Last weekend, the Mourne Mountain Marathon was staged back home in Ireland. I have run the race 3 times. But seeing that I’m currently out of the country, I decided to hold my own 2 day mountain marathon here in Nepal instead. I had always wanted to run along the Helambu trail, the track that … Continue reading My own Nepali Mountain Marathon – 2 days on Helambu Track
It’s not easy knowing what to bring on a two day mountain marathon. Before my first mountain marathon, I remember frantically making notes on the back of a beer-mat in a bar as a fellow mountain runner Hazel Thompson told me exactly what I needed to bring in my bag. Before my next excursion, I … Continue reading Mountain Marathon Tents, Bags and other stuff…
The medical condition called “Cluster Phobia”, though difficult to identify, is often found rife amongst mountain marathon runners. Cluster Phobia symptoms manifest themselves as follows: in navigational events, the map coordinates for checkpoints are normally given together with the order in which they must be visited. The challenge here is in determining your route choice … Continue reading The Serious Condition of Cluster Phobia
During mountain marathons, you need two types of food – one type for when you are running during the day and another lot for when you’re hanging out at the overnight camp. The overnight camp food is easy – you need dehydrated food that is lightweight and got loads of calories. Dried tortellini pasta mixed … Continue reading Fast Food for Mountain Marathons
I've never run a marathon. However, I have run a mountain marathon. Three to be precise. Unlike the standard 26 mile / 42km marathon, fully marked along tarmaced city roads, a mountain marathon is: 1) Anything between 35 and 55 km. 2) Is not marked. 3) Is in the mountains. To make it more interesting, … Continue reading Surviving Mountain Marathons