improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages a major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject . it may require cleanup to comply with wikipedia s content policies particularly neutral point of view . please discuss further on the talk page . july 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . september 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message racingtheplanet limited type privately held industry multi day footraces outdoor gear freeze dried food founded hong kong 2002 2002 founder mary k gadams headquarters hong kong area served global key people mary k gadams ceo ; kathy lau vice president products racingtheplanet divisions racingtheplanet subsidiaries racingtheplanet uk limited website www.racingtheplanet.com racingtheplanet was founded in 2002 to establish a footrace in the gobi desert of china . that footrace the gobi march is now part of the 4 deserts race series . racingtheplanet currently sponsors an annual 250 kilometer seven day footrace which takes place in a different country each year . past locations have included vietnam namibia australia jordan nepal iceland madagascar ecuador and sri lanka . the next racingtheplanet event is scheduled for patagonia in 2017 . the company also operates an outdoor gear store and a freeze dried foods company . 1 contents 1 history 1.1 2002 2008 1.2 2008 2009 1.3 2010 2011 2 list of events 3 merchandise 4 corporate information 5 charitable causes 6 racingtheplanet events 6.1 4 deserts 6.2 racingtheplanet 6.2.1 racingtheplanet vietnam 2008 6.2.2 racingthe planet namibia 2009 6.2.3 racingtheplanet australia 2010 6.2.4 kimberley ultramarathon 2011 sponsored by western australia tourism 6.2.5 racingtheplanet nepal 2011 6.2.6 racingthe planet jordan 2012 7 references 8 external links history 2002 2008 in 2007 racingtheplanet became a case study for the harvard business school and is one of the few case studies to be repeated yearly . 2 2008 2009 in 2009 racingtheplanet launched an online retail store specializing in selling the outdoor apparel equipment and nutritional products required for endurance racing . by 2010 the store had grown to stock a much larger variety of products for all outdoors pursuits . later in the year the outdoor store became the largest online outdoor gear store in asia and had distribution hubs in hong kong and the united kingdom allowing global distribution . 2010 2011 in 2010 a record nine competitors completed the 4 deserts grand slam including three women who are the first to have achieved the feat samantha gash of australia lucy rivers bulkeley and linda quirk . a shanghai based competitor died of heatstroke after competing in the 2010 gobi march . his brother claimed racing the planet was reckless and ill prepared . 3 2010 also saw the first 100 km race organised by the company the 4 which took place in the desert around hotan in china s souther xinjiang province . in 2010 ryan sandes of south africa was crowned 4 deserts champion having won all four of the races he competed in and marjiana pellizer of croatia was crowned women s champion . on september 2 2011 at the 100 km event in the kimberly western australia turia pitt 24 and kate sanderson 35 were left with severe burn injuries when fire swept through a rocky gorge during the outback race . two men michael hull and martin van der merwe suffered less serious burns . racingtheplanet has not compensated the victims or contributed to their medical treatment including to ms pitt whose expenses exceed 2 million . 5 in november 2012 the government of western australia made ex gratia payments of 450 000 to each of the women . 6 originally launched in english in 2011 the outdoor store expanded capability to include traditional and simplified chinese as well as french spanish and italian . list of events racingtheplanet has currently organised 34 races in total . the events are split into two categories but with all of them sharing certain characteristics . those characteristics are that each race is held in a remote but historically or culturally rich location ; that the races are rough country i.e. they take place in wilderness environments across a variety of terrains mostly off trail ; that competitors must race self supported carrying all their own food fluids and equipment for the race ; and that the number of competitors accepted on each race is limited to ensure that the pristine environments remain that way and so that competitors do not feel that they are part of so large a group that they do not get the opportunity to experience the solitude of the location . 7 there is no prize money at any of the events but those who successfully complete the race are presented with a medal at the finish line . the current categories of races include 4 deserts racingtheplanet year 4 deserts racingtheplanet 2003 gobi march 2003 2004 atacama crossing 2004 2005 gobi march 2005 sahara race 2005 2006 atacama crossing 2006 gobi march 2006 sahara race 2006 the last desert antarctica 2006 2007 atacama crossing 2007 gobi march 2007 sahara race 2007 the last desert antarctica 2007 2008 atacama crossing 2008 gobi march 2008 sahara race 2008 the last desert antarctica 2008 racingtheplanet vietnam 2008 2009 atacama crossing 2009 gobi march 2009 sahara race 2009 racingtheplanet namibia 2009 2010 atacama crossing 2010 gobi march 2010 sahara race 2010 the last desert antarctica 2010 racingtheplanet australia 2011 taklamakan ultramarathon 2010 2011 atacama crossing 2011 gobi march 2011 sahara race 2011 kimberley ultramarathon racingtheplanet nepal 2011 2012 atacama crossing 2012 racingtheplanet jordan 2012 merchandise since 2004 racingtheplanet has developed a number of their own products and merchandise for use in endurance racing . 8 in 2009 it launched an online retail store the outdoor store which sells equipment clothing footwear and nutrition products for the sport . corporate information the ceo is mary k gadams who is also the company s founder . racingtheplanet is headquartered in hong kong where they also have a retail store in sheung wan . there is a subsidiary in yorkshire in the united kingdom which distributes expedition foods . 9 there are 12 country managers who represent the company in brazil china denmark france germany italy japan korea mexico south africa spain and the uk . 10 charitable causes about half of the competitors at racingtheplanet events are supporting charitable causes through their participation . racingtheplanet puts no limits on the type of causes that are supported . citation needed because of the remote locations of many of the races racingtheplanet choose to support a specific charity at almost every event that provides support to the local community in which the event takes place . the company has a long running partnership with operation smile 11 and has raised over us 500 000 for the charity for projects in vietnam china and egypt often funding missions and surgeries in the local communities through which competitors race . 12 13 14 15 16 the company has donated books and sports equipments to schools in xinjiang province where the gobi march is held through the esquel y. l. yang education fund who they have also supported for a number of years . 17 18 in 2008 the gobi march took place just one month after the devastating earthquake in sichuan province on 12 may so that year racingtheplanet put together a special auction in which friends and families of competitors could bid to buy a hot shower for three competitors at the end of the 90 km stage 5 of the event . the auction raised almost us 30 000 for the red cross disaster fund . 19 again in 2010 another earthquake affected a country that plays host to a 4 deserts race . the chilean earthquake of 27 february occurred just one week before the start of the atacama crossing . racingtheplanet and the community of competitors and friends raised us 15 000 for habitat for humanity in the weeks to follow . 20 racingtheplanet events 4 deserts main article 4 deserts the 4 deserts was recognized by time magazine in 2009 and 2010 as the world s leading series of rough country endurance footraces . 21 the 250 kilometre 160 mi races take place over 7 days and 6 stages . a campsite is raised each night for competitors where they are provided with a place in a tent to sleep access to hot water a campfire medical assistance and the cybertent where they can view and send messages to family and friends and update their race blog . competitors race from campsite to campsite each day through a series of checkpoints where they collect drinking water and can seek medical treatment . citation needed the results of the race are based on the cumulative time taken for the competitor to complete all the stages and a competitor must successfully pass through every checkpoint in order to collect a finisher s medal . citation needed the 4 deserts series comprises the atacama crossing chile the gobi march china the sahara race egypt and the last desert antarctica . if a competitor completes the series they gain membership to the 4 deserts club . there are currently 87 members of the 4 deserts club . the man and woman with the cumulative highest ranks across the four races at the finish line of each edition of the last desert antarctica is crowned the 4 deserts champion . the 2010 4 deserts champions are ryan sandes of south africa and mirjana pellizzer of croatia . citation needed a new phenomenon was started by competitors in 2008 now called the 4 deserts grand slam . this refers to competitors attempting to complete all four of the races in a calendar year . only nine competitors 6 men and 3 women have so far managed to complete the 4 deserts grand slam . citation needed racingtheplanet the annual roving race is called racingtheplanet . it follows the same format as the 4 deserts events but moves to a different location every year . spaniard salvador calvo redondo has set a record by winning all three editions of racingtheplanet . racingtheplanet vietnam 2008 this section does not cite any sources . please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . september 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message the first roving race took place in the far northwest of vietnam . the event got underway in si ma cai after an overnight train ride from hanoi . competitors faced a 100 kilometre 62 mi course on stage 1 . record floods and cold had hit the area turning the race into the greenest muddiest and wettest to date . the area was full of hill tribes from the flower h mong and the red dao to the black h mong . competitors stumbled upon a large festival at the last campsite . statistics date february 2008 men s winner salvador calvo redondo spain 28 hours 17 mins 50 secs women s winner stephanie case usa 32 hours 53 mins 22 secs 3rd overall 54 competitors began the event 47 competitors finished and 20 countries were represented . racingthe planet namibia 2009 this section does not cite any sources . please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . september 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message the second race was in southern namibia starting on the edge of the fish river canyon and ending in the town of luderitz