“The marathon started off as a fun event in the initial year. In 2003, we were in Namche to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Everest ascent and then we decided to run a couple of foreigners and Nepalis for fun. But six years down the line, the race has been celebrated throughout the country and is slowly developing into one of the most sought-after events in the world,” said Bikrum Pandey of Himalaya Expedition, the organizers of the race and one of the leading tourism entrepreneurs of the country.

Participants often describe this 42.194-km race, dubbed the “highest marathon in the world”, as a grueling task of both speed and strength, coupled with the hardest trails.

As Juan Antonio of Spain, the runner-up in the foreigners category, puts in, “The race is hell to the legs but a paradise to the eyes.”

Having been mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest marathon in the world, the race is truly one of its kind with extraordinary features hidden in it. Apart from being the highest and the most difficult trail marathon in the world, the event is also  only one which requires participants to trek up to the starting point at the Everest Base Camp (EBC) which stands at an elevation of 5,300 meters, in order to get acclimatized.

In addition, the race also boasts of being the only such competition where runners take more time to reach the starting point than the finishing line.

“I've participated in various marathons in the world, but the Everest Marathon is the only one which requires more time (read days) to reach the starting point than the finish line,” emphasized Erwin Pastuor of the Philippines.

Above all, it is the only race where  Nepali runners have remained supreme in all the editions, outplaying the foreigners.

Trekkers in the Everest Circuit and as a matter of fact, when  trekking in any high-altitude places, trekkers are advised not to exceed beyond 500 meters in a day to avoid altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness (AMS). However, in the course of the marathon, a serious case was recorded, which almost threatened the life of one participant. Thanks to the doctors in the marathon, he was on his feet the next day due to proper medication.

The Everest Circuit over the years has been infamous for the way the locals treat Nepali customers. In reference to the aforementioned incident, a nine-member team of Nepal Army was denied hotel accommodation in Lobuche at 4,950 meters because they would not pay the owners as handsomely as foreigners. The group had no option except to walk all the way to Gorakshep at 5,190 meters the same day from Somare at 4,100 meters.

“We were denied a place to stay in Lobuche just because we were Nepalis. The hotel owner first thought we were tourist guides accompanying a tourist group; so he, without hesitation, gave us the keys. But after he found out we were ordinary citizens, he immediately seized the keys, saying the room was  not vacant,” lamented the nine-member group in unison.

Call it inhumane or greed for money, it all means the same: The lodge owner's greed for money threatened the life of one innocent person.

However, not all hotel owners harbor the same attitude against Nepalis. In our own six-member group of journalists' sojourn to the EBC, we were lucky to get a warm welcome in all the places we had stopovers. The hotel owners accorded us the best hospitality they could offer. In some places, we were given free accommodation while in some we received heavy discounts on the total bills — not because we were journalists but because we were part of the marathon crew, which apparently has provided job opportunities to hundreds of people up in the Khumbu region, and is a hit event among locals.

As the marathon continues to grab international headlines, making Nepal known to the outside world as the best adventure sports hub in the world, the people of Khumbu region have benefited the most from the marathon. Job opportunities have poured in the region like never before, resulting in economic growth in the country.

“Before, Namche Bazaar and the surrounding areas used to be closed by the middle of May. But with the start of the marathon, the whole area is alive till the end of May,” informed Pandey, vowing to do more in the region in the coming days.

Pandey believes the safety of the participants is the number one priority, and due to this reason, from the last edition he introduced air surveillance on the d-day. He aims to introduce running doctor/s from the next edition so as to spread a sense of security and concern among the participants.

“Let the international and domestic participants feel safe in the marathon. That is our top priority; and I'm also planning to interconnect the members of the technical committee with walkie-talkies from the next edition to avoid any untoward incidents and injuries,” informed Pandey.

Keeping in mind the weak financial aspects of the domestic participants, the organizers are also all set to introduce a package called “Support a Local Friend Package” for US$30 to the international participants.

“The idea behind this is to encourage more national participants,” Pandey said. “The amount will also cover the insurance of the Nepali participants.”

The other additional features in the marathon will be “fun run”, a run targeted for old, honeymoon couples and “half marathon”, among other attractions, to attract more participants for the marathon.

Expression of Tourism

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