Dubai man to run 250km across Gobi desert for charity

A Dubai resident has taken on a big challenge — to run 250 kilometres across the Gobi desert for charity. Wouter Kingma, a freelance photographer for Audi Middle East, is one of the participants of the seven-day ‘Gobi March' which begins Sunday. The march is equivalent to six back-to-back marathons and takes place in the unforgiving mountainous terrain of remote western China, known locally as one of the "Furnaces of China" due to the hot and arid climate. Uganda "I know it sounds like a cliché, but I run because I can. I'm passionate about supporting those who are less fortunate. ABC Children's Aid Uganda is my personal choice and a charity where all donated money ends up on the dinner plate for those in real need. With my run I want to raise as much money as possible for these children," Kingma said. He has photographed the event twice and has now taken the plunge and decided to take part in the gruelling challenge himself. The photographer described the challenge on his blog as "A magical mix of six marathons in seven days. The full course is off-road. The Gobi March is listed by Time magazine as #2 on its top 10 list of endurance competitions. "I've seen the inside of the race and now its time to experience the brutal other side," he wrote. Something ‘worthwhile' The car company will be supporting his challenge. "We consider Wouter as one of our own. This spirit of going beyond one's own limits to support something so worthwhile is what we want to encourage in our employees and customers. We call on everyone to support his cause and follow his example in whichever way possible for them," Jeff Mannering, managing director said. Kingma's journey can be followed, and donations can be made, by visiting his personal blog, wouterkingma.blogspot.com. Regular updates of his progress will be posted on the Audi Twitter and Facebook pages. From gulfnews.