RacingThePlanet

Introducing your Gobi March 2026 winners!

After 80 RacingThePlanet Ultramarathons since 2002, history has been made: we have a female overall winner in Elise Lagerstrom! The American phenomenon Elise came in first with an impressive finish time of 28:52:47. Rob Robinson held strong to complete his win for the men's division, in second place overall. Third place belongs to Miguel Avellaneda Delgado of Spain with just over 30 hours total.

Women's Top 3:
1. Elise Lagerstrom (USA)
2. Tina Guenther (GER)
3. Ester Alves (POR)

Men's Top 3:
1. Rob Robinson (GBR)
2. Miguel Avellaneda Delgado (ESP)
3. Santiago Torres (ESP)

Team Winners:
Official Team: HKUGAC LAME 3 (HK)
Group Team: Team Iberian (ESP, POR)

Age Division Winners:
Women: Jamie Lai, Alicia Borja Alvarez, Lindi Diedericks, Samah Benmaad
Men: Bukhsuuri Bazar, Koichi Kawakami, Jens Klinkhammer, Petr Latka, Pablo Segura

And a special mention for Jaja Tantiwatana of Thailand for the feat of most distance covered in the shortest amount of time at UltraLite (Mongolia) 2026!

Congratulations to everyone on an incredible race! The heart, effort, endurance and determination put into every kilometer of the course did not go unnoticed. Each racer's contribution is an inspiration to us all.

For full results and more photos go to: www.racingtheplanet.com/mongolia

The final day has arrived: Stage 6! The Final Footsteps to the Ancient City of Karakorum is a celebration of the effort of every competitor in both the Gobi March and UltraLite (Mongolia) who has made it this far. Only 7.5 km to go, so it should be a victory lap along the Orkhon river and a celebration at the incredible Erdene Zuu Monastery.

While most rankings are fairly secure after 243+ km, anything can still happen and Stage 6 is a timed stage.

Start times are staggered this morning, with the majority of the field starting at 6:30am and the faster competitors beginning at 7am.

We'll be live with more updates from the finish and from the awards banquet in Ulaanaatar later tonight!
www.racingtheplanet.com/mongolia

The race is underway again as Stage 5 began this morning at 8am. The toughest part is over with The Long March, and after today it’s all downhill! Stage 5 will take competitors from the wide-open valley into a lush Mongolian forest, twice crossing the Orkhon river (which is lower than last year). Most of the elevation change comes to the back half of the stage, with the first portion remaining relatively flat.

There’s some excitement surrounding the events of Stage 5 today. If Elise Lagerstrom can preserve her lead, she will be in good position to make RacingThePlanet history as first female overall winner! Anyone hoping to catch her needs make up an hour, an incredible feat if she remains in form. Rob Robinson of the UK is best positioned to do so, behind by about 57 minutes.

Also exciting: After Stage 4, all active competitors from the UltraLite have already crossed the kilometre requirement for a finisher’s medal. Any distance they move today is simply for the fun of it!

Stage 5 Details:Start Time: 8:00 AM
Stage Name: The Battle Grounds of Genghis KhanDistance: 40.7 Kilometers (25.4 Miles)
Starters: 147
Elevation Gain: `634m
Elevation Loss: 565m
Altitude Start of Stage 5: 1,393 Metres (4,570 Feet)
Altitude End of Stage 5: 1,480Meters (4,856 Feet)
Estimated Fastest Time: 4 hours
Estimated Slowest Time: 13 hours
Number of Checkpoints: 4 (Including Camp)

Stay tuned for more updates as the stage develops. An exciting day lies ahead!
www.racingtheplanet.com/mongolia

Let’s hear it for everyone participating in the UltraLite! UltraLite (Mongolia) has been incredibly fun so far, including Stage 4 where many chose to run the full 40km well into the night.

There are 23 competitors at Ultralite (Mongolia) 2026, all of whom have already completed the minimum distance required to earn a finisher’s medal, and quite a few have run nearly 100km!

To all competing in UltraLite (Mongolia), keep up the good work! We hope that it’s been the experience of a lifetime so far.

ULTRALITE CALENDAR:
UltraLite (Namibia) 2026 - August
UltraLite (Antarctica) 2026 - November
UltraLite (Chile) 2027 - April
UltraLite (Mongolia) 2027 - June
UltraLite (Brazil) 2027 - August

It's headlamp hours at The Long March! Currently competitors are pushing along into the night as darkness falls. The first 20 have finished the stage and are resting at camp, leaving over 100 out on the course.

Elise Langerstrom of the United States was the big winner of The Long March, posting a time of under 10 hours and assuming the overall lead! Jens Klinkhammer of Germany was second through today after a gargantuan effort, collapsing after the finish in both joy and agony.
From the UltraLite, Jaja Tantiwatana of Thailand was the first into camp, running alongside leader Elise Langerstrom for her race today.

It's been an incredible day out in Mongolia, now turning into an incredible night. We'll see if the rain stays at bay for the overnight portion.

Remember to send your messages of support now through our website! Competitors will have their rest day to read any messages sent by 9am local time (Thursday)
www.racingtheplanet.com/mongolia