So what to take? We are in the happy position that we only need our trekking kit from Jiri to Namchee Bazaar, where we will meet the rest of the Everest Marathon team. They will bring our bags of running kit to Namchee. Always a bonus to be met half way with extra snacks, toiletries and a layer or two. We’ll also have porters from there….pure luxury!  See below for full trekking list.

As always there a few formailities to complete and we have Indian visas in place (as transiting through there) and we’ll have to get Nepalese visas on arrival, Khumbu region trekking permits will also need to be sorted in Kathmandu. We’ll transfer money over onto our Thomas Cook cash passports and sort the local currency on arrival in Nepal. There is no guarantee of cash machines once we leave Kathmandu, so we need to ensure we’ve enough cash to last the duration of the trek – if staying in tea houses £20-25 a day is recommended.

Rumour has it that each tea house settlement from Namchee to Gorak Shep now has a cyber café, which disappointingly opens up the option of telecommunications – ridiculous the lengths you have to go to in order to achieve non-contactability. We’ll be avoiding those I hope!

So this is bye from us for now and we’ll be in touch upon return with a few holiday snaps and to let you know how we got on. If you want to follow the progress of the group whilst we are away, there is a blog that will be updated when and where facilities permit – www.everestmarathon.org.uk (then click on 2011 RACE on the left hand menu).

Trekking kit list

Travel jabs

Passport and additional passport photos

Travel insurance

Money /Credit cards

Guide books / reading books

Ruck sack

Water proof stuff sacks

Platypus and water bottle

Sleeping bag

Thermarest

Waterproof top and bottoms

Down jacket

Fleece layer

Hat

Gloves x 2 pairs

Buff

Trekking trousers x 2

Underwear

Socks

Long sleeve tops

Short sleeve tops

Shorts

Trekking boots

Tevas

Trekking poles

Head torch

Batteries

Money purse

Sunglasses

Sun tan lotion

Lip balm

Toiletries – small bottles of minimum items

Wet wipes

Travel towel

Travel washing line

Travel clothes wash

Combination padlock

Bivvy bag

First Aid kit

Compass & whistle

Maps

Snacks

Zip lock bags

Water sterilisation tabs

Lighter

Sewing kit

Camera

Tissues

Mobile phone

Travel adaptor

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In early Nov Patrick and I will set off ahead of the main Everest Marathon pack (possibly the only time that we will be ahead of them!) and get a rickety bus from Kathmandu to Changma and trek from Jiri  to Namche Bazaar. In Namche we will meet the rest of the gang who will have flown Kathmandu to Lukla.  The Jiri to Namche trek will take 8 days and should be excellent training as it traverses the valley systems of the lower Khumbu and therefore provides lots of ups and downs! View the route.

By the time we reach Namche  we will be at 3440m and will have an acclimatisation day before setting off on the trek to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Lakes. View the route.

Finally, on 2^nd Dec 2011 we will attempt the 26 mile run from Gorak Shep back to Namche Bazaar and hopefully the Everest Marathon shall be complete! View the route  .

From there it is a flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu for fine dining and a knees up before flying home, well…..that’s the plan anyway.

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We recently asked a few key clients why they booked with us and these were some of their responses…..

• You are very trustworthy
• We know how much you value safety on the treks and appreciate the importance you place on this (i.e. a doctor on all treks, taking an extra day to ensure everyone gets to the Kili summit etc)
• You help us to create the itineraries that we want and that sell so well to our corporate supporters.
• Your in-country partners are usually fantastic
• You send great teams of Expedition Leaders, Guides and Doctors on our Challenges – who pretty much always get excellent feedback from participants.
• Your office staff are very responsive – I feel we have an excellent relationship and that you always get back to us promptly and add value wherever you can.
• All of you are very friendly, approachable and experienced.
• You really look after our participants well 
• You are a small but committed team and we really appreciate that and the fact that we know you all – we know who to speak to about which element of the trek and appreciate getting the same familiar (expert!) voice 
•  The knowledge that we have a fully qualified doctor who is trained to deal with emergencies in extreme environments is a huge comfort when taking 40 supporters of the charity abroad.
• The ATD trip leaders really take all the stress and pressure off the charity staff members.  They run the projects extremely efficiently and are excellent at dealing with all situations whether it is an emergency or dealing with difficult participants.  The support provided at the information evening is also hugely appreciated and really helps to reassure any nervous or high maintenance participants.

So if you are speaking to your current overseas challenge supplier make sure you check about UK staffing ratios, if they supply a medical kit and what’s in it, and if a UK Doctor is on the trip.  These are key values which we know our clients appreciate over cost.

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Jen Sinclair – ATD guide is training for the Everest marathon Dec 2011

Welcome to my first blog about the Everest Marathon! Why am I doing it? I’m sure half way through I’ll be asking myself the same question! The event has been on my radar since I spent three months in Nepal and Tibet back in 2006, I decided this year was the year. I’m running the event with my boyfriend Patrick; we’re both keen fitness enthusiasts but wanted a goal in training. To aim for this unique and challenging endurance event whilst also incorporating a trek in this stunning part of the world, fitted the bill perfectly.

Having completed a couple of treks and mountain biking trips previously in Nepal and Tibet, this is an area I know and love. I was keen to get back there again and we both wanted to raise money for causes that are important to us. We’ve both opted to split our donations two ways with half of monies received going to the Everest Marathon Fund helping to improve the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. The other half of my money will be donated to the “In je eendje” project, raising money for children with cerebral palsy. As a paediatric physiotherapist myself, this is obviously a cause close to my heart. Patrick is raising money for Myeloma UK, a charity dedicated to funding research into, and supporting sufferers of, Myeloma. This is a cancer of the blood and is currently incurable. Patrick’s mum died of it last year.  

The marathon takes place on 2nd December 2011, starting at Gorak Shep, near Everest Base Camp and finishing at Namche Bazaar. Start point is at 5164 metres and we run 26.2 miles on mountain tracks to Namche Bazaar, at 3750 metres. So as everyone likes to remind us, it is mostly downhill…where’s the challenge in that?! The answer is altitude. At sea level, oxygen comprises approximately 23% the air by weight, at Everest Base Camp the air still comprises 23% of the air. However, the further away from sea level you are, the pressure of the entire atmosphere decreases so in effect, there is less air to breathe.  Less air means less oxygen. Without proper preparation altitude sickness is likely.

The trip commences for most with a two week acclimatisation trek – however, Patrick and I will greedily sneak an extra couple of weeks trekking. We will travel out to Nepal and trek from Jiri to Namche Bazaar. The Everest Marathon group will fly Kathmandu to Lukla and we’ll meet them in Namche, trekking onwards to the Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp, in preparation for the run back to Namchee on 2^nd Dec 2011. 

The marathon is now five months away and, despite a busy summer of working away on outdoor events, our training is going well. Living next to the Chiltern Hills, scenic off road runs with plenty of “undulations” are easy to come by. We are currently running around half marathon distance on a regular basis, however, we are well aware that it’s the other half of the distance that may not give of itself so easily! Our main focus is to remain injury free in our training so as to reach the trek, never mind the race day, fit and ready! Through the year we aim to change up the challenge, training in as many of our wonderful and diverse UK mountain regions as possible, we’ve also lined up a few competitive UK mountain challenge events on the schedule!

Through the rest of the year, as we approach the marathon, I will blog on how we are getting on.

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This charity walk offers enthusiastic walkers the chance to experience a breathtaking charity walk over the picturesque South Downs in West Sussex and generate funds for their chosen charity.  Now in it’s 6th year!

As we like this event so much we are offering 2 free places on the 20km route (worth £100), all you need to do to be in with a chance to WIN these places is to RT our tweet to enter!  We will pick a name from all our Twitter entries, at random, on Friday 15th July 2011.

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Just Walk is now in it’s 6th year.   It’s open to everyone wanting to fundraise for their charity of their choice and at the same take take on a walking challenge.  There are four distances to choose from 10km, 20km, 40km and 60km so something for everyone.  Sign up to Just Walk 2012!

Just Walk 2011 video

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The day started with thundery showers and finished with showers but that didn’t damper anyones spirit. 

 For the first time we also had 10km runners take part and the first two ladies across the line were knabbed by Spirit FM to do an interview – once they’d caught their breath.

We’ve already had our first sign-ups for Just Walk 2012 so why not join us on this wonderful event.

I just wanted to pass my thanks onto your for such an amazing day on Saturday.  I travelled to Goodwood to complete the 60k walk, having never done this kind of distance before I was quite nervous about the day, and after 16 hours of hard, wet and sore trekking my friend and I finally crossed the finish line.  But I can say with hand on heart we would have found it 100 times more difficult without the amazing support of your crew and volunteers, they were fantastic, the encouragement and support they offered throughout the walk (especially at night time when they were as tired as us!) was monumental.  They always had huge smiles on their faces and did everything in their power to get us over the finish line.    Thank you, thank you, thank you what a FAB day!   If possible please pass on my thanks to all the crew and volunteers who helped out on the day.   Thanks again your all amazing!  Cassandra – 2011 Just Walker

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NEW FOR 2011 – JUST RUN. Due to high demand we have now opened up the 10km walk to 10km runners.  It is the same route, same price, it’s just running. 

Join some inspirational walkers like Sue Fuller and Katie Bizzey.

So whether you are running or walking we look forward to seeing you in a few days.

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Steve Clark

http://www.ukgear.com

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We are delighted to announce the launch of our 2012 Overseas Just Events.  We think we offer an exciting range of events from a London to Paris bike ride to a trek and rafting trip in Costa Rica or a charity desert trek in Sahara.  We hope there’s something here for you. 

• Dog sledding events – February and March
• Trek Machu Picchu Peru - May
• London to Paris Bike ride – June
• Euro Cities bike ride – June
• Climb Kilimanjaro – September
• Sahara Desert Trek – November
• Costa Rica Trek and Raft – November

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