To celebrate turning 50, most people have a party, go on a nice holiday or go to the pub, but 1997 LLB (Hons)/2000 DipLP graduate, David Scott, decided to do all three while also taking on one of the world’s most brutal running events – the Everest Marathon in Nepal.
Here David tells us more about his amazing adventure.
“My love of the mountains was inspired by my time as a member of the Lairig club while at the University of Aberdeen and it has stayed with me ever since. I decided that this trip of a lifetime would perfectly combine this continuing passion with my love of running and it lived up to everything I had ever dreamed of.
“The Everest Marathon takes place on 29 May, Everest Day, every year and is the world’s highest marathon. You start from Everest Base Camp at 5,350m and run just over 42km down to Namche Bazaar at 3,440m but the whole adventure starts two weeks earlier.
“On May 16, after a long day of travelling, we flew into Kathmandu and were greeted with an incredible view of the Himalayas peeking through the clouds as we came into land. This was also where me met our fellow runners for the first time which was great.
“The following day we flew up to the town of Lukla which is tucked away on a mountain ledge and has ‘the world’s most dangerous airport’ with a tiny landing strip perched on the side of the mountain that only the bravest pilots fly into. From there we started our two-week trek up the Everest Base Camp route which rises from 2,860m to 5,350m. Thankfully we were travelling with a great bunch of people and the Sherpas and guides were fantastic.
“Over the fortnight we visited Khunjung where Sir Edmund Hillary built a school in 1961, took part in tree-planting and litter-picking projects, endured rain, hail, thunder and lightning (which we refused to let dampen our spirits) and did practise runs at altitude which were hard going but thrilling.
“It took until May 22 to see Everest for the first time but when we did, it’s difficult to describe just how exhilarating it was.
“On May 27 we arrived at Everest Base Camp and, as part of the Marathon package, we had the rare privilege of being able to spend two nights camping there in the shadow of Mount Everest and next to the mighty Khumbu Icefall.
“And then the big day itself arrived. We set off to run the 42km back to Namche Bazaar over rock, gravel, stone and sand, passing glaciers, monasteries and terrifying suspension bridges, while dodging yaks and rockslides in heat that got more and more intense as the day went on. It was utterly utterly brutal and definitely the hardest run I’ve ever done, but the views, the terrain and the people made it an unforgettable event and one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had in my life.
“Since arriving back in Aberdeen and celebrating my 50th with friends and family, I’ve been getting back into the swing of daily life, but the memories and the sense of achievement I experienced during this trip will last a lifetime.”
