What RacingThePlanet does

RacingThePlanet is a Hong Kong-incorporated private company that has organized multi-day, self-supported 250km stage ultramarathons across extreme desert environments since 2004. Its core product is the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series — Gobi March (Mongolia), Atacama Crossing (Chile), Namib Race (Namibia), and The Last Desert (Antarctica) — supplemented by an UltraLite Series at each location, a standalone Antarctica Ultramarathon, and a newly announced RacingThePlanet: Brazil 2027. Each race traverses roughly 250 kilometers over six-to-seven stages in seven days, with the company providing tent accommodation, water, checkpoints, wilderness medicine teams, and GPS live tracking while competitors carry personal gear.

The operating stack is event infrastructure rather than software product: cloud-hosted website registration, Shopify Payments processing, competitor blog platform, real-time race tracking, and an online store for equipment and merchandise. Around the races, the company runs a community ecosystem including the 4 Deserts Club, Grand Slam / Grand Slam Plus completion programs, Record Holders recognition, personal trainer directories, and training content — supported by social channels, YouTube, email newsletters, and competitor-authored race blogs.

Revenue comes from race entry fees (per-event registration, with packages including logistics and inclusions), merchandise and equipment sales through racingtheplanetstore.com, and travel and tour packages — particularly for the Antarctica and Mongolia events where logistics are bundled. End customers are predominantly individual endurance athletes seeking bucket-list ultramarathon experiences, with secondary segments in corporate team-building events and charity fundraisers; teams such as Resolve Team and Chafing The Dream are documented participants, and charity activations include Fundación Onada and Mozambikes/Kedesh Santuario.

Name

RacingThePlanet

Legal name

RacingThePlanet Limited

Website

https://racingtheplanet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RacingThePlanet is a Hong Kong-based private company that organizes multi-day 250km self-supported ultramarathon races across extreme desert environments — the 4 Deserts Series in Mongolia, Chile, Namibia, and Antarctica, plus a Brazil expansion. It serves individual endurance athletes, corporate teams, and charity fundraisers through race registration, merchandise, and travel packages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Endurance Sports Event Management

NAICS

Racetracks (711212), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Trail Running & Ultra-Endurance Events (Trail Races, Ultras) (MPAKAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAC)

Keywords

• Ultramarathon event organization
• Multi-day stage races
• Desert endurance races
• Self-supported footraces
• Endurance sports events

Headquarters

HQ city

Scott Air Force Base

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Race Entry Fees: Registration fees for ultramarathon events including the 4 Deserts series races. Fees vary by race and include tent accommodation, water, and race infrastructure support during events.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store (racingtheplanetstore.com) selling equipment, apparel, and gear for ultrarunning events
3. Travel and Tours: Travel and tour packages offered in conjunction with race events, particularly for remote locations like Antarctica

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

RacingThePlanet organizes multi-day, self-supported ultramarathon footraces, most notably the 4 Deserts Series of 250km/7-day stage races across the Gobi (Mongolia), Atacama (Chile), Namib (Namibia) and Antarctica. It sells race entries and provides full event infrastructure including medical/wilderness support, camps, GPS tracking, plus merchandise and travel packages.

Product overview

RacingThePlanet is an event management company that organizes multi-day ultramarathon races across extreme environments worldwide. The core offering is the prestigious 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, consisting of four signature 250km stage races: Gobi March (Mongolia), Atacama Crossing (Chile), Namib Race (Namibia), and The Last Desert (Antarctica). The company also operates the UltraLite Series at each location for a lighter-weight racing experience, plus the Antarctica Ultramarathon as a standalone event and RacingThePlanet: Brazil expanding the portfolio to a fifth location. Supporting services include competitor blog platforms, LIVE race coverage with GPS tracking, the 4 Deserts Club membership program recognizing race completions, and an online store for equipment and merchandise. The races feature 6-7 stages over 7 days, self-supported camping conditions, and highly qualified staff with wilderness medicine expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UltraLite: A lighter version of the 4 Deserts races with reduced mandatory gear requirements.

Products and services

• 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series Flagship ultramarathon series of four multi-day 250km stage races across the world's most extreme deserts: Gobi March (Mongolia), Atacama Crossing (Chile), Namib Race (Namibia) and The Last Desert (Antarctica). Competitors traverse 250km in seven days over rough terrain with tent accommodation and water provided.
• Gobi March A 250km, 7-day ultramarathon held in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia; part of the 4 Deserts Series and the company's flagship event.
• Atacama Crossing A 250km/155-mile, 6-stage ultramarathon held in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the driest non-polar desert in the world.
• Namib Race A 250km ultramarathon held in the Namib Desert of Namibia, one of the world's oldest deserts.
• The Last Desert An ultramarathon held in Antarctica that completes the 4 Deserts Series, featuring expedition ship travel and unique polar conditions.
• Antarctica Ultramarathon A standalone ultramarathon event held in Antarctica alongside The Last Desert, offering additional competitive opportunities on the frozen continent.
• UltraLite Series A lighter version of the 4 Deserts races offered at each location with reduced mandatory equipment requirements, for competitors seeking a less equipment-intensive experience.
• RacingThePlanet: Brazil A 250km ultramarathon event in Brazil expanding the race portfolio beyond the original 4 Deserts locations, featuring RacingThePlanet Ultra and UltraLite events.
• 4 Deserts Club A recognition/membership program for competitors who complete all four 4 Deserts races, including Grand Slam and Grand Slam Plus categories for multiple completions and tracking of record holders.
• Travel and Tours Packages Coordinated travel and tour packages offered in conjunction with race events, particularly for remote locations such as Antarctica and Mongolia.
• RacingThePlanet Online Store E-commerce platform selling race equipment, apparel and merchandise at racingtheplanetstore.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250 kilometers traversed in seven days over rough country terrain
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TransRockies Run: Multi-day stage race operator across trail and mountain terrain in North America (and occasionally other continents). Operates a closely analogous multi-day, self-supported stage format for endurance athletes, though focused on mountain trail rather than desert terrain.
• World Marathon Challenge: Organizes the "7 Marathons on 7 Continats in 7 Days" series, an extreme multi-stage endurance event at a similar price point and rarity to RacingThePlanet's desert offerings. It competes for the same ultra-endurance bucket-list buyer with an alternative multi-continent format.
• Cape Epic: South Africa-based multi-day mountain bike stage race that pioneered the multi-continent stage-race product model. It is comparable as a multi-day, expedition-style endurance event business operating in Africa with global draw, though in cycling rather than running.
• Western States Endurance Run: One of the most prestigious 100-mile trail ultramarathons in the world, run annually in California. While a single-stage (not multi-day) format, it is a benchmark reference point for the same prestige tier and recruits from the same core ultra-endurance athlete community.
• Badwater Ultramarathon: Iconic extreme ultra event brand (Badwater 135 in Death Valley, plus Cape Fear and Salton Sea editions). Comparable as a niche, prestige-driven, extreme-environment ultramarathon operator targeting the same small global pool of elite ultra-endurance participants.
• Marathon des Sables: The original and most iconic multi-day, self-supported desert ultramarathon (held annually in the Moroccan Sahara). It is the closest direct competitor to RacingThePlanet's 4 Deserts Series in format, distance, self-sufficiency, and competitor demographic; the two brands frequently compete for the same global field of extreme endurance athletes.

Broad incumbents

• UTMB Group: Owns the UTMB World Series of trail-running events and acquired Marathon des Sables in 2022. It is the dominant incumbent in organized ultra-endurance races globally and the most likely consolidator or competitive counterweight to RacingThePlanet's boutique desert series.
• Tough Mudder: Mass-participation obstacle and endurance event operator running events globally. Adjacent incumbent competing for the same endurance-event participant wallet with a higher-volume, less-elite positioning than RacingThePlanet's desert series.
• Spartan Race / Spartan: Mass-participation obstacle course and endurance racing brand with global events. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the extreme endurance / adventure race category, competing for share-of-wallet from the same aspirational endurance demographic, though at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Eco-Challenge: Adventure racing expedition series revived in recent years as a multi-day, multi-discipline endurance event across remote global locations. Comparable as an emerging extreme endurance operator pursuing a similar expedition-stage format, though with team- and mixed-discipline dynamics rather than solo running.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/racingtheplanet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RacingThePlanetTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/RacingThePlanet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/racingtheplanet
• Instagraminstagram.com/racingtheplanet

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RacingThePlanet