Set against one of the most iconic and awe-inspiring backdrops on the planet, the Everest Trail Race ranks as one of the world’s toughest high-altitude multi-day ultras.
Set against one of the most iconic and awe-inspiring backdrops on the planet, the Everest Trail Race ranks as one of the world’s toughest high-altitude multi-day ultras.
So – you have presumably looked at the distance and thought to yourself “153 kms … in 6 days, how hard can that be?” – Well the answer is hard, very hard actually as the distances are pretty meaningless in the face of the depletion of oxygen, the temperature ranges and the brutal range in altitude of more than 25,000 meters, Yes, that is more than 25 Kilometers.
Winding through the remote Solukhumbu region of the Himalayas in Nepal, the Everest Trail Race meanders along hard trails of frozen earth, through crisp snow covered trails, seemingly endless stepped rocky ascents and truly awesome descents punctuated with single track wired suspension bridges.
Divided into stages of roughly 22, 28, 30, 31, 20 and 22 km respectively, the daily difference in altitude goes from a heart-pounding 3,000 meters up to 5,950 metres. This isn’t the narrative that plays in you head though as you are following, literally in the footsteps of the great Sir Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, in the early stages of the race, the routes are narrow and gnarly and then broaden on the approach to some of the most breath-taking views you will ever have the privilege to witness. Not one, but several of the planet’s tallest and iconic mountains, Everest, Lothse, AmaDablam, Tamseku, Kangtega, Makalu and Kanchenjunga. Camped in the grounds of a mountain top buddhist monastery or in the lee of the mighty AmaDablam is a truly once on a lifetime experience that leaves your head spinning in the sheer amazement of your surroundings.
Snacks, meals and water are provided by the organisation, both along the route and in the camps at the end of each stage, but the race does require a degree of self-sufficiency. You must carry all the personal technical equipment you will need to survive – a sleeping bag, sleeping mat, warm clothes plus the mandatory safety equipment laid out in the race rules. This race is kit heaven, balancing weight and functionality of every item to ensure that you achieve the optimum level of comfort to take into account daytime temperatures (up to 18°C) and nightime figures (max -10°C) is just all part of the challenge. To make it easier for you, the organisation provides you with North Face tents (unless lodges are used) with insulated ground mats that all by eliminate night time “heat leach”
In fact, the race is a test for both runners and the race organisation as the area is only accessible by foot. Local Nepalese men and women, from the Sherpa, Rais, Tamang and other Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnic groups will be your daily Solukhumbu audience, as well as making up the staff of race officials, medical staff, timekeepers and logistics personnel.
Ideal for runners who wish to push the limit of their own physical and mental ability.
You reach the highest point of the day and you are breathing hard, short shallow breaths. You think you must stop, that you can’t go on, but then you settle into a sustainable rhythm. Your body is adapting to the workload, to the altitude and with that realisation you feel a rush of empowerment that motivates you to run right past the foot of Everest.
The ETR is suitable for trail runners, elite athletes, fast mountain walkers, and those in good health. Which is not to say that with some dedicated alpine training, you too couldn’t become as nimble as a mountain goat…
Started in 2011 by Spanish extreme ultra-runner, Jordi Abad, the Everest Train Race is staged at the beginning of the dry season when the air is clean after the monsoon, the visibility is impeccable and the surroundings of this unique environment are simply at their finest. The event has gone from strength to strength having now deservedly earned itself a place on the Ultra Running hall of fame.
