Ultra Everest 135 Race Report

Ultrarunner Magazine caught up with #GBUltras Race Director Wayne Drinkwater on his experience of being Race Director for Everest 135® in Nepal organised by Guibin Sports International.

Lukla: There I was, feeling incredibly humbled from the experience of being in the sheer presence of the Himalaya once again.  Flying out of Lukla airport after being Race Director for the Everest 135® for the last two weeks, the immortal words of George Mallory “Because it’s there!” resonate. The Himalaya brings a welcome change in perspective born from the beauty of being in the mountains, living in the moment and from sharing the time with others.

Known as the world’s most dangerous airport, Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla) was built in 1964 to allow quicker access to the Sagarmartha National Park, the home of Mount Everest.  However, long before Lukla airport was built, it was Jiri, at 1905m, that was the original gateway to the high Himalaya. Lukla cut the trekking time and acclimatisation needed and has since been integral to the boom of tourism to the region and has left a few nervous twitches in passengers ever since with its mountainside runway and debris of plane and helicopter parts strewn across the landscape nearby, evidence of its reputation.

I had been appointed Race Director for the Everest 135®, a 135 mile ultra-marathon that started at Jiri, winding its way to Everest Basecamp via Namche Bazaar, and retracing the footsteps of the early pioneers, paying homage to their lost journey.

Though I love Nepal’s mountains and beauty, I have a deep respect for it’s people and the culture.  We’re not so different, if you have a strong work ethic (universally valued, and especially in Nepal), you gain a mutual understanding.  A smile cuts away everything, you immediately have a connection.

On the team was Nima Namgyal Sherpa of Nepal coordinating the Mountain Expedition teams throughout via Kaitu Nepal.  He was exceptionally organised.

We also had an experienced Medical and Event Team from Nepal, China & Great Britain and I was instantly impressed by the voice of Jagan Timilsina. We immediately formed a friendship.  A day or two later, I found out that Jagan had previously summited Everest and had also notably won the 2017 Great Himalayan Trail race so his knowledge and understanding of the dangers, both visible and concealed from view, would be invaluable, a superb addition.