Stevie’s ready to jet off for epic challenge

Iron man Stevie Kidd is on top of the world as he jets out to compete in the Everest Marathon.

Stevie, 47, will be pushing himself to the limit of human endurance as he runs the hardest competitive race event on the planet.

The Glenburn dad will traverse treacherous mountain trails during the high-altitude course, which starts at 17,000ft at Gorak Shep, next to Everest base camp, and finishes at Namche Bazaar at 11,300ft in Nepal.

His Himalayan adventure begins on Wednesday and takes him through to December 5, because there are two running periods with an acclimatisation process built in for the athletes.

Stevie said he expects to reach the highest point of the adventure around November 25.

The business performance coach, who successfully completed the Great Wall and Kilimanjaro marathons, as well as a running a string of other races, has been training for his toughest challenge yet for more than a year.

Stevie revealed he’s beginning to feel daunted by the task.

He said:“The time for talking is over. This is now about the actual event. I must admit to feeling a strangeness settle on me over the last week, because I have been waiting for this moment for so long.

“The scale of it is daunting. The enormity of what the runners achieve is colossal. Folk in Paisley are staggered when I tell them I have to go up twice.

“That is trekking up to base camp at 5,644 metres then running down to the next stage at 2,400 metres, then going back up again.

“That is equivalent to completing 11-and-a-half climbs of Ben Nevis, having a 36-hour break, and then running a marathon.”

Stevie has been training hard in preparation for the high altitude event, which pushes runners through the pain barrier because of the scarcity of oxygen and freezing temperatures which dip to -20°C.

He added:“You cannot simply run at these altitudes. There is not enough air. You have to train your body to work on expending as little energy and using as little oxygen as possible, or the mountains will defeat you.

“Runners have died competing in the Everest Marathon. There are hazards everywhere. The terrain, the route, the temperature, the lack of oxygen and the remoteness, have all seen even athletes experienced in extreme events, lose their lives.

“But when people ask me why I am doing this, my only answer is that I won’t chain myself by limiting my potential or setting barriers.

“I know the scale of the task ahead of me and ahead of the 25 other runners in our group. But this is very much a personal voyage and I am relishing the prospect at running on the roof of the world.”

Stevie is tackling the ultimate challenge to raise vital cash for military heroes’charity Combat Stress, which helps former servicemen and women deal with trauma, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

To donate, visit http://bit. ly/2h9IL1K

Stevie will push his body — and mind — to the limit