In early October 2024, I headed to China to run the Ultra Gobi 400k for the second time. This 250-mile (400-kilometer) run is a self-supported, self-navigated, non-stop race through the Gobi Desert of north-central China’s Gansu province.
I would have 142 hours to navigate to the 28 checkpoints (which supplied ambient-temperature water only) and 10 rest points (offering ambient and hot water, heated communal tents, and our drop boxes). There were no crews or pacers at the race. With sufficient training and lots of logistical preparation, partly informed by an article I wrote much like this one after I ran the 2015 edition of this event, I finished in just under 69 hours, winning the men’s race and setting a men’s race record.
The following are my thoughts on various logistical aspects of the race, including gear, nutrition, hydration, and sleep. To be sure, this is a geeky, detail-oriented article. It’s not for everyone, but it’ll surely find a few fans out there among those considering their own ultra-long race.
For a narrative look at my experience at this event, you can read my full race report, A Lifetime of Learning, Lived in Three Days: Bryon Powell’s 2024 Ultra Gobi 400k Report.
Me and my pack. Photo: Daniel Keppler
By the Numbers
- Total distance – 245.2 miles
- Total time – 68 hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds
- Total vertical gain – 18,081 feet
- High point – 10,850-plus feet
- First 100 miles – About 26:30 (estimated on Strava)
- Last 100 miles – About 24:50 (estimated on Strava)
- Total sleep – Just under three hours
- Estimated calories burned – 35,518
- Estimated calories consumed – 14,729
A beautiful stretch of road high up on the second afternoon. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
On Why I Feel Like the 2024 Ultra Gobi Was the Race of My Life
So, in my full narrative on the 2024 Ultra Gobi, I think I did an ok job of explaining some of the internal reasons why I thought I ran the best ultra of my life, but maybe not so much from looking at external measures. Plus I missed a few internal ones as well. So, here are a couple more explicit reasons why I was so proud of that performance.
- Running 245 miles in under three days – I could never have imagined running 245 miles in less than three days. That’s more than 80 miles a day for three straight days. On varied terrain at up to 11,000 feet.
- Again, 245 miles in under three days – I don’t know how many folks have covered that much ground on foot in less than three days. Ever. A couple thousand? Hundreds?
- A faster last 100 miles than first 100 miles – While not a true negative split, I was pretty thrilled to discover after the race that I’d run the final 100 miles more than an hour and a half faster than the first. Yes, I think the final 100 miles were a bit easier and I spent less time in checkpoints and rest points, but that’s all part of the game. It feel pretty cool to have both effectively meted out my effort over 250 miles and to have prepared well enough to still be able to move so well over those final 100 miles.
- Thirty hours faster than in 2015 – While the course was different, it was similar enough to make running Ultra Gobi more than 30 hours faster than in 2015 meaningful.
- The age factor – I did this at age 46.
- The chronic injury factor – In January 2024, the pain and dysfunction in both Achilles tendons were so bad I thought I was done mountain running forever. Less than nine months later, I’d rehabbed well enough not to have any Achilles pain throughout Ultra Gobi.
- Good specific preparation and execution – While certainly touched on in my prior article, I am happy with my relaxed execution in training and logistical preparations in the months before the race as well as for the three days I was out there. I minimized what could go wrong and addressed what did.
- I ran and walked well all race – Feeling like I could run well in the last runnable sections and walk well in the last walking sections was great.
- Finishing strong – I finished feeling like I could keep going for another few days.
Prayer flags amidst a high valley and even higher mountains on the second afternoon. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
On Gear
In this section, I discuss all the gear that I carried during the race, whether or not I used it. Unlike my 2015 Ultra Gobi race report, I won’t list the gear that was packed in drop boxes, but that I didn’t use. All things considered, the gear I used at Ultra Gobi 2024 worked really well, and I’d use most of it again if I went back!
I appreciated this easy-to-follow mandatory equipment guide at check-in. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Shoes
Nike Pegasus 41 – I used one pair of road shoes for the entire 245 miles of the race. I had at least six shoe changes available – one in each of the race’s six drop boxes, some of which could be accessed twice, but I chose to stick with the evil I knew as opposed to the evil I didn’t. I started in these road shoes that I’d barely ever used before as there were nine miles or so that I chose to run on asphalt out of the gate. At the first possible shoe change, they were still working well, so I went with them. Over time, I did get some of the heel rim blisters that plague me in longer ultras, but I managed to treat them as they came up, and I trimmed the outer edges of both insoles about halfway through the race. The balls of both feet did get a bit sore late in the race, but not to any level that became an issue. I’m intrigued to try the Nike Pegasus Plus that doesn’t have a separate air pod in the middle of the forefoot to see if those work even better.
If I ran Ultra Gobi again without the course looking all that different in terms of terrain, I’d likely wear another pair of middle-of-the-road, everyday road shoes again. I would pre-trim the edges of the insoles and experiment with some low-friction Engo patches, but they’d be my go-to. I’d likely bring two fresh pairs to possibly swap into, with an identical pair at halfway and a pair a half size up a bit later down the course. I’d also pack a lighter, quick-draining pair of road shoes if I ran a future course with repeated river crossings during a relatively discrete section.
My Nike Pegasus 41s and Drymax Hot Weather Run socks after the race. I’m still running in that pair of Peg 41s five months later. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Apparel
Patagonia Strider Pro 5” Shorts – I’d almost certainly wear these again. They’re my everyday running short as it is. The liner and outer fabric continue to work well and feel comfortable after days of continuous use, and I both like and am used to the various pockets found on the shorts. I did change into a clean pair later in the race. Next time, I’d plan to swap shorts twice, as a fresh, clean pair does feel amazing, and is no knock against the shorts themselves.
Heading off the start line in Paragonia Strider Pro shorts amidst a sea of tights. Photo: Daniel Keppler
Mountain Hardwear Way2Cool Short Sleeve Shirt – I wore the same shirt from around 2012 for the entire race. I wore the same shirt at Ultra Gobi 2015. I’d wear it again. As I did this time, I packed an extra for a late race change and would consider doing so again. How is this still the best running shirt I’ve ever worn nearly a decade and a half later?!
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Hooded Jacket – From the same era as the shirt above, it remains my favorite jacket of all time. Why? It’s ultralight and yet not clammy or crinkly as some other ultralight wind jackets tend to be.
iRunFar Headsweats Hat – A simple, it-just-works hat that’s older than the two items listed above. Newer isn’t always better, but I’ve always got my eyes open for an ultralight, airy hat in a light color with a full brim.
That iRunFar Headsweats hat has seen some things over the past decade and a half! Photo courtesy of race.
Drymax Hot Weather Running 1/4 Crew – I’m not sure how many pairs I brought, but more than a dozen. I think I changed my socks at nine of the 10 rest points, with the lone exception being the final rest point. These socks release perspiration, dry quickly, and generally aren’t a blister-causer for me. They’re lightweight and hold up just fine under these conditions. I’d 100% do the same thing if the course was similar in the future. My only change would be to pre-wear every pair, as I used mostly brand-new socks. One new pair had a little extra material in the toe of one sock, and that led to blisters on the end of two toes. Had I noticed and cut out the extra material on an earlier run, it would have been no problem at all.
About to get my Drymax Hot Weather Run socks wet in a river crossing. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Montbell Tachyon Pants – While pants aren’t mandatory gear, I threw these ultralight wind pants on every night during Ultra Gobi. I wore their predecessor in the 2015 edition, too. You won’t win any fashion awards in these pants, but they’re amazing.
The North Face FlashDry Liner Gloves and Montbell U.L. Shell Gloves – In retrospect, I think I could get away with just the Montbell gloves throughout.
Montbell Plasma 1000 Down Jacket – An 800-fill or higher down jacket was part of the mandatory kit. I wore it at the high elevations on Night 2 when temperatures dipped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 Celsius) and in the later hours of the last night. This puffy was more than capable and, as it’s ridiculously light, I can’t imagine bringing any other puffy.
Smartwool Beanie – A cut-down-to-single-layer Smartwool beanie passed gear check. I certainly used it along with my regular hat on Night 2. I don’t think I used it the other two nights, when just a regular hat or that plus a single-layer hood were enough to keep me warm.
Columbia/Montrail Titan Ultra Half Zip – This lightweight half-zip has been on many adventures with me going back to at least 2016. I picked it up on the last night, maybe at the final rest point. It performed well, and I’ve yet to find a lighter long sleeve, half-zip shirt.
The top half of my kit during the second afternoon of Ultra Gobi 2024. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Other Gear
Raidlight Revolutiv 24 pack – It was an easy choice to bring it to Ultra Gobi 2024. There’s more than ample rear storage capacity with all the pockets I need up front for easy-access items. The pack rides incredibly well with the light-to-moderate loads one would have for Ultra Gobi and it’s reasonably breathable and not too hot. I did pare a bit of weight off before the race and rigged up a pole system on the bottom, as I never intended to use the mandatory poles.
I had tons of space leftover in my Raidlight Revolutiv 24 pack, but the large size of the sleeping bag prevented using a smaller pack. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
iPhone 16 Pro – I upgraded my phone ahead of this trip. My iPhone is my navigation device, audio entertainment device, voice note taker, and, importantly, my camera … as I took 1,300 photos during the event. The phone worked great and took wonderful photos. Half a year in, I’m still not sure I prefer the 5x camera over the old 3x one. I had a pair of wired Apple sport headphones with me and a couple of cheap backups in my drop boxes.
Coros Vertix 2 – I’ve had this watch for a bunch of years, but it keeps on ticking. I’d have preemptively replaced the battery by now, but batteries just aren’t replaceable in most modern smartwatches and I was reassured that the maximum battery life would be just fine for even a full-time limit (142 hours) Ultra Gobi. I did switch to single-band GPS-only satellites, made other battery-saving moves, and did put a charger or two in drop boxes, I ended Ultra Gobi with a full 50% left on the watch battery and it was still at 43% a full 3.5 days and three short runs after the race. Hot damn!
I didn’t know … or at least recall knowing that I could reconfigure the Vertix screens until recently. I’m sure glad I did! I was happy not to have total time or distance on my watch, and to generally have the watch screens set up as I like. Speaking of which, I should take photos of the screens in case I ever have to rebuild the settings.
Anyway, I never doubted the accuracy of the GPS or segment distances and I generally know when the optical heart rate is near enough to be accurate or out-there enough to ignore it. That’s good enough for me.
The Coros Vertix 2 still with a 43% charge a full 3.5 days after finishing Ultra Gobi. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Raidlight Easyflask Tube 600mL and Platypus Platy 1.5L Bladder – Only in the few weeks before the race did I ever really give a water container with a straw a real test. I loved it in the scenario that I wouldn’t need to filter water. I ran with the Raidlight straw bottle with the insulation removed from the straw, and it was perfect, as the 600-milliliter container was just what I needed between checkpoints. I carried a light 1.5-liter Platypus bladder to account for the additional required 2L hydration capacity.
Nitecore NU45 Headlamp and Nitecore Carbon 6k Battery – I’ll admit to spending an inordinate amount of time figuring out my lighting and power system before the event, as I tried to think of everything from my headlamp and to battery packs, from iPhone to headphones as one complete system.
The Nitecore Carbon 6k Battery has the best energy density of any small charger I’ve ever found, it can charge a number of in-use Nitecore headlamps, and offers relatively quick USB charging. This setup did prod me to upgrade to an iPhone 16, so all my in-race electronics other than my watch were chargeable via USB-C to USB-C cables.
In training, the Nitecore NU45 Headlamp felt a bit on the heavy side and I was afraid it might give me a crick in the neck, but I never noticed the weight during the race. All in all, it was more than sufficient for low complexity navigation and most footing situations. It wasn’t my absolute favorite on some dusty doubletrack, as I found the light a little flat and it was hard to have depth perception. Still, as part of a system, it worked wonderfully and I’d have no problem choosing the light again … although I dream of any light being lighter and brighter!
Julbo Aerolite Reactiv photochromic sunglasses – For Ultra Gobi, I wanted a pair of 0-3 transition lenses that I never had to put away or stow in my pack. I wore these for the whole darn race and never gave them a second thought. Having never worn them for three-straight days, I was a bit worried that they might eventually get uncomfortable. However, they fit great throughout.
Liking what I’m seeing the photographers shooting through my Julbo Aerolites. Photo courtesy of race.
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15F Down sleeping bag – Just two days ahead of travel, I realized I needed a warmer sleeping bag than the one I intended on bringing. This one fit the bill! It was a great bag … for the three hours during the race that I’ve used it so far.
Garmin Foretrex 801 – A piece of mandatory gear that I had no intention of using, such that I removed its wristband to save weight. I did copy the full GPX file of the suggested route onto the unit as a third navigational backup, even if I had no idea how to use it. While I never did pull up the course on the Foretrex, I did use it as a compass. On a 16-mile straight-westward bearing on a moonless night, I needed a bearing as there was no horizon point visible to fixate on. While the navigation app I used on my phone gave compass bearings, it was too slow to respond. A mile or two into this stretch, I pulled out the Foretrex and within a minute I had a very responsive compass. Boom!
My standard practice was to totally “yard sale” my drop boxes at rest points. Once I determined I didn’t need or was done with an item, it went back in the box. The system worked well, as I had to touch every object from the box before moving on, so nothing was forgotten. Photo courtesy of race volunteer.
Leki Ultralite Fx.One Superlite trekking poles – Trekking poles were required equipment for this event. I’m simply not a pole guy, especially on such a relatively flat course, so these were the lightest functional trekking poles I had at home. I had no intention of using them, and never did. I advocated against this requirement before the race and would do so again.
Huawei Mate 60 – We needed a satellite phone that would work in China as part of our mandatory equipment, so we rented these smartphones that already have satellite phone calling, a capability coming to some U.S. phones and services in the near future. I did manage to download the Strava app and add the Ultra Gobi race files to it, as my fourth redundant backup navigation system. I never turned on the phone during the race.
Other mandatory gear: medical kit, whistle, knife, blinking light – I carried a very basic medical kit, knife, whistle, and small blinking light that met race regulations for mandatory gear. I did consume a couple ibuprofen.
Drop box extras: rags, slippers, plug-in chargers, charge cords – I had a clean shop rag to clean my feet and a pair of hotel slippers in each drop box. I used the rags and some of the slippers. I almost always took my shoes and socks off immediately upon entering a rest point and it was nice to have something to wear if I had to walk to the restroom or the like. I did carry one USB-C to USB-C cable the whole way, but had various charging essentials spread out across some of the drop boxes.
My full starting kit for the 2024 Ultra Gobi. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
On Food
To start, I guestimated what camping meals I ate. Packing up after the race was a bit frantic, and I didn’t snap a photo of what meals I had left over, but I guess I ate around five.
At first blush, it looks like I did far worse in caloric consumption when compared to that of my run in 2015, at 14,729 calories in 2024 versus 19,244 in 2015. However, grossly adjusted based on time (69 hours versus 99 hours), that’s an average of 213 calories per hour in 2024 versus 194 calories per hour in 2015. I’ll take it — even if I didn’t eat the last eight hours in 2024!
Pre-race feasting (including my favorite, laziji!) in Beijing, China, with two long-time ultra friends who were randomly staying in the same hotel as me. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
- Peanut M&Ms – They’ve become my go-to fuel on long adventures and that was again the case during Ultra Gobi, providing more than 20% of my calories!
- Coke – I drank at least eight of the 10 Cokes I packed.
- Untapped gels (regular) – These were easily the stars of endurance nutrition products.
- Skratch Exercise Hydration Mix – My go-to hydration mix for the race even if I didn’t have enough lemon flavor … just like during the 2015 race!
- Upside surprises – Unlike 2015, I didn’t really have any surprise stars here, although fun size Snickers worked well. Oh, I guess French burnt peanuts(!) of which I had a couple 100-gram bags.
- Caffeine – If there were fails, it was around caffeine. I accidentally over-caffeinated on the second afternoon, in part with a caffeinated drink mix without non-caffeinated alternatives handy. In the future, I’d reduce the amount of caffeine in my primary nutrition options and supplement with more direct forms of caffeine to address sleepiness.
- Camping meals … and their alternatives – Camping meals worked really well for me in Ultra Gobi in 2015, but not as well in 2024. I’ll be looking for options for how to satisfyingly take in 500-plus calories quickly or immediately after a rest point without the need to wait for meals to rehydrate.
All the food that I took to Ultra Gobi 2024 and what I ate.
On Hydration
As best as I can recall, I drank roughly a 600-milliliter flask of sports drink between every checkpoint (roughly every 10k) throughout the race along with a 500-milliliter Coca Cola every 40k and maybe a bit of extra water at some checkpoints. With the 2024 Ultra Gobi being relatively cool, this was more than enough to keep me hydrated. Indeed, I was a bit overhydrated if anything, as I must have peed 35 times in the first two days.
While you can’t really “bank” much effective hydration out there, staying topped up on hydration meant that I didn’t worry when I didn’t drink at all over more than 50k and eight hours through the night at the end of the event.
As with my go at Ultra Gobi 2015, I never supplemented with electrolyte pills and never experienced any general or leg cramping. I did generally drink electrolyte beverages between checkpoints and had a couple camping meals. With adequate training, that was more than enough to keep my electrolytes within an effective range.
Team Rehydration outside my tent post-race. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
On Sleep
In my first go at Ultra Gobi in 2015, I prioritized getting full nights of sleep as I wanted to maximize the fun on a huge adventure and I’d witnessed Meghan suffer from sleep monsters during the Tor des Géants a year earlier. In the end, that resulted in me sleeping the first two nights with only a short nap at the end of Night 3 through the end of the race early on Day 5.
In returning to Ultra Gobi, I knew I could theoretically save time by cutting down on my planned sleep and time that I took in the rest points in which I slept. Well, mission accomplished! I went from 24 hours spent in the three rest points in which I slept in 2015 to five hours total — sleeping or otherwise — spent in the one rest point I slept in during Ultra Gobi 2024. Indeed, I slept for only three hours, all in one go in the middle of Night 2.
Things worked out pretty perfectly this time around, as I was so sleepy in the final hour before reaching that rest point. About an hour after arriving at that rest point, I fell asleep with both my watch and an aid station volunteer on alert to wake me in five hours, after a planned three full sleep cycles. I did wake after one cycle and ate a couple hundred calories before returning to sleep. I woke again after the second sleep cycle and again started eating a couple hundred additional calories while fully intending to go back to sleep … but somehow I sensed that I wasn’t sleepy anymore and after just a few minutes decided it was go time. I wouldn’t think of sleeping for the remaining 25-plus hours of the race nor would I be the least bit sleepy again.
That’s 69 hours of the race, plus another five hours awake before the race with only three hours of sleep. Should the need have arisen, I was willing to take a power nap on the course that third day or, if needed, stop for a few full sleep cycles, but researching adventure-racing sleep plans paid off.
Now, I dare say, knowing that a sub-three-day finish is possible, I’d be willing to experiment with even less sleep. Is that one full sleep cycle in the middle of Night 2? Do I skip pulling out the sleeping bag and otherwise cut the time in a rest point for that sleep down by an additional hour such that it’s 2.5 hours instead of five? Do I only take a couple trail-side naps as needed late in the race? I plan to poke around and see what I can learn about how people plan sleep in a roughly three-day race.
Additional stats:
- 38 hours, 15 minutes – About the elapsed race time I got to rest point 6, where I’d stop to sleep.
- 43:15 – With a 4:45 a.m. wake up on race morning, how long I estimate I was continuously awake until my three-hour sleep break.
- 76:15 (3 days, 4 hours, 15 minutes) – An estimate of the span during which I slept only three hours.
The only spot I’d sleep during Ultra Gobi 2024. The surplus People’s Liberation Army winter jackets made great pillows! Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
What I Would Do Differently
Across all scales, things went unimaginably well for me at Ultra Gobi 2024. This list feels like it contains lighter lifts than my similar list after Ultra Gobi 2015. These are just details.
- Even better Achilles/calf rehabilitation – I managed to get my Achilles to pain-free during Ultra Gobi. I’d aim for more calf strength as well as more confidence to use them.
- Aim for better fitness – I was certainly strong enough for Ultra Gobi, but I could have been much fitter. No complaints there, but high volume and more intense training over the half year ahead of Ultra Gobi would pay off.
- Go in a bit trimmer – I trimmed up a bunch for Ultra Gobi and had no energy issues. Going in two or three pounds even lighter would be welcome.
- Consider sleeping less, if on a similar course – Rumor is the 2025 Ultra Gobi course will be slower, but if it was the same or similar to the 2024 course, I’d be tempted to try sleeping even less, if at all. I’m not sure what’s the longest time period athletic performance isn’t majorly lessened by lack of sleep. I’d want to talk to some Barkley Marathons finishers and some of the 60- to 65-hour finishers from other 200- to 250-mile races.
- Bring less gear and food in drop boxes – I brought too much stuff. I took lots of notes on what I wouldn’t bring if I ran Ultra Gobi again. At the least, it’d sure make traveling easier!
- Become comfortable climbing barbwire fences – Some sections of the Gobi had barbwire fences strung between T-posts. I would want to practice being safe, efficient, and confident in getting over them.
Beautiful dunes aside a checkpoint on the first afternoon. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Call for Comments
- If you’ve got any questions on my gear choices or logistics, ask away!
- Did I miss covering anything, in this or my narrative report? Again, ask away!
The beauty of the golden hour in the Gobi. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
