Everest Marathon 2007
Because ...
Kath Turner / 12.12.2007
On our last night in Namche, ‘brown dog’ turned up at the Khumbu Lodge to loud applause. Although I can’t confirm one way or another, I’m sure he took part in the Everest Sky Race on the 8th.
The following day we flew back to Kathamandu, using either yeti airlines, or Shree airlines – the more terrifying helicopter alternative. As one of the walking sick and/or wounded, I was on the helicopter – the helicopter being reserved for the sick and infirm.
To explain: I had no problems whatsoever on the trek, acclimatising well, and no sickness or headaches. Then 2 days before the race the dreaded cough started, and quickly took hold narrowing my windpipe and making breathing very difficult indeed. The night before the race my complaining stomach indicated that I had contracted Giardia, a nasty little parasite that causes untold misery in the stomach and intestine department.
So when race day dawned bright and sunny, I stood on the start line in tears with just one objective, getting back to Namche in one piece – this was not going to be about racing, but about survival.
I resigned myself that I was going to have to take this slowly, to stand any chance of finishing – which I did.
So back in Kathmandu we were now free to wallow and self indulge as much as we could – hot showers, real beds, toilets that we could sit on, which in my case was very welcome.
I was still suffering, mainly from the cough and the sheer exertion of coughing and so was quite happy to sit by the pool and sleep. Others reacquired their taste for Everest beer, and various other cocktails, some went to the barbers for shaves, haircuts and massages, whilst others appearing to have lost any fashion sense they may have had bought themselves new clothes – Trinny and Susanna would have had their work cut out for them.
What possesses someone to buy a brightly coloured hand-knitted, fleece lined cardigan? If their mum had knitted it for them and given it as a Christmas present they’d have promptly worn it to the bad taste fancy dress party, and then dropped it off at the charity shop on the way home.
Presentation evening went well with the various trophies and certificates awarded, mainly to people in knitted cardies or cheesecloth stripy shirts; Nepal seems to have transformed 75 finely tuned athletes into cardigan wearing hippies.
SleepMonsters
