Flagging up the positives to life
It’s been great to be home after spending a couple of weeks racing in the unusual but amazing country that is Bhutan.
I set off with Mark, a running friend, to take on my first overseas mega ultra-marathon for a couple of years. I ended up in a medical facility after two of the last three runs with stomach issues, so I was somewhat concerned my guts may let me down in this remote race.
Bhutan has a population of less than a million people and is made up of mountain range after mountain range, which means for a running race, every day we had to go up to high altitudes to cross passes to get to the finish, often on the other side.
In the UK our highest peak is 1,345m, yet in Bhutan, we were regularly climbing over 2,000m a day – a test for my fitness and resolve.
On the second day, we had a non-stop 2,400m climb. It started off fine, but then I had to go through a steep, freshly cut jungle track while being attacked by leeches and swarms of biting horse flies. I don’t think I have ever been so exhausted as I eventually hit the summit checkpoint to be greeted by an equally challenging root-covered descent via a lush forest.
The next day we had another steep climb, but instead of leeches and flies, the hillside was covered in prayer flags seen all over Buddhist Bhutan. The country measures its wealth not by money, but by happiness, and everyone we met smiled and waved at us.
The race ended that day near the summit at the 3,600m Phajoding monastery where we slept in the monks’ basic dormitories. But before we were allowed to sleep, we had to play the monks at football! Playing on one of the highest football pitches in the world is not without its challenges.
I was out of breath within 30 seconds and no one wanted to be responsible for losing the ball as we didn’t want to go back down the mountain to get it! This simple game of football excited the monks as this race was it was their first match in three years, due to the pandemic and their shy demeanour was soon transformed.
I will write about the second half of the race next week, but for now, I hope my story encourages you to see the hidden positive sides to life.
In Bhutan we were climbing over 2,000m a day – a real test