Mario Machado, Lisbon/Portugal - Course Director

Mario, a physical Education teacher and international athletic coach, is the technical director of the Lisbon Half Marathon (30.000+ runners), the Portugal Half Marathon, the Lisbon Marathon and the organizer, technical director and controller of the race of various other high profile road races in Portugal and international trail races.

Since 2009 he is also the "Controller of the race" of the Marathon des Sables in Morrocco.

Mario is the publisher and director of "Spiridon-Portugal" running magazin since 1978.

He is also a very experienced runner himself. He just finished his 100th Marathon/Ultra at GlobalLimits Cambodia 2017.

Mario already served as a course director at Albania 2018 + 2019 and volunteer for the inaugural race in Albania in 2017 and Cambodia 2018. He is also our designated course director for the race in São Tomé.

Dr Risa Garcia, Albuquerque/USA - Doctor

Dr Risa Garcia is an Emergency Medicine physician from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended Saint Louis University School of Medicine then completed her Emergency Medicine residency and Fellowship in Wilderness and Austere Medicine at the University of New Mexico. She also holds a Diploma in Mountain Medicine. She currently works for Presbyterian hospital in Albuquerque. Although she is not a runner herself, she has experience providing medical support for several staged ultramarathons. She loves supporting athletes in remote and interesting locations.

She is a great lover of the outdoors and you can usually find her mountain biking, backpacking, or climbing on her days off.

Rhonwen Mansfield Thomas/Great Britain - Race Doctor

Rhonwen is a Paramedic from the UK. She has been working for the Ambulance service in Kent for five years and has recently completed a post graduate diploma from St Georges University to qualify as a Paramedic Practitioner. She has volunteered at twice at the Jungle marathon in Brazil and for GlobalLimits in Albania, 2017 + 2020 and GlobalLimits Sao Tome 2020.

While she is not a runner she loves the outdoors. When she is not at work she is often hiking in the welsh mountains, surfing in Devon or riding a mountain bike down a trail.

Geert Meese, Tielt/Belgium - Volunteer

Geert is a Belgian medic who decided to work a little bit less and spending  more time doing his passions: multi stage racing ( 100 km del Sahara, Marathon des Sables , Grand to Grand ….) , marathon racing , or volunteering in multi stage races ( Spain, Portugal, Oman …). a passion he sheares with his wife.
If not working or racing , his time is spend abroad with a high preference for unbeaten tracks in Asia or South America.  Always enthusiastic  to help participants to make their dreams come true.

Geert already served as a volunteer for GlobalLimits in Cambodia 2015 + 2016 + 2019, Bhutan 2016 + 2017 + 2018 + 2019 and in Albania 2017 +2018 + 2019 + 2020 and Sao Tomé 2022.

Anne Ver Hoef, Anchorage, Alaska, USA - Volunteer

Anne is an enthusiastic outdoor trail runner, hiker, backpacker and traveler. Anne finished the Global Limits Albania race in 2018. Having extended independent travels in the north of Albania after the race, Anne speaks highly of both this race and Albania.
Most of Anne’s racing accomplishments have been on the snow in the remote parts of Alaska. Anne still holds the women’s record for a runner on the 350 mile distance of the Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska. When not adventuring outdoors, Anne is a speech-language pathologist working with adolescents and adults with communication, cognitive and swallowing disorders. She continues a 36+ year career in this field.

Atsuko Oku/Japan - Volunteer

Atsuko is a passionated trecker and runs marathon from time to time. Her husband Koji is running this race in Albania. Atsuko is looking forward to not just support her husband but all the other runners as well.