Manaslu Trail Run - Days 1 to 3

Video diary of days 1 - 3                                                   

Why run? Why run around a mountain? Why run around the 8^th highest mountain in the world? Lots of people have tried to put into words the lure of running, so I won’t try here. I’ll just give an account of my jaunt around Manaslu in Nepal, in the inaugural trail race around the mountain in November 2012.

I’ve been living in Nepal for over a year, and my extremely patient wife Claire has been encouraging me to get out to the mountains, offering to relieve me of family duty for two weeks. I’ve been running for a few years, after starting properly in my time in New York, and have completed a few trails in Nepal (such as the wonderful Annapurna 50k).  I figured that the standard trekking package may be a little slow paced for me, so when I saw the 7 daystage race around Manaslu, covering 215km over altitude up to 5,200m, I started to get excited. I restarted training, and after eliminating some lingering fears about old injuries, I finally committed to joining.

Pre Race

Day 1 - getting ready to run

Competitors came in from all over the world, approximately 40 runners, making an eclectic mix of people. We met first in Hotel Manaslu in Kathmandu (appropriately enough) for a race briefing. Unlike others, I hadn’t done my homework on Google and wasn’t aware of the standard in the pack. Included were ultrarunner extraordinaire and world record holder Lizzy Hawker (guess how many kilometres she ran in 24 hours?), commonwealth games marathoner Holly Rush, ultra-marathoner Lisa Tamati and three top Nepali runners on home ground. The rest of the field looked pretty competent too.

Richard Bull from the UK is the race director, working with Dhir Priya of Nepal to command a large team to keep things running smoothly.

The next day we jumped on a bus, heading for Manaslu region. Eventually, long after leaving paved roads behind, we land in Arughat Bazaar, north of the main Kathmandu-Pokhara road, sitting at a low elevation of 610 metres.

Day 1, Stage 1 – 25km, Arughat Bazaar (608m) to Machhakhola (869m)

Start line at Arughat

At the last minute, I’ve decided to revert from a new pair of trail running shoes I bought for the race, which aren’t fully broken in, to my old trusty Saucony Kinvara shoes. They’re super lightweight, and I’m not sure they’ll make it all the way around the rough trail. 

Tika blessing before departure

After a welcome from the town’s leaders and a music band to set us off, the starting gong sends us heading north, upstream, along the Bhudi Gandaki river. Everybody is a little bit nervous, unsure of how they will fare over the 8 days ahead, and the more inexperienced among us a little unsure of how to pace ourselves. Push a little to establish yourself in a good position, or take it easy for the full day? Either way, you’ve got to keep something in the tank for the next day.

Home made Ferris Wheel - very impressive

I immediately feel great once moving. The days before were a long mishmash of race briefings, buying last minute gear, and a long bus ride. Getting out and moving feels great, and the river rushing on my right hand side is already having a therapeutic effect, taking me away from the stress and smog of Kathmandu.

We cross a few ropebridges here and there, as streams and rivers from the left join the main flow. Though the altitude climb is not big overall today (our destination is only 260m higher) there is a lot of up and down. “Nepali flat” in running terms, is anything that doesn’t raise or drop you significantly overall, but there is always some up and down in between.  I’m feeling ok with it, as it’s very much like my training, but some of the new arrivals are adjusting to the constant gear changes.

I finish feeling good, coming in around 15^th overall, in just over 4 hours. My feet feel good, snug as bugs in my old shoes. Machhakhola is a lovely small town, and we nip down to a nearby stream for a dip. Some feel the water is cold, but for anyone familiar with a dip of the west coast of Ireland, it’s a beautifully refreshing end to the day.

The rest of the group come in gradually, with a few coming in after dark. Jarmo, the Finn, seems to have passed the town and after a big search is found two or three villages on. He gets a head start for the long day tomorrow. Unfortunately we have our first casualty – Robyn from Australia has an old injury flare up (a stress fracture in her foot) and plans to bow out. She’s extremely positive about it (I would be broken hearted) and promises to see us at the finish.

Day 2, Stage 2 – 40km, Machhakhola to Deng (1,860m), 1,000m altitude gain.

Everyone is nervous. This is the longest distance day in the race, close to marathon length, with about 1,000m elevation gain thrown in for good measure.

After a good breakfast (I even try a bit of egg!) we set off early, with everyone except the elite taking it easy. Mercifully, as the sun comes up we switch over to the eastern side of the valley, giving us a few more hours of shadow. I take it pretty slowly for the first half of the day, letting my breakfast settle.

At around the half way mark, after eating a little, I’m starting to feel good and decide to push a little. Slowly I overtake a few people, and based on the numbers registered at the single checkpoint along the way, I’m pushing a little bit higher in the rankings than yesterday. The terrain continues to be up and down. There is 1,000m gain overall, but the accumulated altitude gain (sum of all the climbs) must be much more.

The last 10k are tough, but I keep pushing a little (but not too much) and manage to overtake Chimi Llama Sherpa, one of the Nepali runners (I think is the first time I’ve ever overtaken a Nepali in a race!). At the finish, I come in 8^th, in a time of 6:35. That feels great, and I’m quite surprised. Given that the first few runners are essentially superhuman, I’m feeling good to be able to come in in the top 10 for this distance.

The location is nice. The accommodation is getting more basic as we progress - no showers here, just a hose which I use to try to get at least some of the dirt off my legs. We settle in the restaurant eating large amounts of fried rice and welcome the runners as they come in. The camaraderie among the group is great, as the finishers are getting to know each other.

It’s getting colder too, at 1,860m and with cold winds coming from the mountains. My down jacket is taken out and will be used every evening from here on. Some people come in after dark, and I’m starting to feel fortunate as my training (though I didn’t think it was enough at the time) was on similar terrain and I’m that little bit more used to it.

As we rise in altitude it’s a double whammy for late finishers. Those that finish early get to rest in the sun (and the body acclimatizes to altitude while at rest). Those that finish late have to cram in food and get to bed asap. 

Day 3, Stage 3 – 18km, Deng to Serang Gompa (3,200m), 1,300m altitude gain.

We set off a little later today, to give people time to rest from the distance yesterday. We don’t have long distance to cover today, but the altitude gain is high. We cross back to the east of the river and there is some more “Nepali flat” up and down as we pass by Bihi town, and then make our way up a very steep climb.

Start of day 3 with Steve, Ken, Louise, Debbie and Markus

 The sun is shining as we walk up this steep face, and the heat is pretty oppressive.

Just to clarify, for most mountain running, anything moderately or very steep is normally ‘fast walked’. Only a select few can run these climbs. Most of the good runners will run the flats and downs, and walk fast up the ups.

At the top there is a lovely view across the valley to our destination, an 800 year old monastery at the foot of a 7,187m peak. This is off the main trekking route, and doesn’t normally host visitors – we’re not quite sure how it will fare hosting 40 exhausted and hungry runners.

Serang Gompa

There is more down, through a tricky and slippery forest trail, and then a final climb up to the monastery. I meet Lee from the UK, on the climb back up. He’s been running very strong, and the only reason I’m anywhere near him is that he took a wrong turn some time back. I’m feeling ok as I finish, coming in around 12^th in just under 4 hours.

My GPS watch, which tracks distance, has finally given up the ghost despite the generous efforts of Andrew to help with his solar USB charger. On the plus side, this means that I’ll be liberated from focusing on distance and time. One step closer to being a real soul-runner…  

The monastery is very beautiful, sitting under the peak which is enormous. We really feel like we’re in the Himalayas now, and it feels very remote and peaceful. The peace is disrupted when I take a shower under an outdoor tap, water is getting colder as we go higher…

There are Himalayan Blue Sheep grazing out the front of the monastery. I’m told by Dhir that they’re called this, as they look blue under certain types of light (“maybe under blue light” is my smartass suggestion).

Some more people come in very late, after dark, and two of the group are quite sick on arrival and need help up the final hill. Doctor Ben is busy checking on them. The strain of the distance covered and altitude gained is starting to show.

In the first few days there have been some logistical challenges. While we’re running with a pack of essentials (food, water, dry warm clothes, first aid) our main bags are being carried by porters. Because of the extra distance covered, the bags are taking very long to get to us. For the monastery, we’ve just sent essentials, sleeping bags and mats, and will be reunited with the rest later. Frustrations are showing however, as dinner is served late and people are eager to get to bed and sleep. I go to bed myself feeling a little rough.

(Link - continue to days 4 - 6)