Hello,
I didn’t feel that I should mention this on the blog until I found references in the public domain. However this morning I found that two bloggers on the official Gobi March website have told the story, so I can explain why I feel that Mark and Jo faced more emotional challenges than they would ever have expected:
I quote from a blog:
“Deep sadness that a fellow competitor died on Saturday. He collapsed during the last stage of day 4, in the slot canyons, and was found without a pulse. The docs tried everything they could and he was taken to hospital in Urumqi, but unfortunately he paid the ultimate sacrifice. We all enter these events knowing that there is an element of danger but never expect it to end like this. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
You can see that Mark’s involvement in the rescues and treatment of collapsed competitors was a huge thing … and the fact that this young man died, is testament to how brutal the conditions were for those who were out in the hottest part of the day.
We too express our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends. It is an unthinkable end to what was surely to be the experience of a lifetime for him. Jo was very emotional when telling me the story … it was almost too much for them to bear.
Ann
