The Red Bulletin June 2019

Ultra Gobi
“This is what running
non-stop for that
length of time in such
hostile conditions
does to you”
The photographer’s
perspective: James Carnegie
“I struggled with a conflict of
compassion over commitment
during this assignment. I was
here, several thousand miles
from home, for the singular
purpose of capturing James’
story. But when your good friend
lurches in from the cold, dark
desert, shivering uncontrollably
and repeatedly muttering ‘I just
need to sleep’ you’re torn
between helping them into their
sleeping bag and getting the
shot. I kept telling myself that if
I came away with just one good
shot, it would all be worth it.
“I knew that I needed to see
James outside the checkpoints,
the safety of medics and the
race staff; I needed to see him
in the darkness and loneliness
of the race. I heard his shuffled,
slowing and stumbling footsteps
alongside me, and also his
incoherent, nonsensical speech
and hallucinations as we
traversed riverbed and gorge.
I could see – and briefly share
– the deep, deep cold he was
victim to as he drew the hood
tight around his face, clenching
his numb and useless fingers
into a ball in his gloves. This is
where he was. This is where the
story was. I would have liked to
have experienced more of that.
Without actually running this
thing in its entirety, that wasn’t
possible. I probably pushed as
far as I could in my capacity as
a photographer on this kind of
remote adventure, but I’m left
with utter respect for James
and all the runners who saw
this through.
“A face can tell a thousand
words. I hope that in my images
I captured some of what James
was experiencing. The raw
fatigue, the worn exterior and
the rollercoaster of emotions
were clear to see, but how does
one capture that?”
86 THE RED BULLETIN