The Lone and Level Sands

The Lone and Level Sands

“A whirlwind experience swept me up and now that I’ve landed, the landscape has changed and I don't know which way I’m facing…”


The following is a retrospective of my brief adventure through the Sahara, my first endeavor at a 4Deserts race, it is a 250km self-sustained race in the sand and heat of an ancient land finishing in front of the great Pyramids of Giza. This is an account of my first (and likely last) attempt at one of the most challenging endurance events in the world, the Sahara Race.

(The reason I write only in retrospect is three-fold, first though Racing the Planet has computers and blogs and email available, I found at the last minute that a $50 surcharge was required for the opportunity to write six emails or blog entries. That they would also take ownership of rights for, after the $3000 entrance fee, seemed discordant – especially since it would mean greater PR for them. Second, I had begun my journal on paper in earnest only to lose it along the way, which is upsetting on many levels and somewhat stifling of future efforts. And third, because I wanted to live in the moment – for me, for my experience, without the added responsibility of including others. Sorry, but now I will take the time to set it down for you – and for myself.)


In my life, I’ve thought little of the desert, my only points of reference, this poem by Shelly (circa 1818), Laurence of Arabia (the best movie ever made), and a brief sandstorm in my first days at ASU. I’d have to say that I’d never really even pondered the desert, or a trip through it, (except maybe, when watching Indiana Jones or The Planet of the Apes) until my friend told me about the 4Deserts Sahara Race (wait, it was Gobi that he first mentioned, but anyway, that’s what got me interested in this insanity).


Shelly’s poem speaks of how all the works of mankind, whether by Pharaoh or peasant, are temporal. Then somehow, I wondered, will the desert offer us the chance to forget, to forget our troubles and our lives, and to focus on something more primal, more substantive – sustenance and survival, man vs. nature, to see something ancient and lasting… that will, in retrospect at least, make us truly appreciate life, however brief and fleeting the journey may be.


The Orphan Activity Fund

“If I’m going to go through hell, someone might as well benefit from it.”

Every journey begins with one step… and the first one here was really the most important – a step for others. I’ve begun to realize that too much of my life has been focused inwardly, and while there is both good and bad in such selfish endeavors (to know myself, to make my living and maybe my fortune, to explore the world and to learn from it what I might), so I run for a cause. To earn for orphans, I go on this adventure so that they might have a chance to have some adventure in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I still do this for myself, I do it to inspire others and in hopes of inspiring myself as well – to put myself to the test as I seek a new direction.

Well, it took some doing, but I finally found an appropriate charity and set up a foundation to support Korean Orphans to do outdoor activities. So under the auspices of the Youth in Nature and the Paju YMCA, we’ve established the Orphan Activity Fund and Motorola Korea had graciously offered to donate $2500. OK, that taken care of, now I have to get ready – What?! It starts next week?



Original Funding Proposal
1. Biography –

Peter is a poet and writer working in Seoul Korea. An avid trekker, rock climber, mountain biker and triathlete, he has competed as a wrestler at Arizona State University, participated in several Marathons including the Twin Cities Marathon and Grandma’s Marathon, completed Ironman Korea 2006 and Ironman Singapore 2007 and is currently training for The Sahara Race (Egypt) 2008, his first foray into the 4 Deserts series. He is hoping to raise money for orphans in Korea to receive Cultural, Environmental and Outdoor Education through English in order to become Young Ambassadors to the world.

“If I were to choose one word to describe myself, it would be energetic. I’m an adventurous soul and I believe I have always been. Growing up I would often venture further and further, exploring the world by bicycle or on foot. My first adventures at YMCA Summer Camp allowed for orienteering as I trekked trough the woods, and canoed the lakes in Northern Minnesota, something that would greatly affect me for years to come.

A firm believer in the concept of a sound mind and sound body, I pursued academics as vigorously as I did athletics. My first grand adventure came in University as I ventured off to Europe with a backpack, a journal and a couple hundred dollars. I experienced the cultures of ten countries and found work in Germany when I ran out of money, solidifying my future as a world-traveler.

After University, I took a graduate TEFL teaching course and went to Korea. Soon, I fell in love with the Morning Calm, its history and people and made it my home. While continuing my travels within Asia, I began to explore Korea and later completed a Masters in Korean History, Culture and Poetry at Yonsei University, while making my living as a writer. Working with governmental agencies and corporate giants has been a rewarding experience, yet I was fortunate enough to still be able to spend all my summers volunteering as a guide, bringing Korean children to YMCA summer camps in the US. Through this exchange program, I was able to combine my two great loves – the outdoors and working with children. What’s more, they were able to have a short home stay with American families who have adopted Korean children, fostering relationships between these displaced Koreans and their homeland. (Hence the relationship to Korean orphans and orphanages)

Recent involvement with writing Corporate Sustainability Reports for Korean corporations has reinvigorated my verve for travel and the outdoors in a new way – it has opened my eyes to a greater need for individual responsibility to others. As such, I am endeavoring to raise money for children in need.

Finally, I have established Exile Press as a publisher who hopes to learn from the experiences of those who have similar adventuring spirits and have traveled beyond their own borders to experience the wealth of knowledge that the wider world has to offer.”

2. Mission plan and description of event.

RACING THE PLANET MISSION
To challenge individuals to go beyond their athletic frontiers through world class sporting events: the 4 Deserts series, while exploring the most remote landscapes and ancient cultures on the planet.
To provide the knowledge, innovative products and services to enable all aspiring individuals to succeed in RacingThePlanet events and to inspire them with a life-enhancing experience.
To document and contribute to improving the lives of ethnic minorities and tribes in the areas we explore, and to encourage and support competitors in raising funds for their charities.

The 4 Deserts is a global series of seven-day, 250-kilometer (155 mile) self-supported footraces across the Gobi Desert of China (Gobi March), the Atacama Desert of Chile (Atacama Crossing), the Sahara Desert of Egypt (Sahara Race) and Antarctica (The Last Desert). The events take place in the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth, attracting competitors from around the world and becoming the most prestigious global outdoor event in the world.

Personal Mission
To challenge myself both physically and mentally
To inspire others and at the same time to inspire myself
To use the knowledge I gain from the race to do some good in the world

3. How much money you are spending and what you are requesting from the sponsor.
Expenses
• Flight (approximately $1800)
• Entrance fee ($2900)
• Equipment ($1200)
* For a list of essential equipment, please see attached.

Proposed Donation
A donation of $xxx for each kilometer completed through the desert, with a possible total of 250 km, is requested. The donation would go to an orphanage(s) in Seoul to be earmarked for Cultural, Environmental and Outdoor Education through English. (The donation could possibility be changed to one with which the corporation is already involved, if necessary)

The 4 Deserts Series Sahara Race is a high-profile race and will receive much media attention (previous media coverage includes Time magazine, National Geographic and CNN – see links below). RacingThePlanet employs a media team for film, documents each event and distributes content to the world media.

Goals of Sponsorship
• To increase visibility of the product of the company (exposure)
• To motivate company staff
• To make a statement on the company's values and principles

Before the event – I will attempt to cultivate media coverage of my story in conjunction with your media partners and sponsors, to draw attention to the sponsor and its support of the charitable cause.

During the event – Transmission of reports to your media partners and sponsors through a blog about the event each evening (depending on my health and energy levels). I will also make myself available to the media for interviews during the event, always emphasizing the shared goals of my and the sponsor’s shared efforts to promote the charity, raise international awareness, etc.

After the event - When I return, I will arrange a date to organize a "reception" when you will be able to show the video and slides of the Sahara Race, as well as the equipment that you used during the race, then give my impressions and stories to your media partners and sponsors and allow for Q&A.

4. Timeline and schedule.

The race is scheduled for the week from the 25th of October
Stage 1 (35km) The Great White Desert Iceberg
Stage 2 (38km) Antarctica in the Sahara
Stage 3 (40km) Sahara Sands
Stage 4 (39km) The Qarawin Dunes
Stage 5 (100km) Naqb El Sellim Plateau
Stage 6 (~5km) The Pyramids to Sphinx Valley

My training plans and routine
Until recently, I have been training for Ironman Singapore, focusing on swimming and biking, but have switched gears to focus much more on running and hiking.

Weekly schedule:
Running – 3-4 times for 15-20km
Hiking – 1 time for 2-5 hours – off road and uphill with a 10kg pack to develop strength and get accustomed to weight of pack
Biking – 3 times 80-120km primarily for recovery and to supplement endurance following running sessions
Swimming – 2 times per week (2-4km) to add to overall fitness and develop core strength
Lifting weights – 5 times both at home and at gym to supplement core body strength