Xinjiang’s Gobi March, part of a series of four desert races, has been named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the world. The following is a photo essay of the June 2010 race including quotes from those who both participated and volunteered.

As the competitors ran, walked, hobbled and limped across the finish line, there were cheers everywhere, but also a lot of tears. A lot. (And a strange feast of food and beer at 10 a.m. because after 250 km, there are a lot of people who just want a cold one)

I spent the week asking locals about what they thought about 150 people completing a race through the Gobi Desert, where they run or walk for 250 km in one week. Usually the villagers would nod and sometimes stare at the competitors’ strange, spandex clothing.

The Gobi March is a seven day, 250 km rough country race through parts of the Gobi Desert and for 2010, the race goes through the Turpan Basin area. Since 2003, the organizing RacingThePlanet has hosted the Gobi March, which is one of four 250 km desert ultramarathons in a series called the 4 Deserts

For those who are sweating out the summer even with the air conditioning on full-blast, imagine yourself running 250 kilometers across one of the hottest deserts in the world right now…voluntarily.