Marathon on Top of the World!
The Everest Marathon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest marathon in the world. 75 competitors run 42kms over rough mountain trails, with the start line at Gorak Shep, 5,200 m high in Nepal (close to Everest Base Camp) and the finish at the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar (3,400m).
This month, one of the Navy’s HNOs, Nigel Finnerty from Invercargill, is entering the 2009 event, which will be run on 4 December. As there are only 75 places available, Nigel had to compete to earn a place; just two New Zealanders are competing in this year’s event [the other is SGT Matthew Pitts RNZAF; see NT 144 June 09 pdf - 6,254kb].
Nigel is on a 14-week training programme, running 85km per week off-road around the hills of Southland and Otago. The Everest Marathon is the world’s most spectacular race and has been held 12 times since it began in 1987. Profits from the race are put into the Everest Marathon Fund, to support health and education in rural Nepal.
Nigel told Navy Today: “In November I’m heading over to Nepal to run the Everest Marathon. As part of the event I’m raising funds for MS Southland (in support of the respite house in Queenstown) and the Everest Marathon Trust. The funds do not go to support my trip, but go to the nominated charities. My main vehicle for getting money for these causes is to seek sponsorship.”
If you can help, please contact:
Nigel Finnerty
678 Mill Road North, RD6
Invercargill
E-mail: finnerty@woosh.co.nz
For information on the race please contact:
Diana Penny Sherpani, Bufo Ventures Ltd
E-Mail: Sherpa@bufoventures.co.nz
Race web site: www.everestmarathon.org.uk
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