Liv aims to show she’s got a head for heights
She’s ready to tackle a marathon on Mount Everest
A runner is taking on the race of her life – by tackling a marathon on Mount Everest.
Liv Simister, 23, has her sights set on the mammoth TenzingHillary 26-mile challenge.
She took up running after her dreams of attending university were shattered.
Liv says the trek – on the highest course in the world – will prove the adventure of a lifetime.
She said: “I was raised in Florida by my single mum and grandparents.
“They were sponsoring us for our green cards.
“But there was a problem with the paperwork and my mum got one and I didn’t.
“I had been studying, but found I couldn’t get access to the scholarships I needed because of immigration issues.
“It completely changed my life and I ended up becoming a personal trainer instead.
“That’s when I found the Mount Everest marathon – I just thought, that’s insane.
“I wasn’t sure why anybody would want to do that.
“But I couldn’t seem to get it out of my head, it became a bit of an obsession.”
Liv moved to Paisley last year after taking a job as a researcher with the BBC.
She says wintry weather battering the country in recent weeks is perfect for training for the run.
Liv has been clocking up the miles pounding the snowy streets around her home to prepare for the extreme conditions on the route.
She added: “It’s going to be bonkers, more like an obstacle course.
“I have been training by running the beautiful trails we have in this part of the world.
“I’ve been running the paths and jumping over the rocks in the parks.
“The closest I had come to seeing boulders the size you have here is at Disney World.”
Liv was born in Manchester, but spent her childhood near the theme park.
She returned to the city two years ago, before moving north for work.
The athlete is filming a documentary about her journey to the finish line on May 29.
She explained: “I hadn’t been in Paisley very long and had been doing a lot of running.
“It has always been my way of staying sane when everything around me falls apart.
“I’ve run marathons before and have notched up at least eight half-marathons.
“I realised I really had to find kind of purpose for all these miles.
“It’s unlike anything I thought I would ever do.
“My friends would tell you, it’s the only thing I talk about.”
Liv’s team will fly to Nepal and hike two weeks through the Himalayas to base camp.
The race will start 5,364 metres up the mountain on the 65th anniversary of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of the world’s highest peak.
Liv is raising cash for Room to Read – a charity that supports education for women and children in Nepal.
She continued: “I want to give back to the people hosting us.
“It’s so important that there is access to education for everybody.
“Nobody should ever be at a disadvantage and there are so many joys to be had from learning.”
To donate to Liv’s cause, visit https:// www. kickstarter. com/ projects/ 401051540/ girlv-mountain
It’s going to be bonkers, more like an obstacle course Liv Simister