Monasteraden native, Declan Surlis has just completed one of the most gruelling endurance events you can find anywhere in the world, a 250km foot race over six days across the Gobi desert.

It was part of a Four Desert series where competitors must trek across tough terrain whilst carrying their own equipment and food.

They are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams.

The Racing The Planet event consists of treks across four deserts, the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and a fifth event which moves to a new location each year.

Declan describes the Gobi challenge, which he completed in just over 41 hours, as "a journey of a lifetime."

The Four Deserts series was named by TIME magazine in 2010 as the number one foot race in the world, and as one of the world's top 10 endurance events. This July's Gobi March was the seventh, the inaugural having been held in 2003.

Temperatures for the Gobi March can vary greatly – this year average temperatures were about 10°C / 50°F on the early part of the course and 35-40°C / 95-104°F on the later stages.

The terrain is a mixture of dry rocky river-beds, dusty tracks and sand dunes - roughly 20% of competitors run the entire course, 60% combine running with walking while 20% walk the entire course.

The Turpan Basin, where the Gobi March took place, is China's lowest point of land on earth (and the second in the world), the hottest place in the country and the most distant point from an ocean in the world.

Declan (38), operates two bars in Shanghai and is a veteran of triathlons, marathons and ironman so had a good grounding for the challenge that lay ahead of him. Despite the exhausting challenge, he says it won't be his last.

"There were twenty plus in total that left from Shanghai in our group. We left as a group but we raced at our own speeds. A great bunch of people. We ran and walked along side each other most part of the days, which was great.

"How tough was it?....... very. But you would need to put in the hours of training. Guess who had the heaviest pack out of 150 plus competitors? ....me!" recalls Declan.

The average backpack of competitors weighed between 8-9 kilograms or 20 pounds and with such a long trek ahead of them every kilogramme counted.

"To be honest, I didn't know where to start off loading as I was bringing it all. It was mostly food and we had to carry for the 6 days (2,000 calories per day). It was all freeze dried food with snacks and energy bars. If we were seen buying food along the way we could be disqualified. At the same time we also didn't want to get food poisoning, so, as we say in hospitality, it's better to be looking at it than to be looking for it so I wasn't leaving anything to chance. I was the most popular man in our tent by day four I can tell you," says Declan.

Thirty countries were represented in the Gobi March with approximately 1/3 from North America, 1/3 from Asia and 1/3 from Europe. Some countries represented include Afghanistan, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Bangladesh, China, France, Hong Kong, India and the State of Alaska in the United States.

The first four days covered an average 38km while the fifth was "the long march" of 100km.

"On reaching around 70km the check point was busy with people getting sick, on IV'S, going a bit mad in the head which was strange but funny at the same time.

"We started this stage at 8 am on Thursday morning and I finished 3:21 am on Friday morning. The strange thing was I didn't sleep much all week, around two to three hours only.

"After the long march I slept for five and a half hours and was up wandering around the camp again. The Temperature was 48 degrees inside. God only knows what it was outside, maybe 60 degrees plus," says Declan.

On finishing he says he felt "mighty" but yet relieved. Blisters were the only significant downside of the tortuous journey.

"It was great just to be alive. I had very high moments to as low as you can get. I've lost a good number of my friends in the past, most of whom are/would have been the same age as me so maybe, they brought me back I think, as I had a few bad moments out there," he says.

The event was tinged with sadness with the death of 31 years old US competitor, Nicholas A. Kruse, who died on 3 July 2010, in Urumqi Xinjiang from the effects of heat exhaustion he suffered on Stage 4 of the Gobi March three days earlier.

It was a stark reminder of the dangers such a trek can present.

"It was a big upset for me as we should have all returned to Shanghai, regardless of finishing it. When they found him on Flaming Mountain that day was one of the hottest ever out there," he says.

Kruse, who had lived for a number of years in Shanghai, was found by a fellow competitor collapsed on the course almost 1.5km from the finish line of the 36km long Stage 4.

Declan did the run for the You Dao charity, a Shanghai based organisation established to assist migrant workers and their families.

"It's funny just looking back at it now. I mean from a charity point of view, I didn't want to let the kids down and secondly, the morning when I left at 5 am, when I kissed my five years old daughter Orla goodbye, she said to me, 'Daddy bring me back a medal.'

"I thought now I have to finish it as that's the only way to get the feck'n thing! It will be another story for her in years to come!" he says.

Declan's parents John, a retired linesman with the ESB, and Bridie live in Ballaghaderreen as does his brother, Kieran. His sister, Ursula lives just outside the town on the Gurteen side while sister Yvonne is based in Clare while another sister lives in Hong Kong.

A former Eastern Harps player, Declan brought his love of the GAA to Shanghai where he quickly established a local club. His wife, Michelle Chen Yao is the ladies captain.

"They won the All China Games this year so we were both over the moon," he says.