xuanzang of this route. The Chinese name for the race translates as ‘Xuanzang’s Route: 800li of Flowing Sands’, and 800li (or Chinese miles) converts to 400km, making Ultra Gobi a ‘super-ultra’ marathon that exceeds the world’s most famous desert race – the Marathon des Sables – by 150km, with a soulcrushing 4,000m mountain-pass ascent to the midway checkpoint. It took the legendary monk 17 years to complete his journey; Ultra Gobi contestants – of whom there are only 50 invited each year – have just 149 hours to finish the course. In 2017, British runner Daniel Lawson, then aged 43, did it in less than 71 hours. For the 2018 race, the organisers laid down a $10,000 (around £7,500) prize for anyone who could top that. Fellow Brit James Poole was one of those who took up the challenge. Photographer James Carnegie joined Poole to document his race, and here they take us through their photo diary. It’s a study of attrition, of human determination, and of the toll that harsh conditions and exhaustion can take on the mind and body. “It wasn’t until I was editing the images that I noticed much of what James was going through,” says Carnegie. “The glazed eyes behind his sunglasses as we climbed out of the canyon and onto the 4,000mhigh plateau will always remind me of how far gone he was at that point.” At the stroke of midnight on September 25, 2018, the 50 entrants set off into the vast desert expanse as the clock starts ticking towards the 149-hour completion deadline. This year, there’s an additional £7,500 prize for whoever manages to beat 70 hours and 52 minutes, the record-breaking time set by 2017 winner Daniel Lawson. 76 THE RED BULLETIN
Poole at the start line. Festivities at the opening ceremony – a firework show, a few dozen dancers dressed in Mongolian attire, and a makeshift bar lined with cups of rice beer – belie the gruelling race to come.
- Page 28 and 29: B U L L E V A R D UNDERWORLD BORN S
- Page 30 and 31: TARON EGERTON The Dwight Stuff Word
- Page 32 and 33: Taron Egerton that he is one of the
- Page 34 and 35: DANIELA RYF The Unfair Advantage Wh
- Page 36 and 37: Daniela Ryf Daniela Ryf is amazingl
- Page 38 and 39: CRASH. DISLOCATE SHOULDER. RECOVER.
- Page 40 and 41: Daniela Ryf “YOUR POSITION AT THE
- Page 42: Daniela Ryf In 2018, Ryf won her fo
- Page 45 and 46: The Empire Strikes Back, Printworks
- Page 47 and 48: The first rule of Secret Cinema is:
- Page 49 and 50: SECRET CINEMA/HANSON LEATHERBY 28 D
- Page 51 and 52: Secret Cinema SECRET CINEMA/LUKE DY
- Page 53 and 54: VYCE STEM and BOOM BAR HELIX DROPPE
- Page 56 and 57: Free Radicals Bleak, utilitarian ci
- Page 58 and 59: MTB street “When you’ve got a b
- Page 60 and 61: MTB street a BMX, but ‘mountain-b
- Page 62 and 63: “You’ve got to be quick. Get in
- Page 64 and 65: Reynolds sends a one-footed euro ta
- Page 66: LEAGUE OF HER OWN One dream job wou
- Page 69 and 70: Northern powerhouse: Chelcee is an
- Page 71 and 72: Chelcee Grimes Chelcee’s World Cu
- Page 74: Chelcee Grimes “There’s no yell
- Page 77: The Silk Road: the route of China
- Page 81 and 82: In an attempt to stave off swelling
- Page 84 and 85: Ultra Gobi Poole: “The night-time
- Page 86 and 87: Carnegie: “I’ve never seen some
- Page 88 and 89: Ultra Gobi “This is what running
- Page 90: Rock Steady When running on slate o
- Page 93 and 94: ADIDAS TERREX Trailcross tee and Fr
- Page 95 and 96: COLUMBIA OutDry Ex Featherweight Sh
- Page 97 and 98: MOUNT VISION RULE THE RIDE • ALL
- Page 99 and 100: ADDIX SPEEDGRIP & SOFT COMPOUND The
- Page 101 and 102: guide Get it. Do it. See it. TAKE T
- Page 103 and 104: The Azores TRAVEL INFO BAD BIRD CAL
- Page 105 and 106: All weathers. All seasons. All conq
- Page 107 and 108: Grip Wide Concave Serviceable It's
- Page 109 and 110: HABIT * Comes with technology. And
- Page 111 and 112: Equipment GEARS: Shimano XT DI2 DIS
- Page 113 and 114: COPYRIGHT © 2019 MNA, INC. ALL RIG
- Page 115 and 116: THE RED BULLETIN PROMOTION NATHAN H
- Page 117 and 118: OFFICIAL SPONSOR & RACEWEAR SUPPLIE
- Page 120 and 121: G U I D E See it June Hear handpick
- Page 122 and 123: THE RED BULLETIN WORLDWIDE The Red
- Page 124 and 125: Action highlight Flying the flag Wh
Ultra Gobi<br />
During his seventh-century pilgrimage along the route<br />
that would become known as the Silk Road, Chinese<br />
Buddhist monk Xuanzang described the Gobi Desert as<br />
“nothing but barren sand and dry river beds; at night,<br />
stars shine like fires lit by devils… <strong>The</strong>re is not enough<br />
water to nourish even a single blade of grass; one looks<br />
for birds in the sky and beasts on land, but finds none”.<br />
Xuanzang’s quest to obtain sacred Buddhist scriptures<br />
was adapted into one of China’s most famous novels,<br />
Journey to the West, better known outside the country in its abridged<br />
form, titled Monkey. Today, the terrain remains remarkably unchanged<br />
and the monk’s route draws a different kind of pilgrim: the ultrarunner.<br />
Launched in 2015, the Ultra Gobi is a self-navigating, self-supporting<br />
race that follows Xuanzang’s trail along the northern edge of the Tibetan<br />
Plateau in western China. Once known as the Gansu Corridor, this was the<br />
only path for caravans passing between the sands of the Gobi proper to the<br />
north and the mountains of Tibet to the south. “<strong>The</strong> heat goes through you<br />
like a flame and the wind cuts your flesh like a knife,” wrote Xuanzang of<br />
this route. <strong>The</strong> Chinese name for the race translates as ‘Xuanzang’s Route:<br />
800li of Flowing Sands’, and 800li (or Chinese miles) converts to 400km,<br />
making Ultra Gobi a ‘super-ultra’ marathon that exceeds the world’s most<br />
famous desert race – the Marathon des Sables – by 150km, with a soulcrushing<br />
4,000m mountain-pass ascent to the midway checkpoint.<br />
It took the legendary monk 17 years to complete his journey; Ultra Gobi<br />
contestants – of whom there are only 50 invited each year – have just<br />
149 hours to finish the course. In 2017, British runner Daniel Lawson, then<br />
aged 43, did it in less than 71 hours. For the 2018 race, the organisers laid<br />
down a $10,000 (around £7,500) prize for anyone who could top that.<br />
Fellow Brit James Poole was one of those who took up the challenge.<br />
Photographer James Carnegie joined Poole to document his race, and here<br />
they take us through their photo diary. It’s a study of attrition, of human<br />
determination, and of the toll that harsh conditions and exhaustion can take<br />
on the mind and body. “It wasn’t until I was editing the images that I noticed<br />
much of what James was going through,” says Carnegie. “<strong>The</strong> glazed eyes<br />
behind his sunglasses as we climbed out of the canyon and onto the 4,000mhigh<br />
plateau will always remind me of how far gone he was at that point.”<br />
At the stroke of midnight on September 25,<br />
2018, the 50 entrants set off into the vast<br />
desert expanse as the clock starts ticking<br />
towards the 149-hour completion deadline.<br />
This year, there’s an additional £7,500 prize<br />
for whoever manages to beat 70 hours and<br />
52 minutes, the record-breaking time set<br />
by 2017 winner Daniel Lawson.<br />
76 THE RED BULLETIN