Mount Everest Marathon
Press release
Marathon race on top of the world
Michele Ufer returns successfully from Mount Everest
From base camp in an altitude of 5356m/17.572ft, 105 runner from all over the world started to run the highest marathon on earth. One of them was the mental coach from Dortmund, Germany, Michele Ufer. He finished 9th overall as best german athlete after 42,195km over steep and wild trails.
The competition was more than demanding for all athletes: They all wanted to reach as fast as possible the faraway finish line after passing through vast terrain in incredible altitude.
The competitors had to endure tremendous strain just to reach the starting line. They ascended to the Everest base camp on foot. The 85km long hike was done in 10 days to allow adaptation to the extreme altitude. Fever, diarrhea and altitude sickness provided additional stress before the start.
“The trail to the finish line in Namsche Bazar at an altitude of 3446m/11.305ft was going up and down. I guess, some competitors thought, it's a pure downhill race, but they were shocked. Difficult and steep descents were often followed by long and etxreme ascents, which sucked all power out of your body”, explains Ufer.
The 39 year old put his goal for this marathon race on top of the world as follows: “I want to have fun and enjoy the run!”
Michele Ufer knows about challenges. Just in march this year, he surprised the experts with his 7th place overall at the Atacama Crossing in Chile, a 250k run through the driest desert on earth. This was reason enough to get invited by the organizers to attend a spectacular extreme race in Nepal, the Mount Everest marathon. With a 9th place overall and finishing as best german athlete, the 39 year old fromDortmund,Germany, proofed to the experts his extraordinary capacity once again.
On July the 1st, Ufer will join a 24h charity run of the “Westfälischen Rundschau” to act as mental coach for an athlete running the entire time barefoot.
You can find photos from the Everest marathon in the picture gallery and reports on our press page.