It's hard but not as hard as you think!

This is what my friend Emily Woodland said to me over and over again. I'm so glad I had this quote in mind all the time during the race and my conclusion was also exactly this after I crossed the finishing line.

A few months ago, when Emily first said this, I thought it was easy for her to say that! she came 5th at Gobi last year and for somebody who could finish HK100 in 15 hours, I would, if I were her, say that the Gobi is a piece of cake!

The hard part for me really was the weight of the pack and the pain on the shoulders and neck. The first day it didn't bother me because I was full of energy. By the second day, my energy was starting to wear out but my pack was just as heavy. Ask me again and I would say Day 2 was the most frustrating. Day 3, I was distracted by the beautiful landscape and my determination to tackle which was supposed to be the most technical sections of the race. Day 4, a small dosage of pain killers helped me get through the day. Day 5, I couldn't think about anything else except finishing the long march and I was seeing light at the end of the tunnel anyway.

But the beautiful and positive memory definitely outweighed the memory of the shoulder pain, blisters, and the sleep deprivation etc... To be able to spend such time having such long spiritual dialogues with myself, with heaven and earth, with so many interesting new friends, are what I consider to be some of the most precious experiences in life and I cannot be more grateful. 

Do I feel a sense of loss because I did 20k less? To me, I am just as grateful with any distance, any weather, any terrain which mother nature permits and what my body permits. In fact, this has always been my attitude when I do any race or any training. Glad I still had this motto deeply imprinted in mind head when I was at the Gobi.

A totally different mood this year

I bet every Gobi March has one Japanese guy who dresses up and projects a distinctive persona. Last year, there was Mr. Spiderman who would not take off his mask any time during the race, even when he was sobbing. This year, we have Shoma-san who dressed up as a popular cartoon character and cheered every body up in the race. He created a lot of fun for himself as well as for others.

 

 
The dynamics and the chemistry of this year's Hong Kong team was very different from last year. Last year, I was travelling with two of my very good friends who were about my age. So the topics of conversation and outlook on life were more serious. This year, my three friends are a lot younger. The things that they would talk about and laugh about, whilst I enjoyed listening are not the kind of conversations that I would be able to participate. It was fun though since there were a lot more hilarious moments and laughter.

Tent mates were so different too. Last year, working as a volunteer did not allow much time to interact with people, most of the time we were just busy working. This year, it was really fun sharing a tent with several Korean friends. They come from different generations, different walks of life. They all are very warm and friendly, and fun to hang out with, no matter at what age. Koreans are also a closely knit group I find. After the first day, I started to notice that they all crowded together and sometimes all flooded to our tent.
 

The first day of the Gobi March felt easy. I felt energetic and the heavy weight of the pack had not kicked in yet. I had time to enjoy the scenery, take pictures and was proceeding at a comfortable speed. It was also great pleasure walking with Megan and Pushpa. They are two very strong ladies whom I admire.

That day at around noon time, I started to hear Buddhist music playing in my mind for no reason. After a few hours, I ran into a country park and suddenly saw this at the top of the mountain. It was very touching and I was so grateful to feel the blessings of the Buddha. I stopped for a while and prayed.

A dream journey completed, but sometimes I feel like I want to go back to my dreams...

It has been a few weeks already and I still feel that part of my heart is still in Bole. Guess part of my heart will be there for a long long time. The entire Gobi March experience is a very condensed human experience. I feel like I have compressed many years of personal growth, many years of physical training, many years of fun and cultural experience, all into one.

After one whole year of uninterrupted training, starting from zero to finishing 9 races, 500km mileage, I arrived in Bole, the city where the 10th anniversary edition would be held. I arrived with the experience I have learnt as a volunteer last year, but with little expectations. The day before I left Hong Kong, I met up with my friend Natalia and she asked me how I felt. I honestly told her that I thought of the Gobi March as essentially a travelling experience, and will try my best to finish it. But I would be happy with whatever my body could achieve.

As much as I appreciate the service provided by volunteers, I must admit that being a competitor is so much more fun than a volunteer. Before the race, I had the time and opportunity to meet with other competitors coming from different parts of the world, with diverse cultural backgrounds. We spent time shopping last minute supplies, ate together, talked about our own lives, on running and travelling, and helped each other to pack. I didn't get to take pictures with each and every one of these friends, but it's very humbling learning from all of you and I'm grateful to have met you guys - Megan, Alex, Dan, Fiaz, Joel, Eric etc...