Ultra Kraut Running: Jase Bhanjyang

Spectacular view atop a long climb just before starting a big descent.

The third stage presented the longest stage of the race, starting at Jase Bhanjyang just below Pikey peak and finishing at Kharikhola in front of a beautiful monastery atop a steep "hill". We would cover a total of 37.4km or 23 miles and ascend 2,521m or 8,300ft and descend 4,110m or 13,500ft finishing with a 1,300ft climb over the final 1.5 miles. My feet took a serious beating on the descent, which required me to finally try the taping method I had practiced prior to arriving in Nepal prior to the final 3 stages.

After spending what would be the coldest night over 6 days of racing, I woke up shortly before 5AM, just in time to zip open our tent for the first round of hot Sherpa tea. Fortunately, the coldest night was still a balmy 28 degrees Fahrenheit rather than the forecast for a teeth chattering low teens. While I was always concerned about every gram of weight in my pack, exchanging my 20F sleeping bag for a 5F rated sleeping bag was definitely worth the extra 100 or so grams. The right gear choices can make or break an event like this, not just regarding your running gear, but especially as it relates to your recovery gear in camp. I spent the 9 months leading up to the race weighing gear weight vs. gear purpose.

Most runners were wearing an extra layer of clothing as the morning air was still crisp after the chilly night. I opted to go short sleeve yet again as I knew I'd be warming up as soon as the climbing began...and there was always plenty of climbing to do:-)

View from our basecamp at the finish of stage 3.

My strategy was once again to stay within my own means and run my own race, so I lined up behind the top ten or so runners as we all tried to stay warm at the exposed starting line. Those chills quickly turned to sweat beads as we immediately started a short steep climb to begin stage 3.

One of the many technical descents with a spectacular backdrop.

While I felt pretty good at the start and was excited to get going, that excitement quickly turned into a feeling of strange exhaustion and lack of energy less than 6 miles into this stage, not the best thing to happen on the longest stage of the race at just over 20 miles. My legs felt ok, I was just experiencing extremely low energy. All I could do was slow down and hope for improvement. I kept a steady pace, but there was some walking into and out of checkpoints today. A little nudge from one of my fellow competitors, Ester Alves, after one of the checkpoints got my motivated to keep moving. I just followed her as we started the longest descent of the race that made up the majority of the 12,000ft descent of the day.

Can you say gnarly ascent?

While my feet certainly took a beating on all of the descending, I did manage to keep going. Unlike the previous 2 days, this stage had a kicker at the end of it, an 1,800ft climb over less than 2 miles. It all but broke me, especially when I looked up early on to see the task at hand. All I could do was to put my head down and grind it out until I would hear the welcoming RD and volunteers at the finish.

Prayer flags framed many of the spectacular views in the Himalayas.

The finish line was definitely one of the more spectacular ones as we climbed a long set of stairs after passing through a beautiful gate to complete the day in front of a monastery. I actually stopped before crossing the finish line just to take in the sight and to take some pictures.

This location also had a teahouse at the bottom of the hill. It was the most welcome sight during the race as my low levels of energy had me envisioning drinking an ice cold Coke at the finish, which now was actually a possibility, since I had brought about 3000 Rupees as emergency funds as suggested by the race organization. Who would have thought that you could buy a Coke in the middle of the Himalayan Mountains...I certainly did not and I would have paid them way more than I was actually charged, since I knew how all the supplies got there, often on the backs of porters and sometimes by use of mules and yak. The Nepalese people are the strongest and most resilient people I've ever met, oh yeah, and the most friendly by far.

Many Himalayan hillsides are used for farming.

The second highlight of the day, aside from the delicious Coke at the finish, was the fact that we all caught our first glimpse of Mount Everest. The namesake and ultimate "destination" of this race finally made an appearance at the horizon, snow-capped and beautifully framed by Lhotse and Ama Dablam.

One of the many amazing hanging bridges that we would cross.

Yup, Mount Everest in all its glory.

The Nepalese people decorate their animals and their vehicles beautifully.

A short section of actual dirt trail:-)

We crossed this river a couple of times.

One always has to watch their footing on these descents.

Trails reminiscent of old cobblestone roads.

There's always time for a mid-race selfie with fellow runners, Bob Harding and myself.

One of the hundreds of mule and yak trains we'd encounter along the race course.

Spectacular views as far as the eye could see.

Altra elite runner Sondre Amdahl taking a moment for a picture. No mid-race selfies with this guy, he was crushing it!

Tim Mulcare, myself and Paul Martin post-race just below the finish line.

Picture of the Kharikhola monastery.

Picture of basecamp in front of the Kharikhola monastery.

Kharikhola finish line atop a set of never ending stairs:-)

Spectacular frame for today's finish line.

Basecamp laundry...just take it off, hang it out and hope it'll dry in time for the next stage.

Fellow runners chatting with local kids in front of Kharikhola monastery.

The finish line "chute".

View of Pikey Peak with clouds sticking to one side of the ridgeline.

Stage 2 started in in the town of Bhandar and finished just below Pikey Peak summit after 23.9 km or 14 miles in Jase Bhanjyang. We had to ascend 3,486m or 11,500ft and descend 1,796m or 6,000ft including summiting and descending Pikey Peak.

View from Pikey Peak summit.

Just based on those elevation numbers, all runners expected stage 2 to be one of the tougher stages, if not the toughest stage. We still had a stage with more distance and another stage with serious descent, but this stage included not only nearly 12,000ft of vertical gain, but also the highest point on the entire Everest Trail Race course wih Pinkey Peak at 12,400ft.

View from Pikey Peak summit.

I had completed my first stage in 14th place overall after getting lost for about 20 minutes, but without any injuries or even niggles. My feet had held up so far, i.e. no blisters or hotspots, and I was able to get some rest. Immediately upon finishing stage 1, I had put on my CEP recovery compression tights to start my recovery. These tights were one of my optional items that I felt would help me recover more quickly during a multistage event like this one, especially concerning the amount of ascending and descending we had to endure. These tights were definitely worth their 160g in weight.

View from course looking back at Pikey Peak.

While on the subject of rest and recovery, running was only one part of our daily routine during the Everest Trail Race. Over the course of 6 days, I would only spend 3.5 to 6 hours a day running. After each stage, I would immediately get out of my running clothes and get into my recovery/camp clothes. I would usually spread out the running clothes across our tent roof in an effort to dry them followed by a quick bucket shower in the wash tent. Sometimes this water was actually warm, but most of the time it was cold my the time I got there.

Pikey Peak.

Sherpa and race staff would serve up hot tea or coffee along with some cookies for all finishers in the mess tent. There would also be soup, pasta, rice and potatoes to replenish and refuel immediately after completing a stage. In short, we were treated exceptionally well, which is really not what I would have expected beforehand. Thanks again to the over 160 staff that consisted of local Sherpa, porters, cooks and guides and staff from Spain and Italy. My experience in Nepal would have been greatly diminished without the tireless efforts and support of all of them. Everyone was always there to lend a helping hand and tend to our every need.

Dinner would generally be served at 6:30PM. By that time, runners would usually have completed the race stage. Every meal served was largely a reflection of local foods, i.e. vegetarian diet with a focus on carbs. This made it fairly easy for me to stay on my vegan diet. There were only a couple of instances were I could not be 100% certain whether something was actually dairy free, but that is something someone must be willing to accept when participating in any endurance event.

View from Pikey Peak approach.

Dinner was the time we'd usually discuss the stage we just completed as well as the stage that lay ahead. By 8PM, most of us would be in our tents ready to get some rest before the next stage. My sleep pattern was pretty inconsistent. I would wake up just about every hour most nights, but I always felt well rested every morning. I had heeded advice I had found online and brought ear plugs to minimize ambient noise from both wildlife (mostly howling wild dogs) and fellow racers (snoring and chatting:-)

Climb towards Pikey Peak through forrest.

Starting with stage 2, runners would start every stage but the last one in 2 waves, a 7AM start for the bottom 15 runners from the previous stage and an 8AM start for the other runners. Wakeup calls by the Sherpa would take place at 5AM and 5:30AM respectively accompanied with hot cups of tea. It's probably the thing I will miss the most from this experience:-)

By 6AM, most of us would have assembled in the mess tent for breakfast. There would usually be lots of options including toast, jam, cheese, eggs, serial, muesli, potatoes, etc. along with hot coffee and tea. I all but eliminated coffee from my diet during the race as I generally like some non-dairy creamer in my coffee, which was not available. Tea was a much easier option for that reason. Even though I am a heavy coffee drinker (5-6 cups a day), I thankfully had no signs of withdrawal:-) I did drink a total of one or two cups during the 8 days in the Himalayas. Tea just tasted better here.

Farmer's home along the course.

At 7AM runners would usually line up to receive their first rations of water and fuel. This would be a liter of water along with 2-3 gels and 1-2 energy bars. My reliance of provided fuel choices was a bit of a risk factor and it did end up affecting my ability to get enough calories. I just could not stomach the bars and had to rely solely on the gels provided. Considering the amount of effort required every day, this was not enough fuel, but I managed for the most part.

Example of the technical terrain along most of the race course.

Stage 2 was kicked off by the first group of runners at 7AM. It was still pretty cold at that time, but just a few minutes later as the sun crested the surrounding mountains, it was warm enough to toe the 8AM start line in short sleeves without gloves or extra layers. I wore the same kit every day and only replaced my socks after 3 stages. I had worn through the bottom of them and thankfully brought one spare pair of socks meant to be worn in camp between stages. I had chosen Altra Lone Peak 3.5 trail shoes, which worked perfectly for this race. Even on this extremely technical terrain, the shoes provided the grip necessary and held up to the stress of ascending and descending all day.

I used a pair of Smarwool socks starting after stage 3 that also held up great. I wore CEP compression calf (and arm) sleeves that kept my legs fresh and springy. Smartwool running shorts with a Merino wool liner and a Patagonia sleeveless shirt kept "funk" to a minimum over 6 days of running.

Pikey Peak summit covered in prayer flags.

Another optional item I had packed was one of my most treasured possessions, one of only 4 tubes of Nuun Kona Cola. Nuun is my preferred choice of Electrolyte replenishment and while I love all of their flavors, the Kona Cola flavor had always been my favorite. Since that flavor was no longer being produced, I had been saving a few remaining tubes for special occasions. The Everest Trail Race definitely definitely qualified:-) I savored the refreshing taste for the first 4 stages, when I finally ran out:-( I am glad to report that I also stayed completely muscle cramp free during the entire event.

Religious monuments along the course paying homage to the mountains, which are considered gods by many locals.

After having finished 14th overall the previous day, I figured I'd try to settle in somewhere below the top ten to find my running rhythm. After getting lost on day 1 I had opted to load the course for stage 2 onto my Garmin watch in an effort to avoid a similar fate. I had found someone's course data from the previous year on Strava and downloaded it to my watch for just this reason. Somehow, I STILL managed tog et lost during stage 2, but this time I recognized my error much quicker, only resulting in about 5 min of lost time. Either way, the beauty of Nepal and its people kinda make you relax and just enjoy, so a few extra minutes of time on the trails is actually a reward.

Gnarly trail section with Everest Trail Race course markers on plain sight.

Once again, I made sure to stop any and every time I spotted an inspiring view. As a result, I took an average of 50-100 pictures during each and every stage. This place is just too beautiful not to stop and make memories. Once again, I ran solo for the most part, but I fell in with Paul Martin and Ester Alves during the big climb up Pikey Peak. I slowly pulled ahead, but when I finally summited and stopped to take pictures, both Ester and Michele Petrone passed me. The summit was followed by a narrow technical descent that was initially covered by snow and ice followed by a steep descent with lots of loose rock. Both Ester and Michele put anout 10-15 minutes on my on this descent and I was unable to make up the difference, finishing 11th overall for the day.

Catching a first glimpse of the "big" Himalayan mountains.

Our campsite at the end of stage 2 was just below Pikey Peak, at an altitude just around 11,500ft. I continued to be amazed at just how the porters would haul all of these supplies up to these extremely remote locations, usually on their backs, and all with a smile on their faces. The logistics of this race are absolutely mind boggling.