Everest (Half) Marathon

Everest Base Camp (EBC). A destination on many a person’s bucket list. A place that is synonymous with the highest mountain in the world (crazy how many times people asked me what the top of Everest is like!!). For most, it’s the closest you can get to feeling like you got a slice of the 8000m+ peak and walk in the footsteps of people who have conquered it.

Jayne has always wanted to go there and ideally before she was 40. It was almost like fate that we discovered you could also do a race that starts at EBC and booked it for May 2020 which was the year she turned 40. You know the rest; everything was cancelled so fast forward 2 years and the Tenzing Hiliary Everest Marathon was finally back on!

Before I dive into a summary of the trek and race lets go over my kit. Overall, we got it right with kit and even took some items we didn’t use in the end. When you get to hotel Shanker in Kathmandu, the race organisers issue you with a red bag which is around 75-85l in capacity. You must pack that with everything you want the porters to carry from lodge to lodge and it must weigh 15kg or less. This doesn’t include your rucksack and trekking kit as you’ll obviously be carrying that yourself. So, you must be a bit strict with comforts and excess clothing i.e., be prepared to ‘recycle’ clothing and underwear for multiple days in a row. Here is a full breakdown of what I took (Jayne was very similar).

Alpkit Beanie
Alpkit Cap
Haglofs Waterproof hat (never used)
2 Buffs
Balaclava (never used)
Sunglasses
Aplkit Haline gloves
Aplkit Gabro gloves
Montane mitts (never used)
2 Alpkit Kepler merino base layer tops
merino base layer top
Helly Hansen base layer top
2 Alpkit Koulin trail t-shirts
Alpkit Vayper long sleeve running top
Alpkit Gravitas waterproof running jacket
Alpkit Morphosis soft shell jacket
Alpkit Jura mountain jacket (didn't really use)
Alpkit Fantom down jacket
Alpkit Ardent trousers
Mountain Equipment Ibex trousers
Kalenji running leggings
Alpkit Koulin Trail running shorts
Long Johns
8 pairs of underwear
4 pairs of hiking socks
Alpkit Momentum running socks
Injinji running socks
Alpkit Pipedream 400 sleeping back
Alpkit Cloud Cover down duvet (extra layer on top of duvet/inside sleeping bag)
Alpkit Drift pillow
OMM Classic 25l pack (used for the whole trek and the race)
2 SIS water bottles
Petzl Nao head torch
Hoka Torrent 2 trainers (used for the whole hike and race)
Rab hut slippers (amazing)
Solar panels (never used)
Power bank and chargers
Go Pro camera
Phone
Alpkit Marathon Ultra poles
Wash kit including microfibre towel
Basic medical kit with medication such as paracetemol
Hand gel

I'm in no way sponsered or paid by Alpkit to use their kit. I used to work there and got to see how great the kit is and have accumulated it all over the last few years. I used the same kit for Kilimanjaro and took a lot of it on the Spine Challenger race back in 2019. There were a few bits I didn't use but may have if we stayed at base camp for the two nights as originally planned. I wouldn't really change anything other than I could have left my Jura jacket at home.

Things to consider around kit.

You can charge electronics in most lodges and cafes for a fee which is usually around £3-4. However, I used my power bank and recharged it at a couple of the lodges that had working sockets. Don’t forget your travel adaptor!
I took solar panels to use for charging as well but never used them in the end.
We took Haribo as our ‘treats’ which came in handy for some variety, however, you can buy most known treats in the various shops along the route. We had chocolate digestives at Namche Bazaar for example.
You can buy a lot of outdoor kit at both Lukla and Namche Bazaar. I even got a pair of Salomon running trainers for £50!
Ensure you take medication to cover all eventualities. Although the race doctors had plenty, it’s worth having your own too. The doctor did comment on how weak our Aldi bought paracetamol was!
Take some water bottles with you. They give you water at all lodges, but it’s boiled, and so soft bottles won’t work. You can use them for the run and decant water into them, but when you first get the water, it’s boiling!
Take some games, cards, and books with you. There is a number of ‘rest days’ for acclimatisation with very little to do other than sit in the lodge or a café.

Training

I was happy with the training we did. We ran consistently, got out on the hills and carried our hiking kit on runs to test it and get used to it. However, what I will say is don’t be fooled by the elevation profile image on the website! It makes it look like a downhill race but there are some tough climbs and some very technical rocky terrain, so get out in the mountains and get confident with descending technical rocky/loose rock terrain. It will save you a lot of time on race day. It’s also worth considering poles if you don’t already use them and again, train with them before race day! Otherwise, they’re more of a hindrance.

I think I’ve covered everything pre-race but feel free to fire any questions if I’ve missed anything.

We flew from Manchester to Kathmandu via Doha with Qatar Airways. All straight forward. When you arrive in Nepal you must first go to the bank of computer terminals to create your tourist visa. It just asks for basic info and your hotel address. You then take a screenshot of the confirmation screen with your phone and head over to the visa payment desk. Present the image and $50 for your visa, then head through passport control as normal.

Now let’s get onto the exciting stuff! The trek to EBC and the race!

Day 1

We arrived in Kathmandu and were due to stay there for a night before flying to Lukla but as we got into bed for a nap after almost 24 hours of travelling, we got a phone call and were told we need to fly that day as there was a weather window and it may be closed the next day. As it’s the main way to get to Lukla, we had to suck it up and get our asses in gear to avoid any potential delays to our itinerary by risking the flight the next day.

The flight was…….Interesting. You fly in a very small aircraft that has to land on a 527m runway at 2845m above sea level. There was definitely a point where the turbulence felt like we dropped a significant amount of distance in the sky. Google planes landing and taking off at Lukla airport. After landing we were straight into a steady 2-hour trek to our first lodge in Phakding at a place called Snowland. The lodges throughout the trip are all very similar in that you have a bed, duvet, warm food, wifi in most cases (costs around £3-4) and some even had showers which again you had to pay to use. They all have a large communal dining room and are constructed of fairly thin wood so you hear people walking around etc, but it beats camping! The food overall was great. Plenty of variety and a mix of local cuisine such as Dal Baht and home comforts like peanut butter on toast! As we were part of a large group, the meals were chosen for us, however if you did the trek on your own, each lodge had a menu to choose from which included pizzas in a lot of cases.

Day 2

This was our first big day of hiking with a 6-hour trip to get us to Namche Bazaar with the last 90 mins being a big climb to reach 3446m. Namche Bazaar is an amazing town nestled into the mountainside with lots of outdoor shops, cafes and even an Irish pub! As we had gone over 3000m we had two nights there to help with acclimatisation. Cafés have free wifi and do some great food and we spent the evening drinking local beers as we listened to our group leader Ricky and his band play some live music. It was epic. As the group knew we were on our honeymoon, Ricky also sang ‘Can’t Stop Falling in Love with You’ by Elvis for us to have another ‘first dance’. A really special evening.

Day 3

We trekked around 3.5 miles to the final aid station that we would see on race day and gave us our first glimpses of the snow-covered mountains. We then ran back the way we came to start getting a taste of running at altitude. At this height I didn’t really notice anything different with breathing etc, but that would soon change. I started to get a cough at Namche which later turned into flu like symptoms for a while but was later told that I had the ’Khumbu Cough’ (and still have it now). It affected my breathing, sleep, and abs from all the violent coughing, but weirdly it all went away when I ran!

Day 4

We headed for a 3-hour trek out of Namche to Khumjung. The day started with a big climb up and a pit stop at the Everest View Hotel. We then spent the evening watching the kids play volleyball which is the national sport. They were very good!

Day 5

As we left Khumjung we got some amazing views of mountains such as Ama Dablam on our way to Deboche which included a long descent to the valley floor and a 2 hour climb up the other side making it another 6-hour day. We were not back on the race route so knew that we had to tackle the climb which was around 10km from the finish. It was here that we were privileged to plant Rhododendron trees which are the national flower. The trees are crucial to the endangered Roe Deer so it was awesome have a small role in helping them flourish.

Day 6

Dingboche was our next destination which was another 6-hour day taking us to an altitude of 4358m. Breathing was definitely becoming more laboured by this point and it was becoming a lot colder. Our lodge was opposite a café called 4410 which had great food and showed a movie every day at 2pm. As we had gone over 4000m we again had an extra day there for acclimatisation which included a walk along the out and back section of the race route. Jayne and I struggled that day so we didn’t run back and were becoming concerned how we would handle going higher especially as I was really struggling to sleep due to breathing difficulties.

Day 8

We trekked for around 5 hours to get to Lebouche and the views of the surrounding mountain ranges just got better and better. We were also starting to cover some more technical, rocky terrain as we left the trees and forests behind for good. The next morning was where the wheels fell off a little. Jayne had already been up all night with sickness and diarrhoea and so the doctor suggested we stay another night while the group went on. Around 10 minutes after they had all left I also started to suffer with the same issues. We both spent the whole day in bed and constantly visiting the toilet. We couldn’t keep any food down and we both thought our end goal of EBC was slipping through our fingers.

Day 10

Luckily, we felt a bit better in the morning and managed to keep some toast down, but we felt wrecked. We’d had a long talk the night before that if we still made it to EBC we were not in a good way to stay in a tent for 2 nights and run a marathon. So we made the tough decision to drop to the half marathon. As we were feeling better, we pushed on with the 3-hour trek to Gorakshep with some very tough terrain and climbs. I barely remember that 3 hours as we were both really struggling to breathe and had no energy due to having emptied our bodies the day before. That was the hardest and lowest part of the trip, but we made it to the final stop before one last push to base camp. We were exhausted by the time we got there and were met with someone on oxygen waiting to be evacuated by helicopter and hoping that wouldn’t be us! We both went straight to bed.

Day 11

As we had made the decision to do the half marathon it meant we weren’t going to stay at base camp overnight, so Jayne and I got up early doors to make the push to EBC as we then needed to head all the way back to Dingboche the same day where the race started. On the map it says 3 hours for basecamp. We got there in 1 hour and 10 minutes. Our guide Bindra beasted us! What a day for it though. Crystal clear skies, breath-taking views including Everest and we had it all to ourselves. We both wanted to cry at this point as there was a good few days where we thought we were going to have to head back down when we got sick and it meant so much to actually make it. It was definitely worth it! We got to head over to the camp area and have a brew and just soak in everything. It really was a magical place. We were both still feeling broken though so knew we had made the right decision to head back down to a lower altitude. After spending about 30 minutes just smiling and enjoying the views it was time for the 6-hour trek back to Dingboche ready for race day.

The trek to EBC was epic. Granted, is poor weather it might not be as fun, but everyday had something different. The route is very straightforward, and you could easily do it without a guide. While it did get colder as we went higher and the rooms in the lodges were freezing, the duvets they provided were very toasty. I didn’t use my sleeping bag in the lodges, just put on some base layer clothing when it was a bit chilly. Base We also didn’t see any rubbish at base camp or along the route really despite what you read online. It was also relatively quiet on the route, whether that is because of COVID or because it’s the back end of the season I’m not sure. Even if you’re not interested in the race, I would highly recommend a trip to base camp. Struggling with altitude is just something you can’t control. I suffered with it quite a bit on this trip, but when I did Kilimanjaro, I had no issues at all and that was a shorter trek and went higher! Perhaps If I had started Diamox before getting there it may have helped but who knows.

Race Day

We had another full day in Dingboche to rest before race day which was much needed as I had suffered with a fever the day we got there and was sick again. By this point I wasn’t even that bothered about the race as I had reached base camp which was all we both wanted. The race was a bonus. However, you can’t help but get sucked into the buzz at the start line which lifted my spirits. It reminded me at how fortunate we were to be where we were in such an amazing country and be a part of such an epic experience. No illness was going to take that away. What more can I say? We’d already trekked the race route so there were no surprises, we had perfect weather again and we made it to the finish line! I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way and loved the route (even the big climb at the final 10km point). All the locals lined the route as we went through villages and cheered us on and we kept looking back as we waved goodbye to the epic, epic mountain views.

The race organisation was spot on. There were aid stations at regular intervals that were well stocked with fruit and chocolate bars and some great grub at the finish line. The route was well marked, and you had the bonus of walking it all beforehand. I couldn’t rate the company any higher. The guides, our group leader, the doctors were all first class and really looked after us (especially when were ill). They made the whole trip. So don’t forget to tip!

I created a highlights video here. I've got so many photos as well so it was really hard to choose what to put in this article.

All that was left was to trek back to Lukla over a few days and cross our fingers we could get a flight on the day planned! It was touch and go, but after a few hours waiting we got on a plane, successfully threw ourselves off the speed ramp that was the runway and endured a 7-hour coach ride back to Kathmandu. We then had 3 nights at hotel Shanker in Kathmandu to explore, sit by the pool and get drunk at the race afterparty. The roads of the city are pure chaos but don’t let that put you off exploring it. We went to an epic curry house called the Third Eye and some great bars. Get out there and absorb it all. During the after party, our group led the way with dancing and drinking the hotel out of whiskey and I also made friends with all the bar staff as shared our love for WWE. The lads were all obsessed with John Cena! What a way to end such a special experience and something I will always remember.