At 9 a.m. on October 6, the 2024 800 Quicksand Extreme Race officially started, and 54 superrunners from all over the world collectively embarked on the 400-kilometer Gobi Desert after drinking Tianyoude Hero Wine and receiving half of their own tiger talismans.
A total of 55 outstanding endurance runners (15 foreigners) from 13 countries, including China, United States, South Africa, Germany, Belgium, Singapore, Netherlands, Zambia, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Nepal and Ireland, participated in the event, the largest number of countries since the event was established. Among them, runners from Belgium, Zambia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Nepal and Netherlands set foot in the vast desert of Northwest China for the first time.
In order to welcome these 54 warriors from afar, the 2024 800 Quicksand Extreme Race "Global Superrunner Meeting" was held in Dunhuang on the evening of October 4. Mr. Ni Wei, Deputy General Manager and General Manager of the Marketing Department of Tianyoude Marketing Center, Mr. Sun Kai, Director of the Product Brand Department of the Marketing Department of Tianyoude Marketing Center, and Mr. Wang Zhenwu, General Manager of Tianyoude Zhenwu Trading Co., Ltd. and Secretary-General of Tianyoude Quicksand Heroes Association, attended the event. This meeting not only brought together top runners from all over the world, but also specially invited the volunteer team of the event, including many great runners, many previous "great generals" and various "immortals" with unique skills.
In the "Superrunner Story Meeting", 7 runners shared their unique runner stories. "Germany's grandmother" Brigid Wefelnberg talks about the inextricability of her running career and philanthropy; Outdoor sports madman Jin Ge told the legendary story of running from Tiananmen Square in Beijing to the Potala Palace in Tibet, and encouraged everyone to "believe in the power of perseverance"; Hunter Leininger, who has been participating in endurance racing since he was 7 years old and has set numerous world records, shared his irreproducible life experience; Mao Daqing, the founder of Ucommune, talked about his feelings about the upcoming first expedition to 800 quicksands, and explained why ultra-long-distance running is a super mental exercise. Dion Leonard, who adopted a puppy while competing in the Gobi, shared the secret of his best-selling book "Finding Gobi" that touched millions of people.
Nathan and Adriana from Team Wonderland also shared their heartwarming and touching stories, as the two superrunners talked about how they have evolved from coaches and students to racing partners over the past five years, and called for "running is a celebration of life". After the sharing, Mr. Ni Wei, deputy general manager and general manager of the marketing department of Tianyoude Marketing Center, and Mr. Sun Kai, director of the product brand department of the marketing department of Tianyoude Marketing Center, presented customized team uniforms to the two team members on behalf of Tianyoude Group, and believed that the pair of masters and apprentices will bring the brand spirit of "unity of nature and man" to the vast Gobi of 400 kilometers.
In the "Departure Prayer Ceremony", the three leaders of Tianyoude, Mr. Liu Zhenyi, General Manager of Xuanzang Road (Beijing) Race Management Co., Ltd. and General Manager of the Strategic Development Department of Shanghai Condé Nast Traveler Sports, jointly took the stage to present the white Hada to the runners of this year's 800 quicksands, wishing the 54 heroes to complete the race smoothly, strive for good results, and leave their own unforgettable journey.
With the wonderful performances of the volunteers, the runners' meeting gradually came to an end. Tian Youde specially prepared barley wine and whiskey on the dinner table for volunteers and guests to taste, adding to the excitement of this beautiful evening.
In my lifetime, eight hundred quicksands, God bless you and me as spiritual totems. In the next 142 hours, please pay attention to the real-time results of the 2024 800 Quicksand Extreme Race with Tianyoude! (Yang Jiyuan)