A record number of competitors, including individuals and teams, from 23 countries are competing in the Gobi March (China) 2007, the first event of the year in the gruelling 4 Deserts series.  The field of competitors, normally limited to 100, has been expanded to 180 to accommodate the record number of applications.

This year's event will take place in remote areas surrounding the oasis of Kashgar located in the far northwest of China in Xinjiang Province, also a major focal point of the ancient Silk Road . The course is expected to take place in the remote and little explored area of Tashkorgan, off the Karakoram Highway , the highest paved road in the world.  In the shadow of the mountains named K2 and K5, and starting at an elevation of 2399 meters (7870 feet), the Gobi March will take competitors through many gorges, canyons, dried river beds and flat desert before crossing a 3815 meter (12,516 foot) mountain pass.  Competitors will also spend the night in a Tajik village which will welcome their first-ever foreign visitors.   The finish will be in front of the 400-year-old Id Kah Mosque in the center of Kashgar where the governor of the province will present medals to finishers of the Gobi March (China ) 2007 on Saturday, 23 June 2007.  Thousands are expected to gather for the finish line.

This year's field includes the Atacama Crossing (Chile) champion, Mark D. Tamminga of Canada; twelve teams; blind competitor Kyoung Tae Song of Korea; Seven Summits veteran Marshall M. Ulrich of the United States; former member of the British Olympic rowing squad in Athens, Elizabeth L. Crichton; former pro-baseball player Kent D. Gikas; and European singer star Joey Kelley of Germany, to name a few. The youngest competitor is 20-year-old Andrew D. Liss of Canada, and the oldest competitor is 70-year-old John N. Beall of the United States.   

Many competitors in the Gobi March (China ) 2007 will be raising money for charities.  The Gobi March organization will be making a donation of books to a local school around Kashgar, and has supported a young girl from Xinjiang Province with surgery through the Operation Smile International charity.

Brunton and Gerber are the official product partners, supporting the event with top-of the-line products which will be used in the event by both competitors and staff including binoculars, multi-tools, solar panels, utensils, lanterns and shovels.

The Coca-Cola Company will provide 18,000 bottles of water (1.5 liters) which will be consumed by both competitors and staff during the seven day period.

The Esquel Group has provided vital government relations support, and will field the official 'Team China' in the event.  The Esquel Group will also have several employees as volunteers during the event.

A full eight-person media team is on-site and will provide live website coverage throughout the event.  Several international film crews will also be filming the event for international broadcasts.

The Gobi March was founded in honor of three missionaries, Mildred Cable and two sisters -- Francesca and Eva French. Mildred Cable and Eva and Francesca French were Christian missionaries who began their work in China around the turn of the 19th century.   After more than 20 years of doing routine missionary work in China, the trio headed northwest – to the Gobi Desert and beyond.  Many of their colleagues were shocked.   In the words of Cable, "Some wrote, saying in more or less parliamentary language, that there were no fools like old fools."

Live website coverage of the Gobi March (China) 2007 will be broadcast from the 4 Deserts website at www.4deserts.com/gobimarch. The website will feature hundreds of pictures, breaking news texts, daily journals, video clips and field updates. Full results will also be posted.

About RacingThePlanet
RacingThePlanet Limited is an international outdoor lifestyle brand and global leader in organizing some of the world's most prestigious outdoor events including the 4 Deserts, a series of 7-day footraces across the world's largest and most forbidding deserts. These events include the Gobi March in China, the Atacama CrossingTM in Chile , the Sahara Race in Egypt and The Last Desert in Antarctica. These locations represent the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. The 4 Deserts™ attract individuals from all backgrounds and from all walks of life, the majority being professionals including bankers, lawyers, airline pilots and medical doctors.  The 4 Deserts is one of the world's most prestigious outdoor events. With several ancillary business units including an online merchandise shop, a television and film production unit and an online portal, RacingThePlanet Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong and has ten representative offices around the world. For further information about RacingThePlanet, please visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.

For further information about Gobi March in China please contact RacingThePlanet at info@racingtheplanet.com or visit the website at www.racingtheplanet.com.