Race Report - 2017 Everest Trail Race (Stage 2)

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. 

Prayer flags and scarves were prominently displayed all along the course.

The entire race course was extremely technical.

Some of the more groomed terrain:-)

Clouds and sun working in concert to create beautiful images.

Female yak.

Clouds would roll in quickly and disappear just as quickly as well.

Pikey Peak summit approach.

Yup, there is a trail hidden in here.

Just follow the flags to the top:-)

Monument with intricate hand-carved stone plates.

Wait, no rocks?

Small village near one of the checkpoints.

The contrast of a 12ft race flag in front of Pikey Peak.

Former settlement along the race course.

View from basecamp #3 at the end of stage 2.

No matter what altitude, there was always someone working plots of farm land.

Pikey Peak summit.

Beautiful homes nestled along the race course and surrounded by plots of farm land.

Bascecamp #3 at the end of stage 2 just below 12,000ft altitude.

Impressive logistical effort by the support teams to set up these camps.

My friend and tent mate Philippe Richet from France and I after stage 2.

Race Report - 2017 Everest Trail Race (Stage 1)

First basecamp setup in Jiri, the Everest Trail race start location.

The Everest Trail Race covers 100 miles over 6 days. In the process, runners climb approximately 45,000ft, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 1.5 times with a maximum altitude of just over 12,000ft that is reached multiple times during the race. The highest point along the course is Pikey Peak summit, which is reached during the second stage of the race. Runners are semi self-sufficient having to carry all gear required over the course of 8 days (including one day prior and one day after the race) including sleeping bags. However, food and drink is provided to all runners during the entire duration of the race.

The view from the Jiri valley was spectacular.

After spending a couple of days in Kathmandu to acclimate, attend mandatory race briefings and gear check and an participate in an organized sightseeing trip to visit the famous Monkey temple among other sites,  we started the arduous 9 hour drive to Jiri, the location for the start of the 2017 Everest Trail Race. Jiri can only be reached via rather rugged single lane roads, sometimes paved but often just dirt, across and around a number of mountain ranges. Many runners had struggled with severe motion sickness in the past, so I came prepared having taken 2 motion sickness pills the morning of the trip. All 50+ runners were assigned to one of 4 vans. We all received a lunch bag before taking of in the ETR caravan to Jiri. 

My home for 8 days, shared with Phil Richet from France.

The ride was rather adventurous and truly felt like "stage 1" of the race. While the narrow winding mountain roads were expertly navigated by our drivers, there were plenty of moments of excitement, one involving one of our vans in a minor accident with a dump truck. In order to navigate the narrow roads safely, drivers would honk their horns at every blind turn in order to evoke a similar response from oncoming traffic, allowing them to anticipate each other and figure out how to pass. This was by far the bumpiest and most exciting ride I've ever been on and I'm still not sure how some of the runners managed to actually sleep. I certainly did not.

Some of the amazing friends I've made during the race.

We arrived in Jiri roughly 9 hours later, followed by a short 5 minute hike into our first basecamp. After a few quick photos, we all were assigned to our tents for the week. We would actually sleep in two or three different tents as the support crew of 160+ sherpa, porters, cooks and guides would actually set up multiple camp sites in parallel in order to be able to keep up with our daily progress along the course. Since everything had to be largely moved by people carrying gear along the trail, the support team had to set up the next camp site before we'd even leave the previous camp site. This was quite the operation and we were all a bit in awe when we realized the sheer amount of manpower required to support our race.

Part of our race routine, picking up our water and fuel for the first part of the stage.

My tent mate Philippe and I quickly settled in our tent and got ready for our first meal and pre-race briefing in the blue dinner tent. All of us runners were itching to get the first stage underway. It would allow all of us to settle our nerves and get a feeling for what to expect over the next 6 days. Thankfully, stage 1 was actually the shortest stage of the race, kind of the intro stage to the ETR. 

AC/DC inspired an air guitar solo by my roomie Philippe prior to the start of stage 1.

Every morning would start the same way. Sherpas would wake us up at a predetermined time, serving us hot tea at the tents. This would be followed by breakfast (mostly carbs of different kinds) in the dinner tent and pick up of our first batch of water and fuel supplies, usually one liter of water and a couple of gels and bars. The support team really was top notch. The meals and food was fantastic. I kept wondering how these guys managed to whip up these meals in the middle of nowhere. 

The finish line for stage 1 in Bhandar.

All runners were required to carry a punch card on a lanyard that would be punched at every checkpoint along the course as well as every morning and evening when we would get additional water and fuel. Every stage generally had anywhere between 2 and 3 checkpoints along the course and missing one of these would usually get you lost as well as penalized by race officials. While I did avoind any missed checkpoints and penalties, I did manage to get lost both on stage 1 and stage 2. After that, I made sure I'd pay very very close attention at any potential intersection as I had no desire to lose any more time.

The blue tent, dining tent for 50 runners, the green tent for washing up.

About 30 minutes before the race start, the speakers were blasting AC/DC, getting all of us pumped for the adventure ahead. The start of stage 1 was officiated by the local mayor, who wished all of us luck before sending us off towards Bhandar, the location of the finish line at the end of stage 1 and our next basecamp. 

Valley near the small town of Bhandar, location of the stage 1 finish line and basecamp.

We would cover a total distance of about 21.5 km or 13.3 miles while ascending 1,975m or 6,500ft and descending 1,820m or 6,000ft. It would be a perfect prelude of things to come. Unlike many of the other racers, who had previously completed the Marathon des Sables, Jungle Marathon and various other stage races, my only multi-stage experience came in 2011, when I completed the Desert RATS 148 Mile Stage Race in Colorado/Utah. However, I drew my confidence from my previous ultra marathoning experience and more specifically, the training I had done over the past 9 months leading up this this particular event. There had been plenty of vert, distance and race experience collected over the course of 2017 and while this race was all about the experience of Nepal and its people, it was a race after all and I had a couple of goals for this one.

All roads end in Jiri, now it's 99.9% single track to the finish.

Looking at the results from the last year, I figured an A goal of completing all stages within 30 hours would be an aggressive but achievable goal. Secondly, I was hoping that such a performance would possibly get me into the top ten overall and top three in the Master's division. Obviously, this "plan" did not take into consideration the ambitions and abilities of my fellow racers, it just gave me something to strive for.

Green tunnel.

As we were sent off into stage 1, runners took off at a strong pace. I tried to settle into a comfortable pace, really not paying attention to anyone else. I never checked my watch, I just ran by feel. I would continue this approach throughout the race, only ever checking my overall time upon reaching the final checkpoint of each stage to see whether I was close to my A goal. 

One of the many inspiring monuments along the course.

From the start of stage 1 and throughout the race, I would always take the time to "stop and smell the roses". I would take pictures, lots of them. This was likely a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was going to make sure I'd have memories. The scenery was absolutely spectacular. Stopping to take pictures also allowed my heart rate to settle down for a moment. Almost every stage contained a lot of climbing, often at altitude, so serious spikes in one's heart rate were very common. 

Perfectly groomed single track trails:-)

I reached each checkpoint without any problems, following the red circle race course markers all day. When I reached checkpoint 3, the final checkpoint for the stage, I finally checked my watch. I was well on target to run my goal time of 3 hours 30 minutes and I was running just outside the top ten. All that was left was a short 5 km downhill to the finish. I was excited. I filled up my bottles and took off. Apparently, the idea of breaking into the top ten on the final downhill made me lose my focus just long enough that I missed a turn on the trail.

Views across the mountains, highlighting the farming along many mountain slopes.

It took me nearly a mile to realize my mistake and by then, I was completely lost. Luckily, I had stored the previous year's course on my watch, but I hadn't loaded it. I had to stop my watch, close the activity, load the course and start a new activity. Oh, the pleasures of modern technology:-) By the time I found my way back onto the course, a few runners had passed my and I had lost close to 20 minutes. However, I still only missed my goal time by 4 minutes, so I was pretty pleased when I finally crossed the finish line in 3 hours 34 minutes and 14th place overall.

The typical trail marking for the Everest Trail Race, red circles.

As soon as I crossed the finish line I was handed my 2 liters of water for the evening. Next, it was time to get out of the running close and into the compression tights and dry camp clothes to start the recovery for the next stage. The support crew had served up hot tea and coffee and cookies in the dinner tent along with some rice and pasta for a late lunch. They would do this at the end of every stage, allowing runners to refuel and aid in their recovery for the next day.

Gnarly technical trails made up the majority of the course.

Gear Check - 2017 Everest Trail Race

All gear laid out, mandatory gear on left, "optional' gear on right. Actual running kit w/ trekking poles not included.

Ever since my company Haufe agreed to sponsor my participation in this amazing once in a lifetime adventure nearly 10 months ago, I started the logistical planning process. The Everest Trail Race in the Himalayas of Nepal in the Solukhumbu region. The altitude generally ranges between 6,600ft and 13,500ft. The race course is broken up into 6 individual stages, covering a total distance of just over 100 miles with a change in elevation of nearly 100,000ft. Temperatures can range from the upper 70s during the day to well below freezing during the night, which requires a wide range of available clothing options. Since this race is largely self-sufficient, runners must carry all the gear necessary (except for water, food and tents) to run and survive 6 days in the Himalayas.

Mandatory gear list for Everest Trail Race.

The weather conditions and duration of the event require participants to not only carry mandatory gear, but also other gear that while not mandatory really should be considered required gear. Of course, opinions and needs vary widely, which explains why I have spent the better part of the last 9 months in buying gear, exchanging gear, adding and removing gear from the lists and why I am still not done. Is my sleeping bag warm enough? Is it to heavy? What kind of clothes will I need/want in camp? How will I keep essential ear dry inside my back? Will the pack work? Do I choose wool over synthetic? You get the idea, questions upon questions upon questions, and I'm still changing things.

Mandatory gear laid out prior to test packing.

As I enter the final days of race prep, it was time to actually lay out all gear and try to fit it all inside a 20l running pack. While I had some of the gear in my closet already, the special nature of the event required some purchases to allow the best possible outcome during this stage race. While regular tech shirts certainly work great during a single day race, wearing the same shirt for 6 days straight raises some concerns that may be better addressed by clothing that consists mostly of merino wool fibers. In addition, the weight of gear plays a major role when having to carry all of your gear during a 6 day race.

Optional gear list for Everest Trail Race.

The lists and images in this post reflect the logistical planning of the last 9 months. I plan to test out some if not all of this gear during some acclimation training as well as a last training cycle to try to replicate the conditions on race day, both in regards to weather and terrain. Hopefully, meticulous gear planning coupled with altitude acclimation and terrain specific training will put me in a position to complete this event with as little problems as possible. My goal is to have the experience of a lifetime with as few mid-race disasters as possible. I do plan to push my own pace within my limits (after all, I am quite competitive by nature), but my main goal is to stop and smell the roses and to take some pictures and videos to last  lifetime while moving through what will be the most memorable terrain I will ever encounter.

Option gear laid out prior to test packing.

There actually is a minimum weight requirement for gear of 3.5kg or 7.7lbs and a maximum gear weight of 7kg or 15.5lbs. I was able to keep total gear and pack weight to just 3.8kg or 8.5lbs. Hopefully, my gear planning phase is in its final stages and I can focus on a bit more training in the last weeks leading up to race day.

Mandatory and optional gear packed.

UPDATE: After arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal and before the actual gear check through the race organizers, I had made some final adjustments to my gear list. First, I upgraded my sleeping bag the Zpacks 900 Fill Power Down Sleeping Bag 5F Standard Long (700g) after receiving a last minute report from the race organization that temperatures were exceptionally low, potentially dipping as low as -10 Celsius (15 Fahrenheit). Warmth and comfort at night easily outweighted the weight savings of a smaller/lighter bag. Either way, this sleeping bag was still extremely lightweight. I has also made some other small changes related to toilet paper (I took a combination of tissue and wet wipes). I also replaces individual anti chafing wipes with a stick for weight savings. Finally, i swapped the mandatory compass for a much smaller version.

My pack ended up weighing in at 9.2 lbs (4.2 kg) during the mandatory gear check and that included everything listed above. I did ue almost everything I packed, but I could have saved a little bit more weight by only taking one pair of tights (either compression or long underwear), removing the pair of boxers and the extra short sleeve shirt. The pillow was not a necessity and I had also removed the EPIpen prior to gear check. All in all, I could have come in just above the minimum required weight of 3.5 kg, but either way, I am very happy with my overall gear choices. I may not have used my windbreaker, but I was sure glad I had it just in case.