Raymond Zahab, (born in 1969)
is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Within endurance running comes two d ...
and
public speaker
Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...
. He has run in
long-distance running
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Within endurance running comes two ...
adventures in several countries, including the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
,
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...
, and the
Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert ( es, Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the ...
in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
. He crossed the Sahara with
Charlie Engle, (USA) and
Kevin Lin
Kevin Lin (林義傑, November 19, 1976) is a Taiwanese ultramarathon runner from Taipei.
Background
Based in Taipei, Lin is one of the best known endurance athletes in Asia. Lin, together with Charlie Engle and Ray Zahab, became the first mode ...
(Taiwan).
Zahab starred in the 2007 documentary film "Running the Sahara" narrated and produced by
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among '' Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Amer ...
and directed by Oscar-winner
James Moll
James Moll is an American director and producer of film documentaries and television documentaries. His documentary work has earned him an Academy Award, two Emmys, and a Grammy. Moll's production company, Allentown Productions Inc., has been ...
, which follows three men as they run across the
Sahara Desert
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
, a journey of 111 days and more than 4,300 miles of challenging terrain.
Zahab is also the author of the
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English p ...
''Running for My Life: On the Extreme Road with Adventure Runner Ray Zahab'' (), and co-author with Steve Pitt of ''Running to Extremes: Ray Zahab's Amazing Ultra marathon Journey''
(). and co author with Eric Walters of Just Deserts.
Results
:
Gobi March
The 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series is an annual series of four 250-kilometer (155-mile) races across deserts around the globe. The races were recognized as the world's leading endurance footrace series by ''TIME'' magazine in 2009 and 2010, as the ...
Team 2006 — 1st
:
Sahara Race
The 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series is an annual series of four 250-kilometer (155-mile) races across deserts around the globe. The races were recognized as the world's leading endurance footrace series by ''TIME'' magazine in 2009 and 2010, as the ...
2005 — 1st
:
Libyan Challenge
Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
2006 — 1st
:
BadWater Ultra — DNF
:
Marathon des Sables
''Marathon des Sables'', or MdS, ( French for Marathon of the Sands, also known as Sahara Marathon)
"Facing Africa NOMA : The Marathon des Sables",
FacingAfrica.org, 2010, webpage:
-->pages/mds/default.asp FA8.
is a six-day, ultramarath ...
2005 — 24th
:
Trans333 2004 — 3rd
:
Jungle Marathon
A jungle is land covered with dense tropical forest, forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sans ...
Solo 2004 — 8th
:
Jungle Marathon
A jungle is land covered with dense tropical forest, forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sans ...
Team 2004 — 1st
:
Marathon des Sables
''Marathon des Sables'', or MdS, ( French for Marathon of the Sands, also known as Sahara Marathon)
"Facing Africa NOMA : The Marathon des Sables",
FacingAfrica.org, 2010, webpage:
-->pages/mds/default.asp FA8.
is a six-day, ultramarath ...
2004 — 47th
:
Yukon Arctic Ultra The Yukon Arctic Ultra is a series of non-stop multiday races that take place concurrently beginning in Whitehorse, Yukon at the beginning of February each year. The marathon, 100/300/430 mile races follow the course of the Yukon Quest. The longer r ...
2004 — 1st
Honours
In 2015, he was awarded the
Meritorious Service Cross
The Meritorious Service Cross (french: Croix du service méritoire) is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, his or her Governor-in-Council. ...
.
References
External links
*
impossible2possible websiteRunning the Sahara website*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahab, Ray
1960s births
Living people
Canadian ultramarathon runners
Canadian track and field coaches
Canadian male long-distance runners
Canadian motivational speakers
Male ultramarathon runners
Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration