Conquering the Namib Desert

The 2026 Namib Race and UltraLite Namibia concluded on Saturday in Swakopmund after a demanding week across the Namib Desert, with Japan’s Takuro Kumagai crowned overall champion and Austria’s Michaela Punz-Raml taking the women’s title.The race began on Sunday, with 128 competitors setting off from Camp 1. The field represented 37 countries, with competitors ranging in age from under 20 to 73.The six-stage race formed part of RacingThePlanet’s 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, with competitors covering a total of more than 240km through salt pans, dunes, rocky terrain and desert valleys before reaching the Atlantic coast.Stage 1, titled Across the Salt Pans, covered 41.1km across Walvis Bay’s salt pans, beach, the dry Kuiseb River bed and small dunes. The stage had an elevation gain of 211m and a descent of 139m.The event attracted competitors from countries including Namibia, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, Macau, Serbia and Morocco. About 30% of the field were women, while 65% had previous racing experience.Stage 2, Into the Dunes, covered 42.2km, with Japan’s Takuro Kumagai taking the stage victory. Paul Redbourn of the United Kingdom finished second, while Michaela Punz-Raml placed third overall and led the women.Punz-Raml continued her strong performance on Stage 3, covering 37.4km, finishing second overall and first among the women.Temperatures exceeded 40°CStage 4, through Moon Valley, covered 38.1km and included an elevation gain of 673m and a loss of 620m. Temperatures exceeded 40°C, adding to the challenge of the rocky route.The race reached its defining challenge on Stage 5, the 75.7km Long March. Kumagai won the stage, followed by Russia’s Leonid Kasatkin and Japan’s Kawakami Koichi. Redbourn finished fourth and Punz-Raml fifth overall.The final stage, covering 9.5km, took competitors from the desert to the Atlantic Ocean, with the finish on the beach near Tiger Reef Bar in Swakopmund.Alongside the race winners, Team Taiwan A was named the official team champion, while South Korea’s JustRunEat won the group team category.Five competitors also completed the race as part of the 4 Deserts Grand Slam contingent: Samah Benmaad of France, Odd Edøy of Norway, Fernando Llopis of Spain, Margarita Moreno of Colombia and Stephen Patton of Mexico.The five are pursuing the goal of completing the full 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series within 12 months.FINAL RESULTSFirst women and men:Michaela (Michi) Punz-Raml and Takuro (Taju) KumagaiSecond:Sara Schutz and Paul RedbournThird:Samah Benmaad and Koichi Kawakami29 and under:Alexandra Lor and Hugo Weston30–39:Yun Chen Chung and Murco Schutze40–49:Andreanne Roy-Perreault and Evgenvy Dobrov50–59:Adriana Dulic and Stephen (Steve) Cunliffe60–69:Patricia (Patty) Clune and Clarence Chan70+:Mary (Vickie) McDonaldTeam:Team Taiwan AGroup team:JustRunEatSportsmanship Award:Kat Ketchum-SmitSpirit Award:Team A-H-O BeyondOlivia Chiu – Australia/Hong KongJames (Jim) Crowe – United StatesAdriana Dulic – SerbiaSejin (Sarah) Oh – KoreaGraitudeRacingThePlanet thanked the people of Namibia, the local team, volunteers, medical staff and media crew for their contribution to the event.The organiser also confirmed that the next event in the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, The Last Desert in Antarctica, will begin on 13 November 2026.– leandrea@erongo.com.na

Conquering the Namib Desert

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Republikein 2026-08-26

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Conquering the Namib Desert

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