© OGUZDKN
© PETRAKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK
ON YOUR MARKS …
Finally race day arrived , and we were bussed to the start at Maneybhanjang . The group set off at a fast pace as soon as the green ribbon dropped , but was soon met by a monster of a hill that set the tone for the rest of the race . The track zig-zagged relentlessly uphill before dropping down to our first food station , where we were welcomed by a group of Nepalese school kids . After a quick photo we set off on the steep climb up through the Singalila National Park . Home to the rare red panda , it ’ s filled with gnarled old trees draped with lichens that looked bewitched in the rolling mist . Baard boome my fellow Saffer Theresa Horn observed breathlessly : trying to run at altitude was proving a serious challenge . Short wheelbase Landis – the local taxis – came past , their distant whines as they continued uphill a depressing indicator of how far we still had to climb . But the tracks were rutted and steep so I was happier to be on foot than squashed inside a vehicle . On day two , an out and back race from Sandakphu where we ’ d overnighted , the Saffers were strong on the steep downs , negotiating the cobbled stones
Clockwise from below : Shaen
Adey , the third member of team South Africa , and Theresa Horn . A Buddhist shrine with nimble feet and filled with offerings . A closer view
opening a gap on the of the four giants , starting with Mount Everest on the left , city slickers . Yak bells then Lhotse , Makalu and rang out across the
Kanchenjunga . misty valley , reminding me of a hiking trip in the Swiss mountain village of Grindelwald . We skimmed along the ridgeline , catching a brief glimpse of Everest before it was swallowed by mist . “ You saw the highest mountain in the world today ,” confirmed Mr Pandey as he described the history of the region at the race briefing that night . “ In the early 1900s the Aga Khan , ruler of much of India , heard tales of a unique spot high in the mountains of the north-east Himalayan ranges from where it was possible to see four of the world ’ s five highest mountains – Mt Everest , Lhotse , Makalu and Kanchenjunga – all at once . He wished to travel there so instructed his men to build a trail along the mountain ridge that you ran this morning , the border of present day Nepal and India . Sadly the Aga Khan never made it to this spot . But you runners are benefiting from his vision .” Day three , the Mt Everest Challenge , was a full marathon ( 42 kilometres ), but we were now in the swing of things .
© ADEY
38 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE