EVEREST TRAIL RACE
The Most Demanding Everest Trail Race Starts
Press Release / 09.11.2017
Around 40 runners from all over the world will start the 7th edition of the Everest Trail Race presented by The Elements Pure Coconut Water tomorrow. The 160km race has 6 stages, with a total elevation gain and loss of 30,000m. Low temperatures, snow, and mud, will make the race even tougher for the runners and the strong recent monsoon rains have forced the organizers to reinforce the marking along the trail, as there are some areas with landslides.
After 7 hours in a minibus from Kathmandu to Jiri, all the participants are now in the campsite, where they will sleep in a tent with their warm clothes. Tomorrow they will start the first stage of the Everest Trail Race presented by The Elements Pure Coconut Water.
Situated in Dolakha district, Jiri is the end of the tarmac road and the entrance way to the district of Solukhumbu, where the 6 stages of the race will take place. Within this area the runners will be able to see the most emblematic summits of the area, like Everest, Lhotse or Ama Dablam while running.
The first expeditions to Everest used to start from Jiri, as also did the well-known expedition lead by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, which reached the summit of Everest for the first time.
At the competitive level, it is important to mention the presence of great athletes such as Luis Alberto Hernando, World Champion of the Skyrunning World Series at ultra distances. “I'm hallucinating. This is another world! There is tension in hours before starting and at the same time a lot of excitement to see all this”, Hernando explained when arriving at Jiri. The runner from Burgos already knows the race, after participating in 2013 when he couldn't race at his highest level due to an injury.
Ester Alves and Jordi Gamito are the members of The Elements Pure Coconut Water's team, and they are hoping for a good performance. The Nepalese runners Suman Kulung in the male category and Chheeche Sherpa in the female category will surely demonstrate their command on the terrain. Kulung has won the Everest Marathon several times.
Before travelling to Jiri the technical and medical checks took place in Kathmandu. The road book, transponder and bib number were delivered to the runners, as well as their race ID card, which they will need to carry throughout the race. The bib number must be always visible to avoid military controls stopping the runners along the trails in the Khumbu area.
The ETR organization also checked all the mandatory gear and backpack weights. Due to the weather conditions the organization has been very strict on the technical side to be sure that the runners can manage any unexpected incident during the race. The medical team of the ETR also checked the compulsory documentation of each runner (electrocardiogram and medical certificate) and conducted a brief interview to better get to know every athlete before the demanding competition.
Tomorrow the first stage will take place from Jiri to Bhandar with a distance of 21.5km and almost 3,800m of elevation gain and loss.
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