Two Malaysian AIDS Foundation Red Ribbon Youth Club advocates battled heat strokes and frostbites to inspire young Malaysians in the fight to end AIDS.<\/em><\/h4>\nKUALA LUMPUR, 16 July 2017<\/strong> \u2013 As if the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 was not ambitious enough, two inspiring young Malaysians rose to the challenge of taking this mission to the hot and cold extremes \u2013 literally!<\/p>\nRed Ribbon Youth Club advocates Jerry Song (21) and Jeff Lau (26) competed in two of the world\u2019s toughest footraces \u2013 the 4 Deserts Gobi March China (2017) and the 9th 6633 Arctic Ultra respectively \u2013 as part of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) HOT & COLD Ultra Challenge 2017, earlier this year, in a bid to spur the Malaysian youth ending AIDS movement and spread the awareness to the far reaches of the world.<\/p>\n
A Song of ice and fire<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maf.org.my\/V2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Jerry-Song_Gobi-Dessert-Run_2017.jpg\")
<\/a>Malaysian AIDS Foundation Red Ribbon Youth Club advocate and University of Malaya third-year medical student Jerry Song raises the Malaysian flag at the end of Gobi March (China). At 21, he is the youngest Malaysian to complete the gruelling multi-stage race.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI pinch myself every time I think about the race,\u201d said Jerry Song, a novice in extreme sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had run only a few full marathons prior to Gobi March. Naturally, I find it hard to believe that, just a few weeks ago, I was racing through tricky sand dunes, mountain passes, dense forests, and of course, the vast, arid Black Gobi Desert.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 250km seven-day, six-stage, self-supported endurance footrace along the Ancient Silk Road in the Xinjiang Province in Northwest China, the Gobi March combines a cool weather mountain trail race and a hot desert race. It is part of the 4 Deserts races, widely recognised as the most prestigious outdoor footrace series in the world. This year\u2019s edition was held from 18 to 24 June.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had trained rather extensively in preparation for the race,\u201d said the third-year University of Malaya (UM) medical student who admitted he struggled to juggle his training schedule with his studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut nothing could ever prepare you for stage five \u2013 the toughest stage of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dubbed the Long March, the penultimate stage is a continuous 82km race in the scorching heat that is the Black Gobi Desert with temperatures hitting 45\u00b0C.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was doing fine until the last checkpoint, right around midnight, when I felt a burning sensation inside my body despite the strong cold wind. The race doctor said I was sufferring a mild heat stroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was extremely exhausted. I tried to soldier on but simply couldn\u2019t. It was frustrating,\u201d the Penang-born added that at that very point, he had almost given up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat pushed me through was the thought of my family, friends and supporters at home who were cheering me on through the messages that they had left for me online. I owed it to my race buddies as well who stayed with me throughout my recovery and kept motivating me to finish the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had also made a promise to myself that not finishing the race was not an option if I am to complete my ending AIDS mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Upon accomplishing said mission, Song became the youngest Malaysian to complete the 4 Deserts Gobi March.<\/p>\n
Not one to rest on his laurels, he has plans to explore other extreme challenges to continue his AIDS awareness endeavour, although nothing is set in stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the meantime, I will continue to speak to HIV and AIDS issues that affect young people through the Red Ribbon Youth Club,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust keep running\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Red Ribbon Youth Club advocates Jerry Song (21) and Jeff Lau (26) competed in two of the world\u2019s toughest footraces \u2013 the 4 Deserts Gobi March China (2017) and the 9th 6633 Arctic Ultra respectively \u2013 as part of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) HOT & COLD Ultra Challenge 2017, earlier this year, in a bid to spur the Malaysian youth ending AIDS movement and spread the awareness to the far reaches of the world.<\/p>\n
A Song of ice and fire<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/a>Malaysian AIDS Foundation Red Ribbon Youth Club advocate and University of Malaya third-year medical student Jerry Song raises the Malaysian flag at the end of Gobi March (China). At 21, he is the youngest Malaysian to complete the gruelling multi-stage race.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI pinch myself every time I think about the race,\u201d said Jerry Song, a novice in extreme sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had run only a few full marathons prior to Gobi March. Naturally, I find it hard to believe that, just a few weeks ago, I was racing through tricky sand dunes, mountain passes, dense forests, and of course, the vast, arid Black Gobi Desert.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 250km seven-day, six-stage, self-supported endurance footrace along the Ancient Silk Road in the Xinjiang Province in Northwest China, the Gobi March combines a cool weather mountain trail race and a hot desert race. It is part of the 4 Deserts races, widely recognised as the most prestigious outdoor footrace series in the world. This year\u2019s edition was held from 18 to 24 June.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had trained rather extensively in preparation for the race,\u201d said the third-year University of Malaya (UM) medical student who admitted he struggled to juggle his training schedule with his studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut nothing could ever prepare you for stage five \u2013 the toughest stage of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dubbed the Long March, the penultimate stage is a continuous 82km race in the scorching heat that is the Black Gobi Desert with temperatures hitting 45\u00b0C.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was doing fine until the last checkpoint, right around midnight, when I felt a burning sensation inside my body despite the strong cold wind. The race doctor said I was sufferring a mild heat stroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was extremely exhausted. I tried to soldier on but simply couldn\u2019t. It was frustrating,\u201d the Penang-born added that at that very point, he had almost given up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat pushed me through was the thought of my family, friends and supporters at home who were cheering me on through the messages that they had left for me online. I owed it to my race buddies as well who stayed with me throughout my recovery and kept motivating me to finish the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had also made a promise to myself that not finishing the race was not an option if I am to complete my ending AIDS mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Upon accomplishing said mission, Song became the youngest Malaysian to complete the 4 Deserts Gobi March.<\/p>\n
Not one to rest on his laurels, he has plans to explore other extreme challenges to continue his AIDS awareness endeavour, although nothing is set in stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the meantime, I will continue to speak to HIV and AIDS issues that affect young people through the Red Ribbon Youth Club,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust keep running\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>Malaysian AIDS Foundation Red Ribbon Youth Club advocate and University of Malaya third-year medical student Jerry Song raises the Malaysian flag at the end of Gobi March (China). At 21, he is the youngest Malaysian to complete the gruelling multi-stage race.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI pinch myself every time I think about the race,\u201d said Jerry Song, a novice in extreme sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had run only a few full marathons prior to Gobi March. Naturally, I find it hard to believe that, just a few weeks ago, I was racing through tricky sand dunes, mountain passes, dense forests, and of course, the vast, arid Black Gobi Desert.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 250km seven-day, six-stage, self-supported endurance footrace along the Ancient Silk Road in the Xinjiang Province in Northwest China, the Gobi March combines a cool weather mountain trail race and a hot desert race. It is part of the 4 Deserts races, widely recognised as the most prestigious outdoor footrace series in the world. This year\u2019s edition was held from 18 to 24 June.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had trained rather extensively in preparation for the race,\u201d said the third-year University of Malaya (UM) medical student who admitted he struggled to juggle his training schedule with his studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut nothing could ever prepare you for stage five \u2013 the toughest stage of the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dubbed the Long March, the penultimate stage is a continuous 82km race in the scorching heat that is the Black Gobi Desert with temperatures hitting 45\u00b0C.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was doing fine until the last checkpoint, right around midnight, when I felt a burning sensation inside my body despite the strong cold wind. The race doctor said I was sufferring a mild heat stroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was extremely exhausted. I tried to soldier on but simply couldn\u2019t. It was frustrating,\u201d the Penang-born added that at that very point, he had almost given up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat pushed me through was the thought of my family, friends and supporters at home who were cheering me on through the messages that they had left for me online. I owed it to my race buddies as well who stayed with me throughout my recovery and kept motivating me to finish the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had also made a promise to myself that not finishing the race was not an option if I am to complete my ending AIDS mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Upon accomplishing said mission, Song became the youngest Malaysian to complete the 4 Deserts Gobi March.<\/p>\n
Not one to rest on his laurels, he has plans to explore other extreme challenges to continue his AIDS awareness endeavour, although nothing is set in stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the meantime, I will continue to speak to HIV and AIDS issues that affect young people through the Red Ribbon Youth Club,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n