The Everest Marathon
Ever dream of “running” the World’s highest marathon? Every year on May 29th—the same day that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to summit Mt. Everest in 1953–the Everest Marathon takes place. The start line is Everest Base Camp, making this a true exercise in endurance. Participants must first make their way up to EBC along a nearly 65km (40 mile) trail that starts in Luka and traverses its way up the Khumbu Valley. The distance is misleading. Starting at 2,860 meters (9,383 ft) above sea level it will take ten days, including three acclimatization days, to complete the journey. Runners then get to do something most trekkers could only dream of: spend two nights camping at EBC in the same recently vacated tents used by summiting expeditions. This is blog is one flatlander’s story of how I participated, and finished the Everest Marathon.
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Namche Bazaar
The Sherpa Capital of Nepal It’s Sunday morning in Namche Bazaar. I’m lying in bed, at our teahouse, appropriately named Friendship Lodge. If there is one thing, that has been universally true since our arrival in Nepal it’s just how friendly people are. Namche is the Sherpa capital of Nepal; the last major settlement along the trail up to Everest. It is, a stunning villlage. Nestled in a bowl, with views of the Himalayas, the entrance into town is nothing short of breathtaking. A Buddhist stupa and prayer wheels line the main stairway up into the center. At the bottom, women, in traditional Tibetan dress, are doing laundry in a…
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The World’s Most Dangerous Airport
Flying into Lukla Lukla. It’s the place every dream of Everest starts. It’s also infamous for having what’s believed to be the world’s most dangerous airport. The impossibly short runway, surrounded by high mountains makes it so that only small planes are able to take off and land there. The 20 minute flight is infamous for rattling even the steeliest of nerves. I would be lying if I said we weren’t all a little bit nervous. We were also excited. Excited to get our adventure underway. And definitely quite excited to get away from the lodge in Ramechap we had the “pleasure” of staying in the night before. But that’s…
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Go with the flow
Wow. What a whirlwind the last 24 hours in Nepal have been. A day spent on layover in Hong Kong already feels like it’s in the distant past. From the moment my plane touched down in Kathmandu, it’s definitely been one ‘go with the flow’ moment to another. The airport’s many quirks, just a small taste of the chaos that lies outside. Kathmandu is like no other city I’ve been to. I’ve traveled to cities in Africa and Southeast Asia before. Their chaotic nature is somewhat of a given. But never have I been to such a large city without traffic lights or stop signs of any kind. I’m pretty…
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So how do you pack for the Everest Marathon?
Patiently. That sums it up I think. Being triple type A, I started buying things for the Everest Marathon and the trek to Everest Base Camp in August, when I first registered, and finished May 9th. For me, it was a better way of doing things, since I was able to space out the expenses, and wait for the best sales, even on items, like the pricey sleeping bag, which REI assured me would “never” go on sale, then it did, for two days. To the tune of 50% off!! So here it is, my final packing list. Some folks might opt for fewer items of clothing. Maybe one less…
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Volcanoes and mountains and bears, oh my!
Well maybe no bears. Still, the last week hiking in Mexico has been a huge confidence boost. For a while now people have been asking “How’s your training for Everest going?” Before today I never knew how to answer. I mean, HOW do you train for the world’s highest marathon while living in the flat lands of Illinois? I’ve done everything I can think of: the altitude room at Well-fit Performance, endless amounts of treadmill time on an ever increasing incline, the stair climber, strength training, etc. But until this past week I had no idea if any of that would translate into the real world of high mountain trekking.…
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Breathing is overrated anyway.
I went to get my shots for Nepal. As it turns out, I only needed one: a third and final dose of Hepatitis A/B. Oh, and these lovely Typhoid pills I get to store in my fridge. Yum!! In addition to the shots, I was able to secure a script for Diamox, a medication prescribed for altitude sickness. It’s one I’m still having an internal debate about. You see, altitude sickness is, one of the most common ailments a hiker will encounter along the trek to Everest Base Camp. It’s actually the question I get most from people who find out I’m doing the Everest Marathon. “Can you even breathe at…
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STOP Girl Trafficking
20,000 GIRLS ARE TRAFFICKED IN NEPAL EVERY YEAR: SOLD OR LURED INTO SLAVERY. A girl just like your daughter at age 10, just like you or your sister at age 12, just like your girlfriend or wife at age 11, just like your mom at age 8. Our goal: $10,000 to save 100 girls from bondage. Not 10. Not 20. But 100 girls. For one year. On May 29th, my friend Denise Sauriol and I will run the Everest Marathon. Yes. Everest. It’s quite the journey we’ve decided to embark on. Quite the ego trip as well. There’s no denying it. The thing is, it wouldn’t feel right to make…
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Altitude training
Well, that was interesting. First let me explain what you’re looking at. This is no random room with a bunch of treadmills. Rather, it’s the altitude room at Chicago’s Well-Fit training center in the city’s West Town neighborhood. What’s that you ask? One of only a handful like it in the United States, the room is essentially a chamber, where they suck the oxygen out in an attempt to simulate what it’s like to train at different levels of elevation. The room is filled with treadmills and bikes, and is used for people like me, who live at sea level, but are training for an event that takes place high…
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The Everest Marathon
So of course the first question I’m sure you’re asking, is ‘Wait, there is a marathon at Mount Everest?’ A close second “Who the heck is crazy enough to do this?” That’s exactly what I thought the first time I read about it. It was a year ago February. I was sitting in my office, with no story assignment, waiting for new software training. Poking around on my computer on Sports Tours International, who I would traveling with to the Tour de France that Summer, I came upon a tab that read “Adventure Marathons.” Of course I clicked through. Within half a second I knew this was something I had…
