Seven Days in the DesertDEAN KARNAZES talks about racing in the most extreme conditions on earth.
The Ultramarathon Man wants to be the first person to complete all four legs of the 4 Deserts race series in one year. He survived the Gobi March and the Atacama Crossing, which he won last March. Next up, the Sahara Race—scheduled to begin this Sunday in Bahariya, Egypt—and the Last Desert, at the end of November, in Antarctica.
"My intention is to not necessarily win any of the individual races (the Atacama win was a fluke), but to pace myself to successfully make it through all four," Karnazes said in an email. "I also threw in the Badwater Ultramarathon after Gobi because I wanted to run one of the great deserts in North America."
He took fourth there. Outside caught up with Karnazes just before his departure for Cairo and the 135-degree heat and grueling soft sand of the Sahara.
What's the format of the race?
The 4 Desert series is always the same. They start the race at 8 in the morning, so you do whatever you can to get the finish line. You're on the clock. It's like the Tour de France. You can wait and try to run at night, but the advantage is going to belong to someone who can handle the heat during the day.
How do you plan on tackling the Saharan heat?
Read the rest at Outside Online.
(photo courtesy Dean Karnazes)
