Atacama Desert — From Earth to Mars

Here I am after completing the final, with my hard-won medal 

Extremophiles are specialised micro-organisms that thrive in nuclear waste, volcanic vents, boiling geothermal geysers and even deep inside rocks. Their unique biology allows them to feast on chemicals and radiation that would kill most organisms. But there is a place on Earth so hostile to life that even extremophiles perish: Chile’s Atacama Desert which is the world’s driest desert and is 15 million years old. ‘Here is the only place where we find no life,’ said Chris McKay, a NASA geologist studying the Atacama Desert.  

The US held a seven-day ultra-marathon race there from 4 to 10 July 2004. Competitors traversed 250km across the Atacama Desert over the seven days carrying their own food and gear. Only water, a tent and medical support were provided daily to the competitors. I was the only Singaporean among the 70 international competitors. To make the race more challenging, Ian Adamson was the race director. Ian, touted as the king of adventure racers, is a three-time Eco-Challenge champion and the only athlete in the world who has won Raid Gauloises, Southern Traverse and Primal Quest races. He also holds the world record for endurance kayaking. 

The race comprises six stages over seven days and it captures the enormous diversity of the terrain — valleys, streams, canyons, sand dunes, desert oases, gigantic rock gardens and massive salt flats before winding down in the Valley of the Moon and Valley of the Death — the same locations where NASA tests its Mars rover vehicles. The climate is exceptionally dry, with temperatures varying from below freezing in the high alpine area to the high 30ºC on the salt flats.  

Stage one, a 32km run, started at 4,100m above sea level. This is a warm up run. My backpack containing my seven days of food and gear was 10kg. I got along well with the three-man team from Argentina in my tent. Members of this team have completed the iron man race and Eco-Challenge. Kevin (the elite Taiwanese national runner) and Derek (Captain of Eco-Challenge in Hong Kong) were also in my tent. They became my close friends after we completed the 250km Gobi Desert run last September. Unfortunately, Derek suffered from altitude sickness (less oxygen at high altitudes above 2,500m) and his performance was affected.  

Stage two is a 47km run. We crossed a waist-deep river between canyons for about 10km. The water was freezing and our legs were numb after coming out of the river. At this stage, I got to know the three-man team from UK and we got along very well throughout the race. The UK team is very strong — one of them completed six Eco-Challenge competitions and another set the Guinness world record for the 100km run. Each day the UK team would ask me — are you chasing after us today or do we chase after you? This was because our timing was close and we met along the course every day.  

Stage three is a 30km run across a few sand dunes. I had to stop running many times just to empty the sand from my shoes. I finished this stage with two blisters and two dead toe nails.  

Stage four is a 42km run. The initial 12km run was fine until I hit the salt lake. I thought one litre of water was enough to cross the 13km salt lake and reach the next checkpoint. I was wrong. We took at least three hours to cross it, just like the fastest runner. Many people including myself suffered from dehydration. The weather was very hot and we ran out of water after just one hour. We pushed on and during the last 8km, I threw up many times due to the intake of power gel (taken for energy every one to two hours). I collapsed in my tent at the end.  

Stage five, the longest of the race, is an 80km run and ends at the Valley of the Death. We almost died when we reached the end. At the start, I ran very fast and was in the top five at all checkpoints during the day time. However, the temperature dropped to less than 5ºC after 7pm, followed by strong winds. I contracted hypothermia (where the body loses heat faster than it can produce it) and got lost in the desert. To reduce my weight, I left behind my GPS (Global Positioning System via 12 satellites) and relied on my compass. The UK team caught up with me but they also left behind their GPS. We were lost together. Then came the three-man army team from Chile. They had a GPS and were nice by asking us to follow them. We did but we climbed at least five sand dunes to reach the penultimate checkpoint for that night.  

Stage six is the final 16km run and, of course, we ran all the way to the end point.  

I completed the race and managed a tenth position. The ranking is not important. Learning from the experiences of other competitors is. We had in our midst a lawyer, doctor, banker, elite athlete, economist, US Special Agent, architect, journalist, army officer, engineer and CEO. The Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley Asia, speaks perfect English, so good that I am sure he can be an ace barrister. We shared the same tent during the Gobi Desert run last year and I was impressed by him. John is an infantry officer with the Royal British Army. We had interesting chats about his army training and his next posting to Iraq.  

Hitherto, I have completed 250km runs in three deserts of different terrain — the Sahara, Gobi and Atacama. I am now preparing for my next race — the 200km run in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. It is a nice break from law practice. 

Soo Poh Huat
Soo Poh Huat & Co