The word “athlete” seems to take on a new definition when you’re talking about ultramarathoners. Dean Karnazes rose to prominence in 2006 by running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days.  This year, he is attempting to complete the world’s five major desert foot races in a single calendar year. 

He completed his first, the Atacama Crossing in Chile’s Atacama Desert, on April 7. Next, he will attempt to run China’s Gobi Desert June 6 to 16, California’s Death Valley July 14 to 16, Africa’s Sahara Desert Oct. 24 to Nov. 3, and the arid plateaus of Antarctica Nov. 19 to Dec. 5.

The Atacama Crossing, a nine-day race, spanned 150 miles from start to finish and began at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. Karnazes confronted the most extreme of climates in this race, as the Atacama is considered to be the driest place on earth. Its climate is virtually rainless and its soil virtually sterile because the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coast Range block moisture on both sides. NASA has even used the desert to test instruments for future Mars missions.

Each of the five desert runs will present its own unique challenges. Temperatures in the Gobi Desert can range from more than 100 degrees to less than zero. The Death Valley Crossing begins at 280 feet below sea level, crosses two major mountain passes and ends at 8,360 feet above sea level. Temperatures there will likely hover at 120 degrees on race day.

Karnazes is the author of “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner” and the soon-to-be-released “50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days—and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance.”  

Visit Karnazes’ Web site at www.ultramarathonman.com.

(Top Left: Dean Karnazes runs the Atacama Crossing. Middle Left: The unforgiving Atacama Desert landscape. Photos by Wouter Kingma.)