It was 1st May 2013 and I turned round the corner of the road to the finish line (at Rimbik) amidst loud cheering from the Windchasers team and the runners ; I had finished the 112 km Himalayan Stage Race.
The race involves running back to back 112 kms over 4 days consisting of Day 1 - 20 km, Day 2 - 26 km, Day 3 - 42 km and Day 4 - 24 km totaling to 112 km; we start from Maneybanjang at about 7000 feet (2134 m) to Sandakphu at about 12000 feet (3636 m) and finally down to Rimbik at 7500 feet (2286 m).
Running involved different terrains- mud, tar road, cobble stones, loose rocks, wood, steep steps.. varying climates cool to cold to warm, very windy and of course involving lots of climbs and downs as is usual in Himalayas - so it was quite a tough course.
The view was spectacular throughout the race whether it was foggy or sunny - it was misty, surreal and when the sun came, it was if possibly even more beautiful. you could see greenery, tall trees that seemed to reach the sky, valleys and peaks, flowers of varied colours; and one had the constant company of the mountains; it was so beautiful that it literally took one's breath away- gosh it is so difficult to describe and i wouldn't have missed it. As Max (read about him on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Max-ZT/6068953579?group_id=0) described it, when someone was running, he/she suddenly appeared from mist and in few moments disappeared into it (the mist) if you are lucky, you get a beautiful view of Everest, Kanchanjunga range,Lhotse and Makalu (we could see all these peaks!!) It is a dream course for any serious runner and must be added to the list of places to run before you die !!
The event was excellently managed by the Windchasers team consisting of Ram, Priya and Pemba - the CORE team along with support consisting of Sangay (food), Ben (Photography), Dr. Matthieu (Medical) and the surprise music (Max) and included capable volunteers - Kala, Namita and Max- further there was the sherpa team, warm and supportive for anything that we asked. The team was not only professional but as a whole brought in the element of emotional support and motivation that encouraged runners to perform well. thanks to the entire Windchasers team without which i could not even imagine completing this rigorous race.
It was during September of 2012 that i seriously considered the Sandakphu 70Mile Himalayan Race conducted by Windchasers (http://thewindchasers.com/). I got in touch with Ram & Priya (who had done the even more difficult 115 mile race- read more on this on https://www.facebook.com/notes/priya-darshini/my-himalayan-dream-running-a-100-miles-in-the-himalayas/427631969449) and asked them some questions; though in my heart I had decided to run the race. Many of the calls I have taken are usually impulsive and questions that i raise are usually for the mind. I decided to sign up and then plan about how to achieve it. Ram had posted training plan for the race during end Jan 2013; i went through it and added few hills training to my normal run program. Though i am very comfortable in running half marathon, 42 km has usually been a problem with me getting cramps once crossing 26 kms. Looking back, i realised that my training was not adequate for the rigorous Himalayan race.
We were received at the Bagdogra airport on 27th April by Ram and Priya and after a quick lunch, Pemba welcomes us in the traditional Tibetan manner. I met other runners -again a bunch of amazing and nice people Andre, Cowson, Prahlladh, Rakesh, Khushi, Julie and Krishant; off we went to Mirik a beautiful place in Darjeeling where we were to stay the night; after detailed briefing and introduction to the team including the volunteers, we were examined by Matthieu and luckily all of us passed the test! After a wonderful dinner, we rested for the night (27th)
The next day, we drove to Maneybhanjang from where we started Day 1 of the race. here again, the Windchasers took good care to involve and thank various authorities who supported us at various points of the run. We went through the traditional Tibetan ceremony once again and young girls presented us with the Tibetan scarfs which is given for good luck and during arrival or departure.
Ben photographed the runners /volunteers and the race began at the bottom of a steep hill. this was the stage 1 of the race - where one had to complete 20 kms. the usual routine was to complete the run, reach the lodge where you received hot soup and lunch; then the conversation among the entire team, rested sometime, had dinner at night followed by briefing for the next day. I managed to complete stage one with minimal shoes and as suggested by Priya, shifted to regular shoes from day 2 in view of loose rocks, cobble stones, etc.
Stage two is very tough since it involves 26 km with steep climb to reach the Sandakphu peak- we had to move very slowly in view of the altitude involved and having reached the top, we had to further run for about 3 km and back to reach the 26 km mark. At the finish, all of us used to be lauded and photographs taken as we run past the finish tape.
Stage three to Phalut was relatively easy since it was early morning; however since the route was exposed to elements, it made things difficult with alternating heat and cold; this meant that we used to perspire and feel cold and also lost time in having to add or remove cloth layers. Also since we had to cover 42 kms at about 12000 feet, it made this stage lot more difficult. The return to Sandakphu (since it was a 21 km loop) was unexpectedly difficult since it involved long climbs and as Himalayas usually have peaks and valleys in many of its routes.
All these days were foggy and misty; however we experienced heavy rain on end of Day 3 and we were thrilled to see clear sky on Day 4; we could finally see the Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and the Kanchanjunga. we could see almost the entire aspect of the Kanchanjunga range - Sleeping Buddha or Kumbakarna depending on you being a Buddhist or Hindu ; the range was partly covered by clouds. [Subsequently on Day 5 on our way to the Airport, we could see the entire Kanchanjunga in all its glory with the image of forehead, the body and the feet. ] On Day 4, we started quite late (about 9 AM); the day was quite warm, the view spectacular with river keeping us company. and i finally reached the finish line at Rimbik.
We were formally presented with exquisite medal (in the shape of mountain) with the picture of the Kanchanjunga range along with certificate; these were tastefully done. It was raining then and we quickly moved to a well deserved tasty dinner followed by a superb rendering of music by Max using Dulcimer; the music was exquisite and we had a surprise vocal performance by Priya.
it was a wonderful finish to an enchanting event in Eastern Himalayas and I am so glad to be part of the race
The race involves running back to back 112 kms over 4 days consisting of Day 1 - 20 km, Day 2 - 26 km, Day 3 - 42 km and Day 4 - 24 km totaling to 112 km; we start from Maneybanjang at about 7000 feet (2134 m) to Sandakphu at about 12000 feet (3636 m) and finally down to Rimbik at 7500 feet (2286 m).
Running involved different terrains- mud, tar road, cobble stones, loose rocks, wood, steep steps.. varying climates cool to cold to warm, very windy and of course involving lots of climbs and downs as is usual in Himalayas - so it was quite a tough course.
The view was spectacular throughout the race whether it was foggy or sunny - it was misty, surreal and when the sun came, it was if possibly even more beautiful. you could see greenery, tall trees that seemed to reach the sky, valleys and peaks, flowers of varied colours; and one had the constant company of the mountains; it was so beautiful that it literally took one's breath away- gosh it is so difficult to describe and i wouldn't have missed it. As Max (read about him on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Max-ZT/6068953579?group_id=0) described it, when someone was running, he/she suddenly appeared from mist and in few moments disappeared into it (the mist) if you are lucky, you get a beautiful view of Everest, Kanchanjunga range,Lhotse and Makalu (we could see all these peaks!!) It is a dream course for any serious runner and must be added to the list of places to run before you die !!
The event was excellently managed by the Windchasers team consisting of Ram, Priya and Pemba - the CORE team along with support consisting of Sangay (food), Ben (Photography), Dr. Matthieu (Medical) and the surprise music (Max) and included capable volunteers - Kala, Namita and Max- further there was the sherpa team, warm and supportive for anything that we asked. The team was not only professional but as a whole brought in the element of emotional support and motivation that encouraged runners to perform well. thanks to the entire Windchasers team without which i could not even imagine completing this rigorous race.
It was during September of 2012 that i seriously considered the Sandakphu 70Mile Himalayan Race conducted by Windchasers (http://thewindchasers.com/). I got in touch with Ram & Priya (who had done the even more difficult 115 mile race- read more on this on https://www.facebook.com/notes/priya-darshini/my-himalayan-dream-running-a-100-miles-in-the-himalayas/427631969449) and asked them some questions; though in my heart I had decided to run the race. Many of the calls I have taken are usually impulsive and questions that i raise are usually for the mind. I decided to sign up and then plan about how to achieve it. Ram had posted training plan for the race during end Jan 2013; i went through it and added few hills training to my normal run program. Though i am very comfortable in running half marathon, 42 km has usually been a problem with me getting cramps once crossing 26 kms. Looking back, i realised that my training was not adequate for the rigorous Himalayan race.
We were received at the Bagdogra airport on 27th April by Ram and Priya and after a quick lunch, Pemba welcomes us in the traditional Tibetan manner. I met other runners -again a bunch of amazing and nice people Andre, Cowson, Prahlladh, Rakesh, Khushi, Julie and Krishant; off we went to Mirik a beautiful place in Darjeeling where we were to stay the night; after detailed briefing and introduction to the team including the volunteers, we were examined by Matthieu and luckily all of us passed the test! After a wonderful dinner, we rested for the night (27th)
The next day, we drove to Maneybhanjang from where we started Day 1 of the race. here again, the Windchasers took good care to involve and thank various authorities who supported us at various points of the run. We went through the traditional Tibetan ceremony once again and young girls presented us with the Tibetan scarfs which is given for good luck and during arrival or departure.
Ben photographed the runners /volunteers and the race began at the bottom of a steep hill. this was the stage 1 of the race - where one had to complete 20 kms. the usual routine was to complete the run, reach the lodge where you received hot soup and lunch; then the conversation among the entire team, rested sometime, had dinner at night followed by briefing for the next day. I managed to complete stage one with minimal shoes and as suggested by Priya, shifted to regular shoes from day 2 in view of loose rocks, cobble stones, etc.
Stage two is very tough since it involves 26 km with steep climb to reach the Sandakphu peak- we had to move very slowly in view of the altitude involved and having reached the top, we had to further run for about 3 km and back to reach the 26 km mark. At the finish, all of us used to be lauded and photographs taken as we run past the finish tape.
Stage three to Phalut was relatively easy since it was early morning; however since the route was exposed to elements, it made things difficult with alternating heat and cold; this meant that we used to perspire and feel cold and also lost time in having to add or remove cloth layers. Also since we had to cover 42 kms at about 12000 feet, it made this stage lot more difficult. The return to Sandakphu (since it was a 21 km loop) was unexpectedly difficult since it involved long climbs and as Himalayas usually have peaks and valleys in many of its routes.
All these days were foggy and misty; however we experienced heavy rain on end of Day 3 and we were thrilled to see clear sky on Day 4; we could finally see the Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and the Kanchanjunga. we could see almost the entire aspect of the Kanchanjunga range - Sleeping Buddha or Kumbakarna depending on you being a Buddhist or Hindu ; the range was partly covered by clouds. [Subsequently on Day 5 on our way to the Airport, we could see the entire Kanchanjunga in all its glory with the image of forehead, the body and the feet. ] On Day 4, we started quite late (about 9 AM); the day was quite warm, the view spectacular with river keeping us company. and i finally reached the finish line at Rimbik.
We were formally presented with exquisite medal (in the shape of mountain) with the picture of the Kanchanjunga range along with certificate; these were tastefully done. It was raining then and we quickly moved to a well deserved tasty dinner followed by a superb rendering of music by Max using Dulcimer; the music was exquisite and we had a surprise vocal performance by Priya.
it was a wonderful finish to an enchanting event in Eastern Himalayas and I am so glad to be part of the race
