It is coming to the crunch now, as the Everest Marathon 2009 is rapidly approaching!
I am running this race, in my opinion the 'fell' race of all fell races, on 4 December this year.
It is going to be a toughy, starting at Gorak Shep, old Everest Basecamp, at 5200 metres, running 26.2 miles of mainly downhill with a couple of sharp ascents, on rocky, narrow trails to Namche Bazar... Temperatures at the start can be as low as -20 centigrade!
And what is that 'crunch' I can see you wonder? As I know that I am not the first forum member to run this race? Well the crunch is that I am running this race to raise awareness for a friend's environmental charity called the Glacier Trust.
Communities living at high altitudes in the Himalayas frequently face disaster as a result of climate change. The Glacier Trust provides financial support and expertise for grassroots Non Governmental Organisations working in these high environments, enabling communities to adapt and share their solutions.
Please visit the website for information and the option to donate to this valid charity: http://www.theglaciertrust.org/
The people who organise Everest Marathon donate all the surplus money after the race to their own Everest Marathon Fund. Another charity that supports small scale organisations that work with the people and environment of Nepal. I have set up a justgiving page for them: http://www.justgiving.com/HannekerunsEverest/
So there we are: please support me in my endeavours to raise awareness and funds to these valid organisations!
Thank you