After up to 4 months’ promotion, exercises and selection, equipment selection, training, the exciting fifth Asian Sand Race finally started on April 29th in the Tengger Desert.
UCAS team members gathered in Yinchuan from all over the country. And taking 2 hours’ bus, across the cities, villages, forests of populus euphratica, oasis, Gobi, they went into the vast expanse of the Tengger Desert. It is definitely an ultimate challenge of physical strength and perseverance for most people hiking 70 kilometers in 3 days with heavy load of sleeping bags and supplies on foot. After three days of fighting, all team members returned home safe, healthy and happily!
3 days of experience will be a deeply engraved brand in the hearts of all team members. There will be thousands and thousands of words to share: friendship, responsibility, limit and experience. In the race, we met a different you.
About friendship
As the declaration of the race said "Once in the race, friends forever", the race let existing friendship stronger, let people meeting by chance become lifelong friends because of common experiences.
Team members accompanied each other, encouraged each other and helped each other at the race. Some members said they could not finish the race without the help of other team members. It is the race that makes the team more powerful, and the friendship stronger.
Along the way, participants from different colleges and universities encouraged each other. Although they met by chance, they had the same destination, with the same desire, shared the same experience. No matter where they came from, they quickly knew each other.
About responsibility
UCAS team members Song Tianzhong and Ding Yujia arrived at the hotel at 4am because of flight delay. However, they got up at 5:30am and then rushed to the scene of the race. On the same day, they just completed the 26 km race. After the game, Song didn’t feel well, but he still strived to overcome the difficulties and completed the race.
In order to seize the players’ presence in the road and at the finish line, UCAS reporter Liu Chuanguo stood and shoot photos for almost nine hours, starting from the departure of the first player to the arrival of the last player, with the responsibility and mission to be a good reporter and to keep records for every player.
Another reporter Wen Wei took photos for the player at each supply point, and helped them stretch. His responsibility and kindness even won praise from other teams.
About limit
The first day of the race is the roughest day with the maximum distance. After entering the desert, the wind wrapped the sand surrounding every players’ body, face. And constantly going uphill and downhill was a great test on everyone's body and psychology. On the next day, the players gradually adapted to the desert, but the weather in the desert was like a baby's face: it was sunshine in the morning, began to rain heavily at night. The team members tried to understand the power of life and the vast, ruthless, beautiful and lonely sand sea.
Someone's goal is to be able to finish one day’s race; some people’s goal is to complete the 70 KMs race; some people wants to pursue faster speed; some people wants to fight for the first place. It is a challenge for everyone's limit .It is a fight for the honor: the honor is from one’s commitment to their commitment to the team.
About experience
Life is an experience. What kind of experience has the Asian Sand Race brought us?
In addition to the vast expanse of the ups and downs of desert, the scene of vast yellow into the sky, embellished oasis in the desert, occasional show ups of sheep and camels, salt lake turning into pale soil, sharp blow on the face, and thousands of people holding bowls standing there and drinking sheep soup, colorful tents by Swan lake, we had enjoyed the sand music festival and the bonfire party.
This is the magic of the Asian Sand Race: there is so much longing before going; the process is full of persistence with occasional retreat; a lot of memories after the race. It is an unforgettable experience of excitement, tears, sweat and sweetness. If you didn't walk through it , you wouldn’t be able to experience.
As the Asian Sand Race slogan says: running forward and continuing to run. The fifth Asian Sand Race was over, but we will continue to run and run. Our friendship has been sublimated. We realized that “Once in the race, friends forever".
Asian Sand Race, meet a different you!
