When the Tengger wind and sand brush past the shoulders, when the yellow sand underfoot is filled with determined footprints, when the cheers at the finish line resound across the wilderness… Suzhou University MBA Sand Dance Team’s Sand-15 journey concluded perfectly amid passion and perseverance!

From April 30 to May 4, the 15th Business School Desert Challenge ignited passionately in the Tengger Desert, Inner Mongolia. 33 warriors of the Suzhou University MBA Sand Dance Team assembled and set out, crossing a thousand miles to the sea of sand, enduring three days of extreme schedule, all members successfully completed the race, and ultimately won the event’s highest honor, the Golden Sand Gull Award, using their footsteps to interpret Suzhou University’s motto “Cultivate the righteous spirit of heaven and earth, follow the sages of past and present,” and with fervor wrote the desert race legend belonging to Suzhou University MBA people!

At 6 a.m. on April 30, in front of Wencheng Building on the East Campus of Suzhou University, all members of the Suzhou University MBA Sand Dance Team had assembled. Uniform team shirts, determined gazes, luggage ready to go—33 members, carrying the expectations of their alma mater and the team’s belief, officially embarked on this desert journey.

From Suzhou by coach to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, then flying from Hangzhou to Yinchuan, heading west all the way, the team maintained high spirits. After landing in Yinchuan, the team rushed to Langwei Hotel in Alxa to check in, collect race packs, inventory equipment, and prepare pre-race supplies. A dinner of whole roasted lamb full of regional flavor replenished the team’s energy and warmed the team cohesion amid laughter and cheer.

May 1, pre-race preparations were in full swing. Early in the morning the team went to the Tengger Desert to carry out warm-up training, adaptive hiking, walkie-talkie testing and other pre-race preparations. Super A team, AB team, and C team each completed mandatory equipment checks and weight adaptation to ensure every member would face the race in the best condition. In the afternoon, everyone completed race registration and item collection, visited the Asian Sand Expo, and simultaneously attended the race technical briefing and internal pre-race meeting, repeatedly confirming race details, safety protocols, and team coordination plans, making meticulous preparations for the formal race the next day.

At 5 a.m., before dawn, team members were already up washing, organizing race gear, completing pack check-in, and accounting for all required race supplies. At 7:50 a.m., everyone arrived at the race start, completed warm-up and check-in. At the send-off ceremony, the Suzhou University MBA Sand Dance Team’s flag fluttered in the wind, and the team’s shouts echoed across the wilderness. Team number 1568 became one of the most eye-catching identifiers in the Tengger Desert.

At 9:30 a.m., the Super A team set off first, charging toward the 99-kilometer extreme course; at 10:00 a.m., AB team and C team followed closely, stepping onto this journey of testing oneself and moving forward together. On the first day’s route, team members braved scorching sun and sandstorms, trudging through yellow sand, supporting and encouraging each other—each step condensed the team’s strength. C team members arrived at camp early to set up tents, receive supplies, and prepare logistics, building the warmest “desert home” for teammates returning after finishing. At sunset, Tengger’s evening glow painted the sky red; team members rested and reviewed at camp, gathering strength for the next day’s schedule.

Outside the race schedule, team members also left Suzhou University’s unique mark in the Tengger Desert: free photography captured the grandeur of the sand sea and teammates’ smiles, internal meetings reviewed the route and adjusted strategies, and at night’s Sand-15 music festival everyone shed fatigue and cheered out loud. Group photos under the starry sky became the gentlest memories of this journey.

With the last team member crossing the finish line smoothly, all members of the Suzhou University MBA Sand Dance Team completed the entire Sand-15 course with no one left behind! At the subsequent on-site awards ceremony, the team, thanks to outstanding performance and perfect teamwork, successfully won the event’s top award, the Golden Sand Gull Award. All persistence and effort were rewarded in this moment.