As Sean Lobo trekked across the Gobi desert as part of a three-man team of Wall Street businessmen participating in a 250-kilometer ultra-marathon, he talked to his walking stick, his water bottle, and even to rocks.

Unable to bend one knee, Mr. Lobo walked stiff-legged up a mountain — through a blizzard. It was a worthwhile effort: The trio, who all attended Boston College, raised about $24,000 for the Grace Children’s Foundation, a New York-based organization that aids Chinese orphans.

Temperatures reached 120 degrees and the course included river crossings, donkey trails, long desert expanses, and mountains as tall as 13,000 feet.

“I saw all four seasons,” Mr. Lobo said about the third stage, called “Stairway to Heaven,” which featured a 1,800-meter climb. Mr. Lobo, who injured his knee during the stage, said the day was spring-like as he began, but he ran into a blizzard as he climbed the mountain and blistering heat as he descended, and temperatures fell at the end of the day as in the fall.

“The Long March,” at 80 kilometers the longest stage, took about a day to complete, with contestants continuing through the night.

“The sky is filled with these stars you never get to see in Manhattan,” another of the teammates, Mian Azmy, said. The three found their way by following glow sticks. Mr. Lobo said that when his other teammate, Tim Ryan, finished the stage, he curled up in a ball and didn’t move for hours. Concerned, the doctor would occasionally sprinkle Mr. Ryan with water.

Carrying their gear and food on their backs, the runners survived on oatmeal, nuts, energy bars, and beef jerky, with freeze-dried meals for dinner. Messrs. Azmy and Ryan said they each lost at least 10 pounds.