Nepal Impact Marathon 2019 - Part 3
Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant once said “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon”, I would like to adapt that to “watch, or better yet run, an Impact Marathon”
HOLD IT! have you read part 1 OR part 2 yet? if not, don't hang around here, get yourself over there instead.
As Tam and I set off from the medics we did some mental maths and realised that soon we might start seeing the half marathon runners. My watch showed 2hours40mins which meant they would be somewhere in the park ahead of us. Their route was almost the same as ours but with a single lap of the park and they had the luxury of skipping Humbling Hill at the start. We were well into a rhythm by this stage, happy to have a good stretch of decent running, knowing that there was a lot of hiking in the near future. Apart from the pain in my foot, I was pleasantly surprised with how strong I was feeling. The walk-run tactic was clearly working. The backwards crew were still in good spirits when we saw them again close to the end of their special lap one.
Shortly after giving our shoes a good wash in the waterfall for the second time, came what was possibly my race highlight. We rounded a bend to see five familiar faces, Len and his harem, Courtney, Nicola, Cara and my wife Hannah. All clearly loving their Impact race day experience. It was great to see Hannah enjoying herself on the trail, and even better to share a massive hug (apologies guys for the mid-race PDA). We didn’t hang around long though, as much as I wanted to, we had a race to finish.
A few corners later we were back at the aid station, once again turning down the honey sandwiches and water, getting all the energy we needed from the race team and medics (plus the Tailwind). From here on we saw other runners at regular intervals. Teams of kids running together, having a picnic on the trail mid race. We even saw a father and son pair clearly having some relationship testing type II fun. I was struck by the number and age of some of the children, not just the fact they were taking on a tough half marathon, but that they were doing it alone. We saw a group of 6 girls, working together to get round, the leader probably 14 years old and clearly in charge of looking after the others. It would be easy to be shocked that these youngsters were being allowed into this hazardous situation without adult supervision, but I felt admiration. Between the ones in the race, and the ones we saw throwing dirt and rocks around and wielding pickaxes during project road, I think we don’t give kids enough credit sometimes back home for how resilient and tough they can be.
Of course, giving them the right protection is important, as we learnt the day before the race when we spent a few hours at the school in Kakani with Childreach Nepal. Child trafficking is a big problem in Nepal, the isolated villages and open border with India can create easy targets for the traffickers. One of the main projects of Childreach Nepal is working in school and using sport to educate pupils about the dangers of trafficking. They took us and the children through some fun warm up games that involved a lot of running about, a fair bit of dancing, and a not insignificant amount of pretending to be an animal of someone else's choice. After that the main event began. It was essentially a large game of tag, but with the chasers representing traffickers and those caught being taken to one of four fates: child labour; child marriage; organ trafficking; and prostitution. The game was then developed to add some temporary safe zones such as parents; schools, awareness and NGOs; This slowed down the rate that players were caught but the impact was clearly limited. Finally the police were introduced, with the power to rescue trafficked players but also to arrest the traffickers, as you can imagine that round was much shorter than the others.
Maybe the kids need to be a little too resilient...
Childreach don't stop there though. They work hard with youngsters on a range of issues all aimed at keeping them safe and in education. Gender equality is another area they work in and have created a now annual football tournament with boys and girls competing, showing, through sport, that women and girls are capable of doing what they want to do. These guys we were working with had great energy and a fantastic cause. I am proud that our fundraising (and the profits from the bar they ran at the camp all week) can support them.
I had run most of lap one clutching my phone, another race first for me. I'm glad I did and that I managed a couple of pictures on lap one; as the warmth of the day materialised so did the clouds. The second time around some of the more dramatic views were obscured in mist, I hoped the guys doing the half marathon didn't miss the best views. I was still enjoying feeling comfortable, I wont say strong. There were a few occasions when Tam and I got to the top of yet another Nepalese flat and agreed the European flat before the next local one was short enough that running it was a bit pointless, and that we were happy hiking anyway.
The strapping on my foot was helping slightly and when we came off the top of savage summit for the second time I was able to get into something more resembling my stride. Some parts of the course felt like you could have been anywhere in the world, just another, hilly, wooded trail, but even so I was enjoying this more than any trail run I can remember. Maybe it was the atmosphere the Impact crew create adding a shine to everything, maybe it was because I was running with someone and sharing the experience, but this really felt like some of the best trail I have ever run on; and hey, even if it was down to how I felt as much as the route itself that doesn't mean I enjoyed it any less.
Because I knew the sight of the camp bar appeared suddenly, and because of the trees and elevation I wasn't fully trusting the distance on my watch, I spent a lot of the latter part of the second lap expecting the bar to be around the next corner. When it arrived it was still a welcome surprise. Breaking out into the late morning sun we grinned (and slightly gurned) past the scout centre and exchanged a few quick words with the Impact Ops director, Mark, who was covering some serious miles of his own making sure everything was ticking along smoothly. We thanked the medics for their handy work a lap earlier, assured them we didn’t need any more water or food and then, instead of turning left back towards the park, we carried on over the bridge to the village. It started to feel like the end was close, the finish line just the other side of the village. Unfortunately between us and glory lingered the aptly named “Hell Hill”.
Tam had been suggesting for a couple of miles that at some point I should go off at my own pace. I was reluctant to separate though. I really enjoyed running together, and we knew a lot more about each other than a lot of people I have spent much more time with. Runners will be familiar with this, there is something about running side by side that disarms you. You open up more than you normally would, talk about topics that ordinarily get brushed firmly under the carpet. We had covered family, love, life and even the issues and challenges of the transgender athletes debate (in case you are interested we both agreed that it is a horribly tricky subject and neither of us had the answer). At the top of Hell hill she bade me to go on. When I was convinced she was sure, and wouldn't call me out later on in the bar for ditching her, I went. Leaning into the twisting dusty road and almost forgetting the pain in my right foot.
Running down Hell Hill really was bitter sweet. The clouds had lifted and the vista over the valley was stunning, but I am yet to master the art of admiring a view and moving quickly over broken ground so I couldn't enjoy it just yet. The seemingly endless slope and gravity propelling me forward was bliss, but the thought that at some point I would be turning around and coming back up was uncomfortable. They say ignorance is bliss, I almost wish hadn’t known I was going to reach the bottom and turn on my heel. How can you truly enjoy flying down a good hill knowing that every step is one you are going to have to retrace?
I exchanged a few enthusiastic cheers with some half marathon runners I caught up with; Rachel and Colin and my tent neighbours from camp, Adam and Tiffany, a fantastic bubbly, positive couple from Texas (who were deservedly awarded the title of "impact champions"). Seeing all these guys gave me another boost. They were lucky though, they only went part way down the road then turned off to climb up to the stupa, the marathon course passed the turn and carried on, and on, and on. Eventually reaching some mythical bottom then climbing back up to the same turn point and continuing the assault of the quads up to the stupa.
Not long after the routes diverged I saw a local runner coming back the other way, we swapped a weak and tired high five and he said something that took a moment to register, it sounded like “one kilometer”... was that one kilometer to the bottom or was that how far I had to go to get where he was? A few bends later I saw the leading woman in the race still looking strong and happy as she power walked towards me. I also caught and passed the guy who had given Tam a plaster all those hours ago on lap one. Each corner made me more sure than the last that my new friend had meant 1k to the bottom, then they started making me wonder if I had managed to miss the bottom. When I eventually saw an incongruous blue tent amongst the green woodland and sandy road I willed it not to be a mirage! I think I asked the marshalls and medics at the tent three times to be sure I had finally got there. In my delight I lost my marbles and set off back up the hill at a run. I was the best part of 24 miles into the marathon and was RUNNING up a 15% gradient. Adrenaline is wonderful stuff!
I was over the moon to see Tam still close behind me and she had overtaken the good Samaritan as well. It was her that pointed out that I was running and I promptly noticed the madness and dropped to a power walk before my legs fell off. The next mile or so was filled with some serious ups and downs. The major “up” being of course the road, the rest of the ups and all of the downs were mental. I used the early part of the climb to really take in what was going on. I was in Nepal surrounded by amazing views; I was higher than I had ever been in my life (excluding flights and earlier that day when I had been higher, but lets not split yak hairs); I had seen and experienced things I never would have imagined; I have met a group of the most wonderful people; but most of all I thought about how incredibly lucky I am to be able to take part in an Impact Marathon. Very few people have the opportunity or health for something like this, and who can say if I ever will again. Occasionally life gives you moments you want to pause and hang on to, this was definitely one of them.
In fact I took an actual pause. The road winding around the hillside offered a view back to the checkpoint tent and the incredible valley beyond. I could claim it was the difficult hill, I could even claim I had dust in my eyes, but the truth is, in my weakened state at that moment, the wave of emotion that had been building all week broke, and standing there on the precipice of a bend in the road, I shed a few small tears, mostly of joy, partly from tiredness, and all of them ended up fogging my sunglasses! It wasn’t a clever move to try and clean them with my dust covered finger either, I couldn't see out of them for the rest of the race, it never occurred to me to wash them with water from my reservoir...
After far too long I reached the fork where I would follow the half marathon runners up to the stupa. I didn’t think it was actually possible but the road got steeper! It only now dawned on me that the stupa was much higher than the start of Hell Hill. This climb was evil. Eventually, after some blurry memories of starting at my feet and attempted positive self talk, the white and gold of the stupa materialised. The iconic image from the website of an elated athlete jumping for joy with the monument shining in the sun behind them came to mind… how could anyone look that happy after climbing THAT hill?!
From here the race became even more of a blur. Maybe I hadn’t been taking on enough tailwind, but I like to think it was because I could smell the finish. It feels odd to say it, but From the stupa the route was on familiar roads. We had run on them for every morning training session and walked them to get to the school, when we went to the village to buy lunch and that very morning on the way to the start line. It was Nepali flat from here on, and even downhill, on tarmac for the last part! I ran past villagers just going about their normal day. People sat in restaurants, playing music, working on a building site. Just a normal day for them, the most abnormal day ever for me! I was still keeping a keen eye out for the yellow tape. I was pretty sure I was now on a direct route back to the APF ground but you never know with these guys, there could be an extra hill the other side of the village they think we simply must see!
I have used finish line visualisation before as a motivational technique, especially at Kielder when I was doing my “warm up marathon” for Nepal, but what greeted me when I rounded the bend into the APF ground was beyond anything I might have pictured. I knew what the finish looked and sounded like; it was no different to almost six hours earlier when we set off. But, they say the marathon is the victory lap of the Impact week, if so then the lap of the APF ground, with the music playing and the announcer bringing you home, is the victory lap to surpass all victory laps. I wanted to finish strong and power for the line. I wanted to slow down and hang onto the moment as long as I could.
Someone was holding the tape across the finish line but I was too excited about breaking my first ever finishers tape to notice who; It was probably Adam, I watched him stand and hold it for every finisher that came in over probably the next 2 hours. After a massive hug from Impact Founder and Awesome (yes, capital “A”) guy, Nick Kershaw, I was given my marigold necklace and finishers scarf then found a quiet corner to make the sunglasses even harder to see through.
The good samaritan came in a few minutes after me and then a few more minutes behind him was Tam to claim second lady overall! Running with Tam had genuinely made my day immeasurably better compared to if I had run alone and I cannot thank her enough for the company. She tells me I kept her going, but without her I would probably have gone far too quick early on, bonked from not eating enough, and spent most of the second lap kicking myself for being so stupid. Hell Hill (now renamed as “Hero Hill”) would have been torture, not just tough. Over the coming years I might forget what the clock said, but I will never forget the experience!
Tam had come in just in time for the presentations which saw an 11 year old on the podium the 10km race and all of the top three men break the marathon course record. The first came home in an eye watering 3 hours 55! These were just some of the great performances at the sharp end of the race, but the heart of an Impact Marathon is the celebration of all runners. Every single Impact runner stayed until the last person had crossed the finish line. The cheers actually getting louder for each finisher as more voices were added and Tam used her second place medal, an ornate yak bell, to bring a local element to the clamour.
Seeing Hannah come into the APF ground made me swell with pride, I had heard from the medics and one of the girls she had been running with that her day hadn’t been without drama. Watching her run through the finish line with Len, then the two of them assume what was clearly a prearranged pose was amazing!
I have never been at a finish line with so many hugs, so many happy faces. We had arrived in Kathmandu, less than a week before as a group of, mostly, strangers and now stood under the falling afternoon sun an Impact family. Brought together by the shared experiences of a physically and emotionally demanding week. So many new friendships made, some past Impact friendships with a new chapter added, and I am sure plenty more chapters to come.
Now all that running was done, it was time for recovery beers around the fire and swapping of what I felt sure would be some of the best race day tales ever collected in one bar...I just wish the bar hadn’t been at the highest point in camp!
It is certainly a trip that will live long in the memory and I get why so many people were veterans of multiple events. I knew, even before marathon day that I would endeavour to make sure this isn’t my only Impact Marathon.
I started part one of this blog post with a quote from Emil Zatopek (well done for reading this far, and double points if you remember the quote from the beginning!)
“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”
I think I can now say that marathon running always has the capacity to change your life, sometimes you just have to let it.
I wrote this paragraph below when I got back to try and make sense of it all. I shared it on facebook at the time but want to share it here again, as much to remind myself of the sentiment as anything else:
Being back in the office the day after landing home from Nepal I feel odd. It feels such a cliche to say that I have returned from the short trip a different person, and being away for only a week it feels silly and extreme to claim some epiphany of the soul. I think what really happened is that whilst there, seeing the work done by the charities, and working on the project in the village, I gave a very small, miniscule in fact, piece of myself to the people and the place, and in return got a seed; it is now up to me to nurture, care for and water that seed. It is in my hands whether this will grow to replace the part I gave away with like for like, or spread and become so much more.
HOLD IT! have you read part 1 OR part 2 yet? if not, don't hang around here, get yourself over there instead.
As Tam and I set off from the medics we did some mental maths and realised that soon we might start seeing the half marathon runners. My watch showed 2hours40mins which meant they would be somewhere in the park ahead of us. Their route was almost the same as ours but with a single lap of the park and they had the luxury of skipping Humbling Hill at the start. We were well into a rhythm by this stage, happy to have a good stretch of decent running, knowing that there was a lot of hiking in the near future. Apart from the pain in my foot, I was pleasantly surprised with how strong I was feeling. The walk-run tactic was clearly working. The backwards crew were still in good spirits when we saw them again close to the end of their special lap one.
Shortly after giving our shoes a good wash in the waterfall for the second time, came what was possibly my race highlight. We rounded a bend to see five familiar faces, Len and his harem, Courtney, Nicola, Cara and my wife Hannah. All clearly loving their Impact race day experience. It was great to see Hannah enjoying herself on the trail, and even better to share a massive hug (apologies guys for the mid-race PDA). We didn’t hang around long though, as much as I wanted to, we had a race to finish.
 |
| Tam enjoyed the waterfall! |
A few corners later we were back at the aid station, once again turning down the honey sandwiches and water, getting all the energy we needed from the race team and medics (plus the Tailwind). From here on we saw other runners at regular intervals. Teams of kids running together, having a picnic on the trail mid race. We even saw a father and son pair clearly having some relationship testing type II fun. I was struck by the number and age of some of the children, not just the fact they were taking on a tough half marathon, but that they were doing it alone. We saw a group of 6 girls, working together to get round, the leader probably 14 years old and clearly in charge of looking after the others. It would be easy to be shocked that these youngsters were being allowed into this hazardous situation without adult supervision, but I felt admiration. Between the ones in the race, and the ones we saw throwing dirt and rocks around and wielding pickaxes during project road, I think we don’t give kids enough credit sometimes back home for how resilient and tough they can be.
Of course, giving them the right protection is important, as we learnt the day before the race when we spent a few hours at the school in Kakani with Childreach Nepal. Child trafficking is a big problem in Nepal, the isolated villages and open border with India can create easy targets for the traffickers. One of the main projects of Childreach Nepal is working in school and using sport to educate pupils about the dangers of trafficking. They took us and the children through some fun warm up games that involved a lot of running about, a fair bit of dancing, and a not insignificant amount of pretending to be an animal of someone else's choice. After that the main event began. It was essentially a large game of tag, but with the chasers representing traffickers and those caught being taken to one of four fates: child labour; child marriage; organ trafficking; and prostitution. The game was then developed to add some temporary safe zones such as parents; schools, awareness and NGOs; This slowed down the rate that players were caught but the impact was clearly limited. Finally the police were introduced, with the power to rescue trafficked players but also to arrest the traffickers, as you can imagine that round was much shorter than the others.
Maybe the kids need to be a little too resilient...
Childreach don't stop there though. They work hard with youngsters on a range of issues all aimed at keeping them safe and in education. Gender equality is another area they work in and have created a now annual football tournament with boys and girls competing, showing, through sport, that women and girls are capable of doing what they want to do. These guys we were working with had great energy and a fantastic cause. I am proud that our fundraising (and the profits from the bar they ran at the camp all week) can support them.
I had run most of lap one clutching my phone, another race first for me. I'm glad I did and that I managed a couple of pictures on lap one; as the warmth of the day materialised so did the clouds. The second time around some of the more dramatic views were obscured in mist, I hoped the guys doing the half marathon didn't miss the best views. I was still enjoying feeling comfortable, I wont say strong. There were a few occasions when Tam and I got to the top of yet another Nepalese flat and agreed the European flat before the next local one was short enough that running it was a bit pointless, and that we were happy hiking anyway.
 |
| One of the many views of snow capped peaks... couldn't tell you what any of them are! |
The strapping on my foot was helping slightly and when we came off the top of savage summit for the second time I was able to get into something more resembling my stride. Some parts of the course felt like you could have been anywhere in the world, just another, hilly, wooded trail, but even so I was enjoying this more than any trail run I can remember. Maybe it was the atmosphere the Impact crew create adding a shine to everything, maybe it was because I was running with someone and sharing the experience, but this really felt like some of the best trail I have ever run on; and hey, even if it was down to how I felt as much as the route itself that doesn't mean I enjoyed it any less.
Because I knew the sight of the camp bar appeared suddenly, and because of the trees and elevation I wasn't fully trusting the distance on my watch, I spent a lot of the latter part of the second lap expecting the bar to be around the next corner. When it arrived it was still a welcome surprise. Breaking out into the late morning sun we grinned (and slightly gurned) past the scout centre and exchanged a few quick words with the Impact Ops director, Mark, who was covering some serious miles of his own making sure everything was ticking along smoothly. We thanked the medics for their handy work a lap earlier, assured them we didn’t need any more water or food and then, instead of turning left back towards the park, we carried on over the bridge to the village. It started to feel like the end was close, the finish line just the other side of the village. Unfortunately between us and glory lingered the aptly named “Hell Hill”.
 |
| The view of Hell Hill from in front of my tent. I had been looking at this track for days without knowing it was part of the route! |
Tam had been suggesting for a couple of miles that at some point I should go off at my own pace. I was reluctant to separate though. I really enjoyed running together, and we knew a lot more about each other than a lot of people I have spent much more time with. Runners will be familiar with this, there is something about running side by side that disarms you. You open up more than you normally would, talk about topics that ordinarily get brushed firmly under the carpet. We had covered family, love, life and even the issues and challenges of the transgender athletes debate (in case you are interested we both agreed that it is a horribly tricky subject and neither of us had the answer). At the top of Hell hill she bade me to go on. When I was convinced she was sure, and wouldn't call me out later on in the bar for ditching her, I went. Leaning into the twisting dusty road and almost forgetting the pain in my right foot.
Running down Hell Hill really was bitter sweet. The clouds had lifted and the vista over the valley was stunning, but I am yet to master the art of admiring a view and moving quickly over broken ground so I couldn't enjoy it just yet. The seemingly endless slope and gravity propelling me forward was bliss, but the thought that at some point I would be turning around and coming back up was uncomfortable. They say ignorance is bliss, I almost wish hadn’t known I was going to reach the bottom and turn on my heel. How can you truly enjoy flying down a good hill knowing that every step is one you are going to have to retrace?
I exchanged a few enthusiastic cheers with some half marathon runners I caught up with; Rachel and Colin and my tent neighbours from camp, Adam and Tiffany, a fantastic bubbly, positive couple from Texas (who were deservedly awarded the title of "impact champions"). Seeing all these guys gave me another boost. They were lucky though, they only went part way down the road then turned off to climb up to the stupa, the marathon course passed the turn and carried on, and on, and on. Eventually reaching some mythical bottom then climbing back up to the same turn point and continuing the assault of the quads up to the stupa.
Not long after the routes diverged I saw a local runner coming back the other way, we swapped a weak and tired high five and he said something that took a moment to register, it sounded like “one kilometer”... was that one kilometer to the bottom or was that how far I had to go to get where he was? A few bends later I saw the leading woman in the race still looking strong and happy as she power walked towards me. I also caught and passed the guy who had given Tam a plaster all those hours ago on lap one. Each corner made me more sure than the last that my new friend had meant 1k to the bottom, then they started making me wonder if I had managed to miss the bottom. When I eventually saw an incongruous blue tent amongst the green woodland and sandy road I willed it not to be a mirage! I think I asked the marshalls and medics at the tent three times to be sure I had finally got there. In my delight I lost my marbles and set off back up the hill at a run. I was the best part of 24 miles into the marathon and was RUNNING up a 15% gradient. Adrenaline is wonderful stuff!
I was over the moon to see Tam still close behind me and she had overtaken the good Samaritan as well. It was her that pointed out that I was running and I promptly noticed the madness and dropped to a power walk before my legs fell off. The next mile or so was filled with some serious ups and downs. The major “up” being of course the road, the rest of the ups and all of the downs were mental. I used the early part of the climb to really take in what was going on. I was in Nepal surrounded by amazing views; I was higher than I had ever been in my life (excluding flights and earlier that day when I had been higher, but lets not split yak hairs); I had seen and experienced things I never would have imagined; I have met a group of the most wonderful people; but most of all I thought about how incredibly lucky I am to be able to take part in an Impact Marathon. Very few people have the opportunity or health for something like this, and who can say if I ever will again. Occasionally life gives you moments you want to pause and hang on to, this was definitely one of them.
In fact I took an actual pause. The road winding around the hillside offered a view back to the checkpoint tent and the incredible valley beyond. I could claim it was the difficult hill, I could even claim I had dust in my eyes, but the truth is, in my weakened state at that moment, the wave of emotion that had been building all week broke, and standing there on the precipice of a bend in the road, I shed a few small tears, mostly of joy, partly from tiredness, and all of them ended up fogging my sunglasses! It wasn’t a clever move to try and clean them with my dust covered finger either, I couldn't see out of them for the rest of the race, it never occurred to me to wash them with water from my reservoir...
 |
| That blue spec is the turn point at the bottom, this picture was taken, probably not even a quarter of the way back up! |
After far too long I reached the fork where I would follow the half marathon runners up to the stupa. I didn’t think it was actually possible but the road got steeper! It only now dawned on me that the stupa was much higher than the start of Hell Hill. This climb was evil. Eventually, after some blurry memories of starting at my feet and attempted positive self talk, the white and gold of the stupa materialised. The iconic image from the website of an elated athlete jumping for joy with the monument shining in the sun behind them came to mind… how could anyone look that happy after climbing THAT hill?!
From here the race became even more of a blur. Maybe I hadn’t been taking on enough tailwind, but I like to think it was because I could smell the finish. It feels odd to say it, but From the stupa the route was on familiar roads. We had run on them for every morning training session and walked them to get to the school, when we went to the village to buy lunch and that very morning on the way to the start line. It was Nepali flat from here on, and even downhill, on tarmac for the last part! I ran past villagers just going about their normal day. People sat in restaurants, playing music, working on a building site. Just a normal day for them, the most abnormal day ever for me! I was still keeping a keen eye out for the yellow tape. I was pretty sure I was now on a direct route back to the APF ground but you never know with these guys, there could be an extra hill the other side of the village they think we simply must see!
 |
| The difference between knowing the photographer is taking your picture in the last couple of miles, and not knowing! Images: Impact Marathon Series |
I have used finish line visualisation before as a motivational technique, especially at Kielder when I was doing my “warm up marathon” for Nepal, but what greeted me when I rounded the bend into the APF ground was beyond anything I might have pictured. I knew what the finish looked and sounded like; it was no different to almost six hours earlier when we set off. But, they say the marathon is the victory lap of the Impact week, if so then the lap of the APF ground, with the music playing and the announcer bringing you home, is the victory lap to surpass all victory laps. I wanted to finish strong and power for the line. I wanted to slow down and hang onto the moment as long as I could.
Someone was holding the tape across the finish line but I was too excited about breaking my first ever finishers tape to notice who; It was probably Adam, I watched him stand and hold it for every finisher that came in over probably the next 2 hours. After a massive hug from Impact Founder and Awesome (yes, capital “A”) guy, Nick Kershaw, I was given my marigold necklace and finishers scarf then found a quiet corner to make the sunglasses even harder to see through.
The good samaritan came in a few minutes after me and then a few more minutes behind him was Tam to claim second lady overall! Running with Tam had genuinely made my day immeasurably better compared to if I had run alone and I cannot thank her enough for the company. She tells me I kept her going, but without her I would probably have gone far too quick early on, bonked from not eating enough, and spent most of the second lap kicking myself for being so stupid. Hell Hill (now renamed as “Hero Hill”) would have been torture, not just tough. Over the coming years I might forget what the clock said, but I will never forget the experience!
 |
| I think this picture says it all Image: Impact Marathon Series |
Tam had come in just in time for the presentations which saw an 11 year old on the podium the 10km race and all of the top three men break the marathon course record. The first came home in an eye watering 3 hours 55! These were just some of the great performances at the sharp end of the race, but the heart of an Impact Marathon is the celebration of all runners. Every single Impact runner stayed until the last person had crossed the finish line. The cheers actually getting louder for each finisher as more voices were added and Tam used her second place medal, an ornate yak bell, to bring a local element to the clamour.
Seeing Hannah come into the APF ground made me swell with pride, I had heard from the medics and one of the girls she had been running with that her day hadn’t been without drama. Watching her run through the finish line with Len, then the two of them assume what was clearly a prearranged pose was amazing!
I have never been at a finish line with so many hugs, so many happy faces. We had arrived in Kathmandu, less than a week before as a group of, mostly, strangers and now stood under the falling afternoon sun an Impact family. Brought together by the shared experiences of a physically and emotionally demanding week. So many new friendships made, some past Impact friendships with a new chapter added, and I am sure plenty more chapters to come.
Now all that running was done, it was time for recovery beers around the fire and swapping of what I felt sure would be some of the best race day tales ever collected in one bar...I just wish the bar hadn’t been at the highest point in camp!
It is certainly a trip that will live long in the memory and I get why so many people were veterans of multiple events. I knew, even before marathon day that I would endeavour to make sure this isn’t my only Impact Marathon.
Epilogue
I started part one of this blog post with a quote from Emil Zatopek (well done for reading this far, and double points if you remember the quote from the beginning!)
“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon”
I think I can now say that marathon running always has the capacity to change your life, sometimes you just have to let it.
I wrote this paragraph below when I got back to try and make sense of it all. I shared it on facebook at the time but want to share it here again, as much to remind myself of the sentiment as anything else:
Being back in the office the day after landing home from Nepal I feel odd. It feels such a cliche to say that I have returned from the short trip a different person, and being away for only a week it feels silly and extreme to claim some epiphany of the soul. I think what really happened is that whilst there, seeing the work done by the charities, and working on the project in the village, I gave a very small, miniscule in fact, piece of myself to the people and the place, and in return got a seed; it is now up to me to nurture, care for and water that seed. It is in my hands whether this will grow to replace the part I gave away with like for like, or spread and become so much more.
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