Atacama Crossing

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Six marked desert stages around San Pedro de Atacama, including a long stage through the Valley of the Moon.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Stage 1 start at about 3,200 m in Rainbow Valley (Valle Arcoiris), on the old Inca road
• Slot canyons on Stage 2, wading through a small river
• Salt flats on Stage 4
• Valley of the Moon on the 81 km Long March
• Finish in the town square of San Pedro de Atacama

The course mixes sand dunes, gravel, loose rock, hard-packed earth, waist-high grass and salt flats. Stage 2 spends about 5 km wading in and out of a small river through slot canyons before a sand-dune descent, and the Stage 4 salt flats can hide soft, muddy ground under a hard crust. Pink flags mark the route, with reflective tape at night, so there is no route-finding, although a compass is mandatory. Altitude is the hidden factor: the whole course is above 2,300 m, Stage 1 starts at about 3,200 m in Rainbow Valley, and most of the route stays around 2,500 m.

RacingThePlanet’s race-week guidance for April 4–10 gives daytime highs of 22–28°C (72–82°F) and nighttime lows of 2–6°C (36–43°F), more than 12 hours of sunshine and less than 1 mm of rain a year, with occasional gusts in open terrain. Its location guide warns that nights can drop to −1°C (30°F) and days can top 35°C (95°F). Sunrise is around 7:30 AM and sunset around 7:30 PM, so slower runners spend part of the Long March in the cold desert night.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

RacingThePlanet, the company American Mary Gadams founded in February 2002, added the Atacama Crossing in July 2004 as the second race of its 4 Deserts series, after the Gobi March. The April 4–10, 2027 race is the 19th edition: it ran in 2004, every year from 2006 to 2019, and in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Runners cover 250 km in six stages carrying a week of food and kit, with only water, a tent place, hot water at camp and medical support provided. The whole course sits above 2,300 m, starting at about 3,200 m in Rainbow Valley and finishing in the town square of San Pedro de Atacama. Rob Forbes holds the record at 21:20:46 from 2022, and the race counts toward the 4 Deserts Grand Slam.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men: Rob Forbes (UK), 21:20:46, 2022
• Women: Anne-Marie Flammersfeld (Germany), 29:49:53, 2012

Preparing for a Race Like Atacama Crossing

The stage race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Stage race packing list: Mandatory kit, daily carry, camp bags, food and foot care.
• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Blister prevention: Socks, taping, lubrication, shoe fit and hot spots.

Best Fit

• First-time stage racers: the organizer expects only about 30% of the field to have done a previous RacingThePlanet race
• Strong hikers, since cutoffs assume a 4 km/h walking pace and about 20% of the field walks the whole course
• Runners working toward the 4 Deserts Grand Slam

Planning Notes

• Study the mandatory gear list early and rehearse carrying the exact pack weight you expect to use on race day.
• Heat, sun, and dry air require event-specific preparation. Test sun protection and cooling, drink in response to thirst, and remember that sodium cannot make overdrinking safe.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• Altitude from day one: Camp 1 and the Stage 1 start sit at about 3,200 m
• The 81 km Long March, roughly double a normal stage, with an overnight checkpoint for slower runners
• Wet feet in the Stage 2 slot canyons, then hot, dry days and near-freezing nights
• Kit rules: a missing essential item or less than 2,000 calories of food per day means disqualification

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Browse the multiday stage-race calendar
• Open the Stage Race format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist