Adventure Edge Radio interviews survivalist Laurence Gonzales, contributing editor to National Geographic Adventure magazine.
Gonzales is the author of ‘Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why,’ a book that examines the results of amazing tales of survival in extreme situations, A good read.
Adventure Edge Radio Interviews Journalist Laurence Gonzales
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US based Ironman events will air on Versus throughout the month of November.
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SAN LEANDRO, California—October 27, 2008—The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative, and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear, today announced the fourth race of The North Face Desert Grand Slam, in which The North Face Endurance athlete Dean Karnazes is attempting to complete the world’
s five major desert foot races in a single calendar year.
As he races across the four deserts of Atacama, Gobi, Sahara and Antarctica, Karnazes is taking part in “4 Deserts,”
presented by RacingThePlanet®, a formal endurance running series that encourages athletes to go beyond their athletic frontiers and explore their limits. These races span the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on earth in some of the most grueling footraces imaginable.
In pursuit of his five-desert goal, Karnazes ran the Atacama Crossing in Chile (March 30 – April 7), completed the Gobi March in China (June 6 –16), and Death Valley in California (July 14 –16). Beginning October 24th, Dean embarked on the Sahara Race in Eqypt (Oct 24 – Nov 3), and will run the final race in the desolate, arid plateaus of Antarctica (Nov 19 –
Dec 5). Races range in format and distance from seven-day, 155-mile runs that require competitors to carry all their own supplies, to the crew-supported traverse of Death Valley in a nonstop, 135-mile push.
“The opportunity to run five of the world’s greatest deserts in one year is an incredible experience and I’m excited to be running the Sahara,” said Karnazes. “With just two of the four athletes who set out to be the first to complete the 4 Deserts series in one year, I’m pacing and immersing myself in the experience of running in one of the most incredible places on earth.”
The largest, non-polar desert in the world, the Sahara Desert, also known as “The Great Desert,”
has only five isolated oases in its 9,000,000 square kilometers (3,500,000 square miles), beginning at the Farafra oasis, mid-way between Dakhla and Bahariya. Competitors head across flat, rocky, sandy terrain in the White Desert for roughly 21.9 miles. The course continues for 26.1 miles, almost the length of a marathon, passing exquisite rock formations in difficult, sandy, rocky environment with one small spring toward the second checkpoint.
The third section of the course, a 23.4-mile stretch named Hamada, or “flat out,”
is flat, sandy desert with abrasive, merciless winds. A camp refuge in the dunes allows competitors to grab a few hours of shuteye before heading into the fourth section. Through the Qarawin dunes, for 23.1 miles, the race continues along a small oasis, with ancient ruins, and even mummies, along the sandy terrain.
The fifth segment of the race leaves the White Desert, and leads into the Black Desert. It boasts plateaus, flat, and stony terrain toward the small village of Bahariya, 186.4 miles from Cairo. The sixth and final stage of the course takes racers to the Pyramids of Giza, in a short six-mile stretch.
Karnazes is tackling the Sahara race sporting The North Face Chinscraper running shoe, which boasts a softshell upper with maximum breathability and protection from the sun and sand. In addition, he has chosen to endure the elements in product from The North Face Endurance Collection, including the Agility Short, Impulse Pant and Reckoning Tee, which all have moisture-wicking, breathable properties for the elements Karnazes will face along the way. For what little sleep he will snag, he’
ll use the Beeline sleeping bag, one of the lightest-weight, technical bags available.
In an effort to raise global awareness for safe drinking water, The North Face and Dean Karnazes have teamed up with Blue Planet Run Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the lack of safe drinking water, and funding working solutions today for the billion plus people living without ready access to this life sustaining resource. For more information, please visit, www.blueplanetrun.org.
In 2006 Karnazes completed The North Face Endurance 50, in which he ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. He is the author of the bestseller “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner,” and the recently released “50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days-and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance.”
For information on and daily dispatches from The North Face Desert Grand Slam: www.thenorthface.com/deserts
For information and details on 4 Deserts: www.4deserts.com
For information on Dean Karnazes: www.ultramarathonman.com
Buy your perfect race-day set-up at www.thenorthface.com
About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.
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Slowtwitch interviews top triathlete swimmer Benjamin Sanson. First out of the water in Hawaii and held strong on the bike for quite some time.
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Linus Gerdemann, the promising German hopeful who wore the yellow jersey in the 2007 Tour de France, has signed a two-year deal to join Milram.
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Alberto Contador won’t be defending his Giro title next May, but rather focusing his attention on another Tour win.
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New Titanium bikes by Qoroz.Road, Mountain, and Time Trial models available.
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Sounds awesome. Spend eight days doing the adventure of your life. Ride around the base of the Himalayas as part of the annual Mt. Everest Bike Rally.
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Chrissie Wellington, Belinda Granger and Hillary Biscay leaving team TBB and coach Brett Sutton for Cliff English.
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Max King and Susannah Beck win the Xterra National Trail Run Championship.
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