Meeting our team

Looking like triplet clowns the Stand by Me team are ready to take their calamities international. An alarmingly thorough routine frisking going through security had RG carrying an inner thigh stain. Bonus as RK starts us on an airport lounge crawl. Oman air in flight mag features noteable sporting events this month Champions league final, French open tennis, Sudiman cup badminton, Everest marathon... oh keigh what have three wee lads from Norn Iron got themselves into?  John and Paul...aka wallace and gromit

 

Meeting our team of 17 was a hint of the hardcore nutters we were about spend the next 14 days with. Ultra trail du Mont Blanc, 140 marathons, Bob Graham's, 24hr trails had RK smiling smugly and RG & AT floundering at the deep end. Meeting the rest of the teams was even worse... needless to say the Germans took it off the scale and ran over the whole of Europe...old habits from the Arians.

 

 

4.30am start for the infamous Lukla flight. Tribuvan domestic terminal is chaos in action... heightening the tension which had one of our group stemming the flow with Imodium and a strategically inserted mars bar... (mini mars) 21 people with rucksacks inside a large toothpaste tube... safety briefing was laughable... clearing ridges by 30m was breathtaking... landing was smooth and smell of relief was sweet as the mars bar exited. This was quickly replaced by distinct aroma of Eau de Porter...sweaty grubby hardest working men in Nepal looking to carry tourist baggage on treks... 45-60kg on steep rough trails at high altitude wearing little more than flip flops or crocs. These are the heroes of trekking. Surprisingly only one bag had not made it to Lukla... a veritable triumph for chaos.

 

A first brew of lemon tea and RG was like a pig in muck. Time to hit the trail a leisurely 2hr stroll to the Phakding. Try pronouncing that with one lemon tea too many. Busy trails with mule and yak and porters carrying everything to and from the Everest region. One porter carrying 8ft high stack of water bottles to support our marathon. Chance for more relaxed chat with team mates

 

Debs and big George....fae Fyffe....immediate Celtic alliance

John and Paul... navy and paras from last of the summer wine... have been renamed Wallace and Gromit... think RG is going to regret that one

Juan and Isabelle from barcalona... speako no Eenglish

Tim, Caroline, Angela, Richard, Rob and Mike all from England

Late addition was RG's room mate Hyo...Dutch Korean who has been here for the last six weeks running, learning and acclimatising on the Everest marathon route... seriously committed effort.

 

Tea house accommodation has been top class with only a few hover block bogs... usage tips to minimise self soiling were discussed... demo offered but declined.

 

Breaking news from today's climb to Namche bazaar... RK shows hint of weakness and does not flatly reject entering marathon... yes mr "my ambition is never to do a marathon and my training is right on course"... is it the altitude?... is the mentalism contagious? Whatever the reason A & RG are like dogs with bones and hitting Namches 'Up and Runners' for a pair of budgie smugglers for RK... photo to follow... donate to view!