By Matthew Pritchard
The Marathon Man
The Everest Marathon in Nepal is one of the toughest sporting events in the world: 26 miles and 385 yards run at altitudes of more than 5,000 metres, where oxygen amounts are 50% of those found at sea-level.
Tarka Jung Gurung has completed the event twice.
Mr Gurung first became interested in the Everest Marathon in 2002, while serving at the Headquarters of British Gurkhas Nepal in Kathmandu. He said: ‘At that time, I was preparing to leave the Gurkhas after two decades of service, and I wanted to test my mental and physical stamina in the face of geographical remoteness and ultra-high altitudes.’
Preparation for such a demanding event required strenuous training, which the 59-year-old said reminded him of ‘the toughest and most demanding days of my active military years’. He also spent two weeks before the event trekking up to the starting line, pausing often to acclimatise himself to the extreme altitudes and sub-zero temperatures.
He said lack of oxygen, extreme terrain, and unpredictable weather were the most serious challenges he faced during the event. ‘It isn’t just a test of endurance,’ he said, ‘but also one of preparation and resilience.’ He said the steep downhill section near Tengboche was ‘especially tough on my knees’ and that the uphill climb immediately afterwards was ‘a real test of endurance’. During the race, he saw many other runners drop out due to exhaustion, some of whom had to be rescued by helicopter.
Despite the adverse conditions, Mr Gurung completed the marathon in only six hours.
He ran the event for a second time in 2023, after a close friend – who was running to raise funds for a school in the Kaski District of western Nepal – asked Mr Gurung if he would be interested in joining him. Mr Gurung said, ‘I really liked the idea of supporting such a meaningful and philanthropic cause, so I decided to run the event again.’
He said the second marathon was much harder: not only was he 21 years older, but he did not have as much time to prepare. It also posed Mr Gurung a new challenge: ‘Because I had to travel from the UK, by the time I had covered my airfare, race entry fees, and lodging throughout the trip, I had spent roughly £4,000.’
He completed this second run in nine hours.
Mr Gurung said participation in the event has afforded him ‘a great opportunity to explore and learn about my own country’ and to appreciate ‘the natural beauty and breathtaking scenery of the Himalayan ranges’.
Because of this, he said he was pleased to see the event becoming more popular among his fellow Nepalis: In 2002 there was just a small number of Nepalese runners from Nepal. In 2023, though, the number of Nepali participants had significantly increased.’
The Everest Marathon is held each year on the 29th of May and commemorates the first successful Everest climb in 1953 by the Nepali mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay, and Sir Edmund Hillary, from New Zealand. It starts at the Mount Everest Base Camp, at a height of 5401 metres. Runners then follow the Sherpa trails of the Khumbu Valley downhill to the finish line at the town of Namche Bazaar.
He completed this second run in nine hours.
