Helmut Tschellnig

Forty Runners Eastward

The Gablitz extreme athlete Helmut Tschellnig dares once again to take on the ultramarathon through the desert. After numerous runs through six of the world's major sandboxes, including the Atacama, Sahara, and Namib, this time it's the Gobi Desert's turn. The Track Mongolia spans 520 kilometers over ten days, featuring a two-day king stage of 120 kilometers. Forty participants are allowed for this adventure, which, aside from the sheer distance, includes nearly five thousand meters of elevation gain. The air gets thin, in more ways than one. As Tschellnig says, "even the fastest have to go uphill instead of running."

Participants will sleep in yurts, and this time they will sweat less than in previous years. "A maximum of thirty-five degrees," grins Tschellnig, the Mr. Teflon among the desert race veterans.

Will he make it through? Of course. "As long as the boss up there gives me strength, I'll do it."

(Press release)