Ekaterina (Kate) Theisen joins us from Singapore for her first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. Kate is originally from Russia and has spent quite a few years living abroad with her husband in locations such as Michigan and Virginia in the United States and Shanghai, China. Kate considers herself a very active person and loves taking part in sports such as hiking, cycling, and wakeboarding.
Seonggon CHOI
Mechanical Engineer
Korea (South)
Seonggon (Choidison) Choi is a mechanical engineer living in working in Taegu City, Korea. Choideson has an excellent ability to wake up early and respond to unexpected situations, perfect for the Gobi March. Choidison's wife, Joohee (Julie) Bang, is a competitor at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024.
Janka DOLEžAL
Life Coach
Germany
Carmen CORDOGAN
Retired from academics, part time research, perpetual volunteer
Spain, Resident in United States
Carmen Cordogan is from Spain, however she now lives in Illinois in the United States where she is currently a research associate. She was previously a teacher before she retired. Carmen joins the NAmib Race 2024 for her eighth time at a RacingThePlanet event - she found out about the races from a friend and got roped into the volunteer team for the Namib Race in 2017, followed by the Namib Race 2018, the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2018 and 2022 and back again to the Namib Race in 2019 and 2024. She also competed in RacingThePlanet: Lapland 2022. Among many other talents, Carmen speaks Spanish, French, a little Italian, and Portuguese - as well as English of course. We are very happy to welcome Carmen back to the Gobi March for the fifth time!
Mariona TRIOLA VILLAMBROSA
Event Manager
Spain
Mariona loves trail running, mountain adventure, travelling and extreme sports, a passion that she enjoys when travelling to participate in trail running marathons. She is a freelance event organizer and works for both corporate events and sport races. She speaks Catalan, Spanish, English and a bit of French and considers herself a cheerful, social, energetic person, eager to meet new people and cultures. The Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 is Mariona's first experience at a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathon.
Yo TAKEUCHI
IT Manager
Japan
Yo Takeuchi of Japan returns to the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 as a volunteer, after having completed the race in 2023. Yo has worked as an engineer at an IT company for 20 years, and currently lives in Tokyo. He has lived abroad as well, spending 5 years in Bangkok, Thailand, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for 3 years. Yo is excited to experience the Gobi March again and get a new perspective as a volunteer.
Haihui HU
Student
China, Resident in Hong Kong
Haihui (Coco) Hu is originally from China but is currently an enthusiastic and curious university student based in Hong Kong, eager to explore new horizons and embrace the unknown. With a passion for adventure and a thirst for knowledge, Coco proactively seeks out new experiences, whether it's trying new sports, acquiring new skills, or venturing to new destinations.
As a sports enthusiast, Coco has immersed herself in various activities to challenge herself physically and mentally. From windsurfing and skiing to skating and roller skating, she enjoys pushing my limits and discovering new thrills. Additionally, she finds solace in hiking and running, which led her to participate in a 100-kilometer hiking challenge, as well as full and half marathons. These endeavors have taught her the value of perseverance, determination, and the immense satisfaction that comes with accomplishing personal goals.
During Coco's exchange program in France, she seized the opportunity to explore the diverse cultures and breathtaking landscapes of Europe. Her adventurous spirit led her to travel to 13 countries within just half a year. This eye-opening experience allowed her to appreciate the beauty of different cultures, broaden her worldview, and ignite a deep passion for exploring the world and the unknown.
As a volunteer at the Gobi March 2024, she is excited to bring her enthusiasm, adaptability, and open-mindedness to contribute to the success of the Gobi March. She believes that her diverse experiences, coupled with her passion for pushing boundaries, will enable her to provide exceptional support to both participants and the event as a whole.
Vera SOH
Regional Wellness Specialist (APAC)
Singapore
Vera Soh joins us from Singapore along with her husband Gary who is joining the competitor field. Vera says "I'm in awe of these incredible athletes! My body can't take me that far, but I can get a little closer to the action than a spectator. I'd love to give what I can, anything from customer service-related, back end support, training teams, organizing and managing programs, teaching yoga/meditation, liaising with charities/sponsors/participants..." When Vera is off work from LinkedIn Corporation and mom duties, you can find her cracking open a bottle of wine, reading a good book, attending meditation camps and dreaming of the ultra marathon that she aspires to run one day.
Qin Xuan TEO
Malaysia, Resident in Hong Kong
Xuan is originally from Malaysia and recently graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in Social Work. Xuan is currently working as a research assistant in the School of Public Health. Xuan enjoys interacting with people from various backgrounds as she believes every individual is unique in their own way. She loves how people connect with each other through sharing their stories, which has also empowered her in many ways.
Michael KNEZ
Environmental Consultant
United States
Michael Knez from the United States is an environmental consultant at a firm based in Richmond, Virginia. Michael joins us as a volunteer at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 for his first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event. He graduated recently from James Madison University with a degree in Geology. Undoubtedly the camp will be hearing from Michael about the various geological formations in Mongolia during the race!
Roberto GAVAGNIN
Airline pilot
Italy
Roberto Gavagnin joins us as a volunteer for his first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. Roberto is from Rome, Italy and works as an airline pilot with Alitalia Airlines.
Jo SCOTT
Artist / Illustrator
United Kingdom
We are excited to welcome Jo Scott back to her sixth RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathon. Jo also has lots of experience providing support for runners in other ultramarathons too - usually in colder and wetter conditions in the north of England. Jo is a full-time artist and illustrator who used to work with software providers for the arts and sporting industries, managing customers as diverse as the Tate Galleries and Silverstone Race Circuit. She has herself competed in triathlons and running events, and is a long-distance hiker. Jo designed the special poster given to finishers of the 4 Deserts Grand Slam (Plus) 2022, the Gobi March 2023, the Atacama Crossing 2023 and the upcoming race in Jordan. Jo will be the Volunteer Manager at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024.
Yu Ching LEUNG
Engineer
Hong Kong
Philip Leung first discovered the RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series when he was hired as a radio frequency engineer for the Gobi March in 2013. Since then, he has lost more than 10kg and joined ten RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathons as a volunteer and completed the Gobi March (China) 2017 as a competitor. The races he has volunteered at are: Gobi March 2013, 2016, 2018, RacingThePlanet: Iceland 2013, Madagascar 2014, Sri Lanka 2016, Patagonia 2017, New Zealand 2019, Georgia 2021 and Lapland 2022. When it comes to communication systems, Philip Leung is unarguably your man! He ensures that communications run smoothly, as well as undertaking normal volutneer duties and keeping us entertained with his amazing Rubik's Cube skills. A native of Hong Kong, Philip earned his Bachelor of Science in electronic engineering and is an experienced problem solver. He is also now an endurance athlete, having begun running and ultra-racing since his exposure to the sport at the Gobi March. He has since completed numerous events in Hong Kong, Korea and China. We look forward to seeing Philip return as a member of the volunteer team for the eleventh time at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024.
Andrea ANDREWS
Dietitian
Chile, Resident in Australia
Andrea Andrews from Chile is a clinical Dietitian and a mum of two who lives in Australia. Her first RacingThePlanet event was in 2010 when she volunteered for the Atacama Crossing which she says is "the most spectacular race I have ever been a part of and most importantly in my home country". She came to that race with her husband who was competing. She never expected to have such an amazing time, and was hooked. She went on to volunteer in 2011 for the roving race in Nepal and in 2015 she decided to see what it was like from the competitor side and competed in the roving race in Ecuador which she describes as "an epic challenge and a humbling experience to get to complete this kind of race". In 2017, 11 months after having her beautiful baby girl she completed the Patagonia roving race, wanting to break the stereotype that new mothers were not able to be adventurous "it was an amazing challenge and my best race so far". She put her volunteering on hold when she had a second baby but avidly followed the races from her couch with massive FOMO and decided that she would definitely be joining the team again.
Andrea loved competing but is coming back this time as a volunteer. Her favourite part of the race is the checkpoint and camp life and the camaraderie formed by the volunteer team. We welcome her back to her fifth RacingThePlanet event - having volunteered twice, once at the Atacama Crossing, and twice as a racer. She is most looking forward to getting to know everyone and find out why they are here.
Wendy HARDING
Realtor
South Africa
Wendy Harding joins us from South Africa for her first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. She has been fascinated with RacingThePlanet events for many years and is excited to finally join one as a volunteer. She is also supporting her husband, Mark, as he competes in the Gobi March.
Samantha JACKSON
Executive Assistant
United Kingdom
Samantha (Sam) Jackson from the United Kingdom joins the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 volunteer team for her first RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts race. She was inspired to join after her son, Charlie, volunteered in the 2023 edition. Sam has over 30 years experience as an Executive Assistant. Sam is a keen athlete and enjoys meeting people from across the world, and looks forward to supporting the Gobi March.
Tom ADAIR
Self employed
Canada
Visiting the Gobi has been on Tom Adair's bucket list for a while. The Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 will be Tom's second time joining a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts event, this time as a volunteer after completing the Sahara Race in 2009. Tom will be supporting his son, Jake, as he attempts to complete the race.
Sanae KONDO
Retired
Japan
Sandy Kondo from Japan has volunteered at sixteen RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathons - she also raced in RacingThePlanet: Jordan 2012and Madagascar 2014. Sandy worked for the South African Embassy in Tokyo before retiring in 2023 and has managed the RacingThePlanet office in Japan for more than ten years. She is a natural organizer with a flair for multi-tasking. Kind and generous, Sandy is one of our best known cheer-leaders and has assisted dozens of 4 Deserts and RacingThePlanet competitors in preparing for the races. She also works and volunteers at the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, Tokyo Marathon in Japan and, most importantly, multiple 4 Deserts / RacingThePlanet ultramarathons. In addition to the Gobi March 2024, Sandy will also join us in Antarctica for The Last Desert 2024, her second visit to the White Desert.
Douglas KAMP
Software Development Manager
Australia
Douglas Kamp was born in Zimbabwe but was raised in Perth, Australia. He's lived in 5 countries (Zimbabwe, Australia, USA, Thailand and New Zealand) and visited even more. Doug enjoys taking himself out of his comfort zone, making the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 the perfect place for his first experience as a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts volunteer. When not going on adventures, Doug works as a Software Development Manager in his home town of Perth.
Jacqueline EASTRIDGE
Operations Manager
United States
4 Deserts Club member Jacqueline Eastridge returns to the volunteer team for Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024. Jacqueline is not only an impressive careerwoman and a successful endurance athlete but she most recently was Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia followed by a teaching stint at an international school also in Mongolia. In addition to completing the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, Jacqueline has finished RacingThePlanet: Iceland 2013, Primal Quest Race and the Trans Alpine Run as well as high altitude climbs in Switzerland, France and Germany and a 16-mile swim in Tampa Bay, Florida. She was a member of the Team USA Dragonboat Team which competed in the World Championships in Shanghai, China; Berlin, Germany; Sydney, Australia; and Szigid, Hungary. Fluent in English and German and adept at working in international locations and under pressure, Jacqueline will no doubt be a valuable team member this year again assisting with operations at the Gobi March.
Pohsu WEI
United States
American / Taiwanese Pohsu (Po) Wei from New York completed the Atacama Crossing 2022 and Gobi March 2023 and was so grateful for the support he received from the volunteers that he wanted to give back and join the volunteer team. Po volunteered at the Atacama Crossing 2023 and we are so happy to him as a volunteer again, this time at the Gobi March 2024. Po previously completed two Ironman triathlons in Texas and Lake Placid in 2021. At the Gobi March 2024, Po competed with his son Bryan. Po is also scheduled to compete at RacingThePlanet: The 20-Year Race in Jordan later this year.
Iryna ZHAYVORONOK SOFILKANICH
Lawyer
Ukraine, Resident in Spain
Iryna Zhayvoronok Sofilkanich is from Ukraine but has lived in Spain for more than 20 years and currently lives in Tenerife having grown up between Poland, Argentina and Barcelona. She loves travelling around the world which she has done since she was a child and speaks 8(!) languages including English, Spanish, French and Italian very well - saying she is happy to learn a new one if needed! The Gobi March (Mongolia) 2024 is Iryna's first experience at a RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts ultramarathon - her "very sporty" husband is racing for the first time and is so excited for the race that Iryna wanted to join him and other friends who are competitors. She is a fast learner, easy going, first-aid qualified and will be a great help at the race.
Privacy policy and cookies:
By browsing this website you accept cookies used to improve and personalise our services and marketing, and for social activity. Read our Privacy Policy for more about what we do with your data, as well as your rights and choices – including how to manage cookies.
Newsletter
Online Store
Login
.png)
