ULAN BATOR, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Gobi March ultra-marathon, one of the 4 races in the Deserts Race Series, will be held from July 29 to August 4 for the first time in Mongolia, the organizer said on Monday.

According to B. Barsbold, director of Discover Mongolia Travel LLC, a total of 230 ultra-marathoners from more than 40 countries will participate in the race.

"Organizing the event is a great opportunity for promoting the country through tourism," he said.

Established in 2002, the 4 Deserts Race Series is an annual series of four 250-kilometer races across deserts around the globe, including the Gobi March in China, the Sahara Race in Namibia, the Atacama Crossing in Chile and The Last Desert in Antarctica.

The Gobi March's challenges include changes in temperature from the hot highlands to the oppressive cold in sand dunes, the open sun, potential sandstorms and variety of terrain - soft sand-dunes, rocky tracks, steep hills, ridges and riverbeds.

The international ultra-marathon has been consistently been named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 endurance events in the world.