Life Change for the Gobi
By Melanie Ho
It started as part of a three-pronged approach to try and reconcile with an ex-girlfriend, but in the eight months that have passed since Kristian Henry first signed up for the Gobi March 2010, much of Henry’s life has changed.
For one, Henry has decided to race the six-stage, 250 km race instead of merely trying to finish as a way to impress the ex-girlfriend who dumped him last September. But, as Henry says, competing here is the culmination of a complete personal transformation.
Yes, Henry did undergo the requisite haircut after splitting with his girlfriend of four years. But Henry also undertook a lifestyle transformation.
“At the time I signed up, it was part of a three-pronged approach to turn things around and maybe to impress her a little bit,” said Henry, who not only signed up for the race, but gave up drinking and decided to sort his career out. “But now I realize that the best thing she could have done was dump me. I worked everything out and I’m much happier now.”
The story goes that Henry, post break-up, impulsively signed up for the race because his former partner had successfully competed in the Gobi March 2007.
“This wasn’t really my thing and so I thought maybe I would try to show her that I was different,” said Henry, 28.
But as the Briton trained, and as the all-important time passed, Henry realized that he was no longer training to impress someone else, but that racing in the Gobi Desert had become motivation enough to run.
“When I first signed up I thought that it would be good enough for me to just finish, but these days I think I can beat some people out there,” Henry said.
Henry began training last October, as soon as he signed up for the race. In the eight months that have passed, Henry has completed a few ultramarathons in preparation for his first 4 Deserts event.
“You know, I really thought that out of the three things I wanted to focus on, that giving up drinking would be the hardest,” Henry said. “But honestly, that’s easy. The hard part is training for this. Before I used to do a little bit of running, but this really takes a lot of preparation and hard work.”
Henry, who has since started dating a new girlfriend, said that he’s pleased with how things have worked out and that he is excited to be racing. New friend Shuhan He had a slightly different take on it.
“The ex doesn’t know what she’s missing out on!” the 22 year old quipped.
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