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Ultra Gobi<br />
“This is what running<br />
non-stop for that<br />
length of time in such<br />
hostile conditions<br />
does to you”<br />
<strong>The</strong> photographer’s<br />
perspective: James Carnegie<br />
“I struggled with a conflict of<br />
compassion over commitment<br />
during this assignment. I was<br />
here, several thousand miles<br />
from home, for the singular<br />
purpose of capturing James’<br />
story. But when your good friend<br />
lurches in from the cold, dark<br />
desert, shivering uncontrollably<br />
and repeatedly muttering ‘I just<br />
need to sleep’ you’re torn<br />
between helping them into their<br />
sleeping bag and getting the<br />
shot. I kept telling myself that if<br />
I came away with just one good<br />
shot, it would all be worth it.<br />
“I knew that I needed to see<br />
James outside the checkpoints,<br />
the safety of medics and the<br />
race staff; I needed to see him<br />
in the darkness and loneliness<br />
of the race. I heard his shuffled,<br />
slowing and stumbling footsteps<br />
alongside me, and also his<br />
incoherent, nonsensical speech<br />
and hallucinations as we<br />
traversed riverbed and gorge.<br />
I could see – and briefly share<br />
– the deep, deep cold he was<br />
victim to as he drew the hood<br />
tight around his face, clenching<br />
his numb and useless fingers<br />
into a ball in his gloves. This is<br />
where he was. This is where the<br />
story was. I would have liked to<br />
have experienced more of that.<br />
Without actually running this<br />
thing in its entirety, that wasn’t<br />
possible. I probably pushed as<br />
far as I could in my capacity as<br />
a photographer on this kind of<br />
remote adventure, but I’m left<br />
with utter respect for James<br />
and all the runners who saw<br />
this through.<br />
“A face can tell a thousand<br />
words. I hope that in my images<br />
I captured some of what James<br />
was experiencing. <strong>The</strong> raw<br />
fatigue, the worn exterior and<br />
the rollercoaster of emotions<br />
were clear to see, but how does<br />
one capture that?”<br />
86 THE RED BULLETIN