[11 October 2014, San Pedro de Atacama] — The tenth edition of the Atacama Crossing came to a triumphant close today as the Spanish double Olympian Jose Manuel ‘Chema’ Martinez Fernandez of Spain and British racer Emily Woodland came across the finish line earning gold medals.
This was Martinez Fernandez’s third race in the 4 Deserts Grand Slam (all 4 Deserts races in one calendar year) after also winning gold in the Gobi March (China). He came across the finish line of the 250-kilometer course through Chile’s spectacular Atacama Desert with an overall time of 25:57:58. The Spaniard now looks ahead to The Last Desert in Antarctica, his final race in the series in November.
“I feel good,” said the 42-year-old as he arrived at the finish line in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. “This race was harder than the other deserts so far, cold at night and hot in the day, and every day there was a surprise. But it was the most special to me and it was my favorite, I think because I enjoyed the moment; the running, the camp, the people.”
Emily Woodland won the women’s division—impressing all with her fast time of 34:18:39. The British competitor came in as the fifth overall competitor, proving herself to be a force to be reckoned with following her previous races in the Gobi March (China) 2012 and RacingThePlanet: Iceland 2013.
“It’s a privilege to be running with these women—and to be up there with them,” said Woodland. “They couldn’t be a better group—it’s great how unusually friendly the competition is here in the Atacama.”
In second place overall was Herbert Lehner of Austria, who was competing in his first 4 Deserts race. He was followed by Jonty Cowan of the United Kingdom in third place overall.
Catherine Simpson of the United Kingdom was second-placed woman. “This is the first of the 4 Desert races I had the pleasure to do,” she said. “While the altitude, the heat, and terrain were very difficult, I felt surprisingly well throughout the race. I think the best part of this event was how well everyone bonded.” Third-placed woman was Ruthann Sheahan of Ireland.
There were five teams taking part in this year’s race, the highest number of teams to date in any event in the 4 Deserts Race Series. The Spanish team Corre 1Km+ of Spain emerged as champions—with this race just being one more step in a huge challenge this year. Jose Luis Gomez Alciturri, Jesus Molina and Juan Carlos Albarran are taking on the Grand Slam this year as a team. “It is more exciting with more teams,” they said at the finish line. “It was more difficult than the other deserts, but we are happy.”
This tenth edition of the Atacama Crossing featured a total of 161 competitors from 36 countries. The stunning landscape of the Atacama Desert in Chile proved once again to be a challenging race for its variable temperatures, varied terrain and high altitudes.
There were inspiring stories emerging throughout the six stage, seven day course through the desert’s lunar landscape, with many competitors raising money for charities and pushing themselves beyond their physical and mental limits. One blind athlete, Vladmi dos Santos, who works closely with Brazil’s Paralympic Committee, was taking on his third 4 Deserts race here after winning the Spirit Award at the Atacama Crossing in 2013. He was guided during the race by the American firefighter Erin Leighty.
“This was a truly inspirational tenth anniversary edition of the race,” said 4 Deserts Race Series founder, Mary Gadams. “We saw extraordinary frontrunners in the shape of Chema Martinez Fernandez—who has proved himself to be an admirable athlete with great humility—and Emily Woodland who put in a staggering performance coming in fifth place overall.”
About the Atacama Crossing 2014 (5-11 October)
The Atacama Crossing is one of the four races that comprise the world renowned 4 Deserts Series of 250-kilometer endurance footraces.
The race takes place in Chile’s stunning but brutal Atacama Desert, which is the largest cold coastal desert and the driest place on Earth. The Atacama is a rainless plateau hemmed in between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes and is a unique landscape of salt lakes, volcanoes, lava flows and sand dunes that challenge even the best runners.
Atacama Crossing is grueling not only because of the forbidding terrain, which is rarely flat underfoot, and harsh climate, but also because of the altitude that averages 2,500 meters / 8,000 feet during the race.
Visit the Atacama Crossing website for this years results and details of next years race.
About the 4 Deserts
The 4 Deserts is the world’s leading endurance footrace series, a unique collection of world-class races that take place over 7 days and 250 kilometers in the largest and most forbidding deserts on the planet.
Competitors must go beyond the limits of their physical and mental endurance. Racing self-supported in the most inhospitable climates and formidable landscapes, they must carry all their own equipment and food, and are only provided with drinking water and a place in a tent each night to rest.
Visit the 4deserts.com for more details of the race series named again by TIME magazine as one of the world’s Top 10 endurance competitions and which comprises the Atacama Crossing in Chile, Gobi March in China, Sahara Race in Egypt/Jordan and The Last Desert in Antarctica.
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