Donald Peterson

Born on the West Coast of British Columbia to American parents. Donald spent most of his childhood moving from one logging community to another. His father, John, worked as a manager for McMillian Bloedel Ltd. In the summer, before his senior year of high school, Donald moved to the State of Washington with his father. He finished his schooling in Washington, graduating from Oakville High School.

After graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served active duty from 1988 to 1992. Upon completing his recruit (boot camp) and advance training, he was stationed in Hawaii, at Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay. He was deployed for both Desert Shield and Desert Storm Operations.

After being Honorably Discharged, he moved back to Washington and attended college, where he started work on a degree in Education and Philosophy. During this time, a brief visit with his brother in Vancouver, B.C., inspired him to move back to British Columbia.

Donald now lives in Victoria, B.C. and works as a Systems Administrator for a local supply company. He took up running as a way to get fit and stay in shape. He ran his first organized race in 1999, the Royal Victoria 8km, finishing in 34:22. Donald is currently a member of the Island Road Racers Running Club and is active in the Vancouver Island running community. He has run the Royal Victoria Marathon three times, many Half- Marathons and numerous races of shorter distances. 2006 will see him attempt his first ultra distance race, the Elk/Beaver 50k being held on May 6th.

Donald is a single father, to a beautiful daughter (Tori) who brings so much love and joy to his life. Donald grew up with parents who loved the outdoors. Camping, fishing and beach combing were a regular occurrence for his family. He continues that lifestyle with Tori. They spend many days exploring the beaches and wilderness of Vancouver Island.

Donald was introduced to the multi-stage ultra-marathon, at a slide show of the Marathon des Sable, presented by Rob Mackay. He was instantly hooked on the idea. It has been hard for Donald to articulate just why doing the Gobi March is so important to him. He is craving the challenge (both mentally and physically) that it will introduce to his life but it is more than that. It is also the adventure that is drawing him, the accomplishment of doing something that few other's have done and few will ever do. He feels it will be a pivotal time in his life, an experience that will change him forever.

Donna Carrigan

Donna often chooses challenging roles in life including her current position as Client Services Manager at a fast-paced management consulting firm located in Victoria BC. She is 25 and speaks a few languages.

Donna is by nature stubborn and adventurous. She has been traveling solo on airplanes since the age of 7. She spent time as a teenager living in Victoria's youth housing projects, spent a year in Denmark as a Rotary Ambassador; lost a portion of her breast to a breast tumor (benign); and was kicked out of an Australian vegetarian hippie commune for eating too much cheese. She lives by her own set of rules and is not afraid to share her point of view. Her hobbies include hiking, kayaking and playing the clarinet in the Greater Victoria Concert Band.

Donna feels this race will be an undeniable milestone in her life. She will gain the respect from her peers that she missed out on by not holding a university degree. She will prove to herself that she can follow through on one of her interests. She feels that she has always been able to learn things quickly, but has never had the discipline to see things through. With what she describes as "the attention span of a fruit fly" she has crafted herself into a jack-of-all-trades. She thrives off of the initial challenge in situations and then gets bored easily, moving on to something else. This race also appeals to her competitive nature, she is motivated by the fact that very few women compete in ultra-marathons.

It was by chance that Donna came across Rob McKay's story on the Internet. She was completely enthralled by his accomplishment of the "Toughest foot race on earth". She continually contacted Rob by email and by phone to learn more about his experience. She recalls: "After 6 months of harassing him, he asked me to run on Team Gobi Canada - he says I have the right attitude!"

To attempt a first place team finish Donna will have to train harder than her teammates. The reality is that she is not at the same fitness level and does not have the same fitness background like that of the other two team members. She will have to incorporate an intensive training schedule around her career, careful not to compromise her climb up the corporate ladder. Race officials should note that Donna has called dibs on any of the team's cheese rations.

Rob Mackay

Growing up on the mountains of North Vancouver and in a family of overachievers Rob learned at an early age to set the bar high. In his early teens, Rob decided upon football as his sport of choice. Upon graduation from high school, Rob accepted a full-ride scholarship toplay football at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the legendary and tough coach, Earle Bruce. His dreams of a career in professional football were not to materialize, though as the pressures of college and athletics proved too much for a kid from a small Canadian city.

Returning home to Vancouver, Rob pursued acareer in sales and marketing eventually landing in a small start-up internet company. He was lucky enough to ride the wave of the internet craze of the late 90's and then exit as the market took a downturn. His work in the internet world provided the funding for an around-the-world backpacking trip that started in Bangkok and ended in Rome with his partner, Michelle. Traveling proved to be a life altering experience for both Rob and Michelle and set the course for a never ending thirst for adventure that eventually led to extreme ultra-marathons.

"This time the Gobi will not only test my will but also my leadership ability", says Rob. "My leadership skills have been questioned in the past and this is an opportunity to set the bar high and redeem myself".

As Team Captain of Team Gobi Canada, Rob has a specific strategy for finishing in 1st place at The Gobi March 2007 race. The key to winning will be our patience in the first 3 days and our ability to make significant time gains during the long stage of 80kms. "I know we are inexperienced but I believe we can race and finish 1st in a net time of 41 hours," Rob says, "We have a great opportunity to finish first as a team because extreme ultra adventure races are unlike anything else in the sporting world; they are totally unpredictable." Having participated in one of the toughest (Marathon DesSables) Rob learned that being a skilled athlete is not the only factor for success in this kind of race.

"The desert is an unforgiving place that only favours those that are strong willed." In addition to hard training for the 8 months beforethe race, Team Gobi Canada will count on their drive, perseverance and total commitment to a firstplace finish.

Mike Suminski (Coach)

Mike Suminski completed his first marathon in Honolulu in 1990. This first marathon sparked a decade of running including an impressive 35 marathons (completing 3 of them under 3 hours) and10 Ultramarathons (including the Leadville 100 miler/160 km). Based on this experience Mike decided to start coaching. This was a natural progression for Mike, as his passion and excitement for running are evident to everyone he meets. Currently, Mike coaches private clients with a highly customized and hands-on approach. This approach ensures that each program he creates is as unique as the individual.

Having a variety of experience to draw from Mike is available to help you with your running goals, no matter what they are. From short road races to Ultra Marathoning, Mike will customize an approach for you that takes into account: your personality, skill level, as well as personal and work schedule. With a straight forward and kind attitude, Mike has the experience and ability to pinpoint blind spots, bad habits, destructive self-talk and limiting beliefs that may be keeping you from performing your best. Clients have been surprised at the affordability of Mike's services.

Mike believes that a good coach takes more than training into account when achieving goals. He is a strong believer in the mental and nutritional aspects that accompany top performance.

Chances are that you've heard of Mike's name before, so use this as an excuse to write him and ask him a few questions.

"We'll work as a team to make your running easier and more fun, and then I'll assist you in evaluating and adjusting a running program along the way." - Mike Suminski

Email Mike:
amusuminski@shaw.ca