The Course
<b>Day One; 24 miles (6,600 ft to 11,815 ft)</b>
The race starts after a 2 hour bus journey out to Manaybhanjang for the start which is due for 07.30, and as you can see from the stats day one is mostly uphill. (The total climb is 4,215 feet over 24 miles.) After a Tibetan ceremony blessing all the runners they will set off for Sandakphu on a cobblestone jeep track, some of which follows the border with Nepal.
Both the start and finish of the day are steep climbs and the fastest time to date has been around 4:00 hours. There are aid stations every 2 miles and drop bags are distributed along the course. At the end of the day the runners are bedded down in the tourist huts at Sandakphu for the night with all their food cooked by the race staff.
<b>Day 2; 20 miles Sandakphu/Molle/Sandakphu (11,815 to 11,655 feet)</b>
Most people are up about 5:00 am for the panoramic sunrise views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga. These are four of the five highest peaks in the world, (K2 in Pakistan is the second highest) and Sandakphu National Park is the only place in the world where such a view is possible.
This is an out and back day to the village of Molle, once again on a rough jeep track, but this one does not have any villages along the way. There is little ascent and descent today as the trail follows the ridgeline through the National Park, but the whole day is spent at high altitude, between 11,000 and 12,000 feet, so even gentle uphills or running on the flat could be a breathless experience. The compensation should competitors be reduced to a walk is that they’ll have more time to enjoy the incredible views of Kanchenjunga. There may also be sightings of yaks, wild horses and maybe even the rare and endangered Red Panda.
<b>Day 3; The Everest Challenge Marathon. 26.2 miles. Sandakphu to Rimbik.</b>
Day 3 starts just as day 2 did (hopefully with clear skies and the same fantastic views again) with the run out along the ridge to Molle repeated. The comes a 4 mile out and back to the village of Phulet (11380 ft) now on narrower foot trails.
Once back at Molle it is time to leave high altitude and go down, down, down, dropping 4000 feet in 8,4 miles to reach the village of Rimbik. Now the treeless ridge is replaced by dense tropical forest and passes small villages with bright flower gardens. At the upper parts of the hill village of Siri Khola, the trail becomes a maze of paths zigzagging down to the bridge crossing the big river. Smiling villagers will wave greetings as with no roads, they see few foreigners passing this way. The day finishes in Rimbik. (6350 ft).
<b>Day 4; Rimbik to Palmajua. 13 Miles</b>
Today is a much needed shorter day and runners even get a lie in until 09.00! What’s more the day begins with a a big downhill to 4975 feet, then remains flat following the river, until starting a climb to Palmajua at 6,560 feet. The temperature will now be much hotter and as this stage is on a rough road any blisters acquired in the earlier stages of the race are going to be painful! After finishing runners are bussed back to Rimbik for lunch and have the afternoon to relax.
<b>Day 5. Palmajua to Manebhanjang, 17 miles.</b>
Runners will return to Palmajua by bus to start the last day, resuming where they finished the previous day. After the start, runners make their way uphill through lush vegetation and large pine trees. After cresting the hill, the scenery is beautiful and the route follows a gradual downhill road to the finish in Manebhanjang (6600 ft). After celebrating on the finish line everyone is then bussed back to Mirik for the evening prize giving ceremonies.
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