Romanian Iulian Rotariu, a 40-year-old firefighter from the eastern county of Botosani, has finished the Gobi March 2016 race 4th.
Rotariu raced for a charitable cause, “Autism Botosani,” carrying along Romania’s national flag for the 250-km race through the desert. He is expected back home on June 29.
Only 87 from 101 registered racers completed the seven-day march, June 19-25. The toughest portion of the race came along on the fifth day, when the racers had to cross almost 88 km of desert land in temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius. The event started in the morning and ended the next day.
Iulian Rotariu is the first Romanian competing in such extreme endurance event. During the seven days, he climbed up to 2,900 m altitude, traversing 250 km of desert land.
Rotariu is an active member of the Sports Association of Firefighters of Romania, and his employer, the Botosani Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) helped him with training, paid the competition fee and partially covered the equipment costs. Also helping were the Botosani County Youth Directorate, which paid the flight ticket, along with friends, colleagues and sponsors.
Gobi March is part of the 4 Deserts Race Series, widely recognised as the most prestigious outdoor footrace series in the world. The series consists of the Sahara Race (Namibia), Gobi March (China), Atacama Crossing (Chile) and The Last Desert (Antarctica). Competitors in the races traverse 250 kilometers in seven days over rough country terrain with only a place in a tent and water provided. They are supported by highly qualified staff, all with experience in hiking, marathons and ultramarathons, and medical teams specializing in wilderness medicine, according to the organisers’ website. More…