Great News from Frontline; NTU Gobi-11 Victorious!

Winner of the Best Team Award, Gobi Best Video, Team Excellence Award, and Shackleton Prize (for a team’s completion of entire race); the top 4 awards are in our hands.

he 11th Gobi Challenge (Gobi-11) had concluded on May 25 and, after 3 days of competition, NTU EMBA Gobi-11, or the representative of Taiwan, ranked 12th among all 51 universities with the record of 10:23:45. The Gobi Challenge this year was at least 4 kilometers longer than that of Gobi-10, but our record this year, 10:23:45, was 40 minutes faster. It is the best ever record achieved among NTU’s 7 years of record, and also the best record among all Taiwanese teams. In addition, we were also the winner of the Gobi Best Video, which was voted through Facebook, the Best Team Award, and the Shackleton Prize for full completion of the race. With the grand slam on all 4 honors, our leader, Dean Guo Ruei-Xiang, of College of Management, Honorary Professor Ke Cheng-En, Coach Jian Kun-Zhong, and all team members, were exhilarated.

The Gobi Challenge is a major event for Chinese business schools across the Strait in three regions and the contenders are grouped into Group A for competition, Group B for Accomplishment, and Group C for One-Day Experience. This year the NTU EMBA’s Gobi-11 included the Super Marathon superstar, Lin Yi-Jie and members who were entrepreneurs and top managers in hi-tech, IT, laws, bio-tech, and financial sectors. These business elites’ average age was 46; most of them had never received professional running training. However, driven by their dreams of conquering their own extreme, they have transformed from amateurs to Marathon contenders over a short period of time by sheer will power, and will meet the “800-miles of floating sands”, as history called, of the Gobi Desert that has no mercy for any one lacking of stamina and combat readiness. 

During the race from May 22 through May 25, (1 day for experience and 3 for race), contenders will be passing 116 KM, point-to-point journey, the same route taken by Xuanzang the Monk some 1300 years ago to obtain Buddhism scriptures, 1500 meters above sea-level, diurnal amplitude of 40 degrees, with only coordinates but not known roads. A local saying goes “Leather overcoat in the morning, yarn shirt in the noon.” That is how far the temperature difference can be in Gobi.

The unforgiving climate and terrain of Gobi Desert always attract EMBA students to test themselves and challenge the extreme. The special terrain along the way includes rolling hills of saline-alkali soil, filled with Gobi thorns, milky sands, and black boulders; these are all obstacles that test the contenders’ speed, stamina, and strategy. NTU Team A managed to finish the race with the 12th place despite it was one person short from the average 10-perosn team size. That means every member on the team have had done more than they were thought to be possibly could. They have settled the record of 10:23:45 after the 3-day race; the best ever record for our team, and that is an awesome achievement. 

“Start Together, Finish Together”, the spirit and war cry for the race this year, amazed contenders from other teams. Echoing on the Gobi Desert, this war cry became the most popular slogan among the contenders. NTU Gobi-11 would present their highly entertaining show daily at the finish line; it might be dance in dragon costume, the Yo-Kai Exercise, or the Stamina Dance. Their creativity and entertainment were highly approved among the contenders and the staff. Because of the team spirit and creativity demonstrated, the judges decided that the Best Team Award should go to NTU.

NTU Gobi-11 Team A at the start line

Team B’s dragon costume on the 1st day at Gobi-11

Team B’s show at the finish line.

Leader of NTU Gobi-11, Dean Guo Ruei-Xiang, claimed the Best Team Award. 

All members of NTU Gobi-11 after the race.

Reception at the airport with the supporters.