Himalayan Challenge Marathon
Arrived in Delhi, heading to the Himalayas tomorrow!
Jacqueline Windh / 24.10.2013
I’m sure that many of the runners for this event have already arrived in Mirik, northeastern India, in order to get over their jet lag and acclimatize to the altitude. That’s smart!
But I know that there is a whole contingent (myself included!) who are in transit right now. I arrived in Delhi this morning (after nearly 36 hours travelling from my home on Vancouver Island!). Luckily, I have a 24 hour break here, resting and feeding up on some good Indian tucker at the Hotel Ashok. Then, tomorrow morning, I head back to the airport, and fly with many of the other racers to Bagdogra, near India’s borders with both Nepal and Tibet.
While the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race website is good, providing daily itineraries and lots of route information, it’s hard to ever feel like you really have enough information going into an event like this. Did I bring the right shoes? Am I going to be warm enough? Or maybe I’ll be too hot? And how will I cope with the altitude?
I am sure all will become clearer tomorrow evening, once I have met the race director, Mr. C. S. Pandey, and attended the evening race briefing. Here is some of what I know right now:
The first three days will be the toughest, both being the longest days, and also at the highest elevations and with the most elevation changes. They are also on rocky trails (which apparently are really easy to fall on, especially if you try to take in the spectacular Himalayan views while running!). It sounds like if you can make it through those three days unscathed, you’ve got a pretty good chance of making it to the end, as the final two days are shorter and less hilly routes, and back down to much lower elevations.
Here is a basic route summary: Total distance is 160 km (100 miles) over 5 days.
Sunday Oct. 27, Stage 1: 39 km (24 miles), starting at 2000 m and ending at 3600 m, with a big down and up making for a cumulative elevation gain of about 2740 m.
Monday Oct. 28, Stage 2: 32 km (20 miles) out-and-back, in “rolling” terrain all above 3200 m, with a cumulative elevation gain of about 1000 m.
Tuesday Oct. 29, Stage 3, The Everest Challenge Marathon: 42 km (26 miles), rolling” terrain for the first third and then a 2000 m descent for the final third. (My quads hurt just thinking about that).
Wednesday Oct. 30, Stage 4: 22 km (13 mile) out-and-back, starting around 1940 m, then down to about 1500 m, then back up again.
Thursday Oct. 31, Stage 5: 27 km (17 mile) starting around 2000 m, then up to about 2600 m, then back down to 2000 m for the finish.
I am not sure how much internet contact I will have once I leave Delhi. If I can get a post up from Mirik, after the briefing and before we head out for Stage 1, I will. Otherwise, I suspect that you will not hear from me until it’s all over - we’re headed for some pretty remote country!
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