Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race & Mount Everest Challenge Marathon

Day 3: Have Your Best Day Ever (While Achieving Your Marathon Personal Worst)

Jackie Windh / 03.11.2016

I ran this race three years ago, and this stage was, up until now, the best day of my life. It’s like two days crammed into one: hanging out in the clouds with Everest, then jogging through the jungle and waving to the smiling children and the friendly, waving men and women we encounter along the stone paths. Now I have TWO best days of my life!

The race director, Mr. Pandey, had announced to us the evening before that today’s race start would be advanced to 6am. This change was made to accommodate some of the slower runner/walkers who were aspiring to complete the full course. (That’s a really wonderful aspect to this event: organizers do their best to keep everyone in the game and avoid DNFs).

The weather, however, had not been so great. Not terrible by any means - but just not clear enough to gain us the mountain views (four of the world’s five highest peaks, only from Sandakphu!) that we all desired.

Fortunately for us, though, Mr. Pandey had prayed to the mountain goddess the night before. He had asked her for just two hours of clear sky. She obliged, and we awoke in darkness to see Kanchenjunga (8586 m) gradually revealed by the glowing pink morning light, and then the more distant peaks of Everest, Makalu and Lhotse appear, glimmering white.

And at 6am we set off. The first ten miles followed the same route as yesterday, but I started slower: much further to go today. And the goddess really did perform for us! I set out hoping to improve on my marathon PW (that’s Personal Worst for those of you not in the know) of 9:20… but once I had all of Everest, Makalu, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga in my sites, my photography became MUCH more important than my running. (And it was the same for many of the runners who were NOT here as journalists. How can you NOT stop for Mt. Everest???)

Yesterday’s turnaround at Molle was our ten-mile aid station today. From here, we did a further 4-mile/6k out-and-back to a hilltop called Phalut: our final jaunt along the Nepal border. Then we returned to Molle and headed downhill for that massive descent (somewhere between 4000’ and 2000 m, I’m really not sure) to the small village of Rimbick.

On the way out, Dave and I encountered race leader David Fontaine (France), already on his way back. I had spoken to him for the first time today over breakfast, and he truly is a lovely guy. I expected to give him a quick cheer as he ran past us, but he stopped abruptly and turned to me with a ridiculous grin. “Jacqueline!” he cried. “Have you seen these mountains?”

I called to my husband. “Get a picture of us!” Everest was gleaming right behind David.

David protested. “I am too tired to smile,” he said. He still had that crazy grin spread from cheek to cheek. Dave snapped the picture, then Dave and I continued to the turnaround at Phalut while David ran on, back to Molle to begin his descent.

Dave had another of those, umm, uhh, "personal issues" that required an extended stop at the hut at Phalut. I stashed my camera in my pack here (I’d lost a lot of time taking photos - as a journalist, I need people in my photos, which means letting a lot of people pass me!) I passed through the aid station quickly and turned around. Dave may or may not catch me, I figured… (Well, whatever, he’d gone ahead yesterday).

I had a single pole in my pack, mainly to support my knee on the big descent, but I pulled it out before the final climb back up to Molle. Save the quads a bit, right? I overtook a few of the people I’d let pass me for photos. I could see the Argentinians Carlos and Patricia ahead of me, and it felt like I would catch them, too. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t catch them.

At least not until Molle. We passed through this aid station and started down. It felt like we'd entered another world.(Remember I said this day was like two days? Well this is the transition, very abrupt). We’d been cold, exposed to a chill wind, up on the ridgeline. But as soon as we passed through Molle and started down, we were in full sun and in the lee of the wind. Warm and sunny. We were soon sheltered by trees again, too.

I overtook Carlos and Patricia soon after leaving Molle, but then I had to stop to take off the polyfill jacket I’d put on on the way to Phalut. I took this opportunity to rifle through my pack and chow down on some nutrient-dense foods here: nuts and dark bitter chocolate. Carlos and Partica caught me, and soon I heard Dave, travelling with Angela Scott (USA) coming. I quickly repacked my bag and joined them.

Dave and Angela and I ended up finishing the day together. What a change from 2013, when I did this entire section alone: seeing no one for hours, and even getting lost once (totally my own fault, the course markings are excellent).

The descent, though technically difficult, is mentally so easy: gravity is totally on your side, and you are gaining more oxygen per breath with every step. It’s long, but it’s so fun!! And the views, as we descend through the agricultural terraces, and through charming villages with smiling school-kids all in uniform, and beautifully taken-care-of homes, brightly painted and with every balcony edged with blooming flowers… well, it’s just hard to go fast. It’s simply too beautiful.

When we finally reached the village of Siri Khola, we hit a great aid station, then crossed a walking bridge over the river for the final 6 or so km to the finish line in Rimbick. Angela, Dave and I decided at this bridge to finish this together: we’d already spent so many hours together, it would be a shame to split up now. And we decided to just power-hike it in rather than run. We had passed several people on the downhill and were more than happy with our time. Our priority was to save our legs for the next two days, which would be entirely on pavement.

We made it in just shy of nine hours. So, in the end,  I DID better my PW (as in went faster, not worsened it) by 20 minutes, in spite of all the photography! Woohoo. I’m not getting any younger.

Tonight, racers were split between two hotels: most of them staying here near the finish line, but Dave and me and a few others staying at a hotel a bit farther uphill. Mansi was at the finish, greeting all racers as we arrived, and she immediately sent one of the staff to collect our drop bags and bundle us into a jeep to take us “home.” The HRT organization is amazing this way: knowing what racers need at the end of a long day. (Which would be: To be fed, taken care of, warmed up, oh and did I mention be fed… and ESPECIALLY to not have to wait around for anything).

Up at the hotel, soup was on. We chatted to Ricardo, one of the walkers, who was awaiting his wife Marcela Barale (Argentina) as we ate (Dave may possibly have found a beer here, too), before heading to our room and the shower to get cleaned up. What an amazing day!

Once again, David Fontaine (France) was first in at 5:32, with Stu Cox (Australia) less than 20 minutes behind him. Stu’s partner Anna Petrakos had again arrived as first female (and an impressive 4th overall) in 6:56.

David had by now consolidated a cumulative lead of over an hour on Stu and third-place Jas, and Anna had about the same on second-place female Fiona McIntosh (South Africa). So, barring anything unexpected over the next two days, these two looked to be the likely champions of the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race for 2016.