Project Davos

Sudip - Everest Ultra winner

Sudip wouldn’t call himself ‘a runner’.  He’s been working in a lodge on the Everest trekking route for a couple of years, and portering for a month or so now. 

He found out about the Everest Ultra the day before it started, and entered eventhough he had to run 15km just to get to the start.  And he surprised everyone – with no training, no tapering, no support and no preparation, he made 65km look easy, all above 3000m altitude, up and down pretty gruelling trekking trails.  He won the race in 5 hours and 14 minutes.

Since training with us in Pokhara, he came second in this year’s Everest Marathon, improving his time by 8 minutes on last year.

Bed - Excellent performances at the Annapurna 78 and Everest Ultra

And here is runner number 2.  I’ve seen him run in two races now, and my favourite thing about him is the way he smiles even at the end.  He, too, looks like he’s just been to the shops and back after a gruelling 8 hours on the hill.   

His name is Bed and he’s in the Nepali Army.  He’s not in there running team, and although pipped at the post by Sudip in the Everest Ultra, he did beat the entire Nepali Army team.  All of them.  By  half and hour.

Bed has taken to his training well, and is enjoying the freedom to concentrate on this, instead of squeezing in his running around 6 hour period of standing to attention with his rifle in the blazing Nepali sun.