Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset Marathon 2003

Mongolia is a country twice the size of the state of Texas, with a population of only 2.5 million. As a Soviet client state they were closed off to the world during the cold war. When the Soviet Union collapsed the subsidies also stopped. Outside of the capitol, Ulaan Baataar, where 1/3 of the population lives, the people still hold to a nomadic lifestyle, herding the five ungulates, the yak, the goat, the lamb, the cow, and the camel.

The standard housing unit for Mongolia is a ger, a circular home with a wood stove for the centerpiece, and two or three beds lining the walls. The diameter of a ger is only about seven meters.

I flew into Ulaan Bataar three days before the race, meeting at the airport with the others in the group (about 60 or 70 participants), then transferred to a charter plane that took us to the southern corner of the very large Lake Hovsgoth close to the Russian border. We transferred to a ferry (of sorts) for about an hour and half boat ride up the lake. Our ultimate destination: Camp Toilogt, a community of gers (otherwise known as yurts). My home for the week was a ger with two ger-mates, a fellow from South Africa now living in Bangkok, and an Englishman now living in Beijing.

I spent the next two days trekking the entire marathon course. The first day covered the first half, which after about 10K proceeded up about a 6K long upgrade gaining elevation of about 1000 meters, then promptly losing it all. The elevation of the lake is about 1000 meters. The second day I trekked the second half of the course, while one of the race organizers, David Berlesconi, and a Mongolian horseman accompanied me on horses. The second pass, not quite as high as the first, is not even on a trail. It was just a “way” marked by green environmental paint on trees. This section was not runnable.

Race day: The race began at 0430 with light raining and slightly cold. I wore a jacket. The race required everyone to carry a jacket and rain pants, as well as a safety kit. We took off from Camp Toilogt in the dark on a narrow trail through the woods. I fell in behind two Mongolians and matched their steps. The trail had occasional logs strewn on the path. After about 3K or so we came out on a gravel road which continued flat for another 5K. I felt like the two Mongolians were going a little slow, but every time I tried to go around they would speed up, so I let them lead and shelter from the wind. When we came to the hill one Mongol dropped back. I hung on behind the other, sometimes dropping back a ways, but always maintaining contact. Finally near the top I sped up and passed him, but it was too soon. I faltered and he made it to the top first. I remembered though how we run mountain races in Colorado (!) and ran like a crazy man down slope and never saw him again!

Comfortable with my lead I stopped to take a leak about 2/3 of the way down. When I started back again running, I took two steps, hit a rock and went airborne, smashing hard into the rocks, my knee, hands, chin, all bloody. Gotta love it!

I was glad I had scoped out the course and knew what to expect. What I didn’t anticipate was snow on the top of the second pass! And in the snow were footprints! I was not in first place after all! Another Mongolian had apparently taken off at the start and I never saw him. Once over the pass the downslope was a very steep grassy slope, now covered with a light layer of slick snow. Definitely not runnable. I sort of side slipped my way down. At the bottom aide station they told me I was ten minutes behind the leader, but he was running the 100K! The course followed a nice 4W drive road on a gentle down hill for about 5K before flattening out for the final 5K. I ran hard and closed to four minutes behind by the end of the course. I got credit for the win in the marathon. The Mongolian wound up 2nd in the 100K, after hitting the wall. The winner was an hour behind after the marathon.

Great race and wonderful experience. Highly recommended! I intend to return next year to try the 100K distance.

The day following the race was an extra day for recreation. I rode a horse for the first time that I can remember. Not an activity that I particularly care for. The horse kept stopping to eat grass.

We left the gers and Camp Toilogt for Ulaan Baatar on the 27th. The 28th was a full day in UB. My new Mongolian friend, Erdenebayaar met me at our hotel.

Following a most informative viewing of the Museum for the Victims of Persecution we went shopping at the "State Dept Store", where I bought some leather wall hangings and some Mongolian jackets for my daughters. For lunch we found a nice little place where I had a rice dish with vegetables and lamb mixed in. When I told Erdenebayaar that I was happy to eat in a Mongolian restaurant, he informed me there were no "Mongolian restaurants", this was just an "Eating house".

Next problem to solve was how to get to his place. We walked up to the bus stop, where Erdenebayaar informed me that UB doesn't have a lot of buses. The Korean government donated some buses to the city and that is essentially their transportation system.

He told me that it could take an hour for the bus to come. When I asked if there were a schedule, he replied, no we just have to wait. How much to take a taxi, I asked. Too expensive, he insisted. How much? 2500 (about $2). I told him that I only had one day in UB and that I was willing to pay $2 for the taxi ride. When we stepped out to hail a cab, a bus came up. While it wasn't the bus he was waiting for, Erdenebayaar said it would get us closer to our destination, so we would save money on the taxi fare. The bus cost was less than a dime per person. We rode it to the end of the line, got out and proceeded to a long line of beat up old cars. These were not taxis, these were personal cars from entrepreneurs trying to make a little extra money.

We climbed into the back seat of the first car in line. There was already someone in the front seat. Erdenebayaar told me we had to wait for another passenger. How much is it? 100 per person (less than a dime). I told him I would pay for the extra person, and we were off. One more relay station and another old car, another 100 and we were near his home.