25 Sep Peace, spirituality and 123 miles through the Himalayas – could you find yourself during our Nepalese ultra?
In their unrelenting beauty, the foothills of the Himalayas offer a unique challenge for even the most experienced ultra runner.
With sweeping vistas, cedar-covered hills, monasteries and temples, Nepal offers not only a physical challenge but a spiritual awakening.
When Helen Ramwell took on the 27,000ft of elevation offered by the Capital to Country Multi-Day Ultra Marathon through the south Asian paradise she had reason to feel particularly poignant.
Because as she jogged through the undulating landscape, Helen was not alone.
Help and support sat on her shoulder every step of the way.
Not that any of the other six runners taking part in the inaugural five-day, 123-mile sweep through Nepal were close to her.
Although those taking on the event had become friends, once out on the course it was each to their own.
No, the runner on her shoulder as she notched up the miles in late November and early December 2023 was a familiar, and much lamented one.
Just two years before Helen took on the multi-day run starting in Nepal’s sprawling capital city of Kathmandu, her father, Richard – an experienced runner who competed in the UK’s first official ultra at the South Downs Way back in 1990 – had sadly passed away.
“I historically ran a lot with my dad, including at the Marathon des Sables,” she said. “And, I’ve done a number of events with him since.
“Then I lost him two years ago coming out of Covid and, having had the whirlwind of returning to work post-maternity leave and two young children, part of the journey for me was about just having a bit of space to process all of that.
“Running felt a very apt way of doing it, so it was definitely a little bit spiritual.
“That sounds very dramatic. but being out in the mountains and having the headspace to go through all of that and have my dad with me on my shoulder was part of it.”
Helen wasn’t the only runner to find spiritual succour while running in the Himalayas.
When Emily Moore took on the extreme challenge it was the culmination of a story that had started 28 years previously.
She first visited the region as an 18-year-old. That trip saw her make memories and friends to last a lifetime. As an adult and walking back to happiness, she would add to those memories.
“I’ve always wanted to go back,” she said, “but life did its thing and got in the way.
“Then, two years ago, I got divorced. It was one of the hardest periods of my life, and with two young children to look after, and a busy job as a teacher, there wasn’t much time for me.
“I wanted to do something to rediscover Emily, and this was perfect for me.”
For Owen Jones, his Capital to Country experience was the culmination of a journey which saw him go from alcoholism to ultra runner.
Not long over five years ago, Owen was struggling to see positives in anything, with the effects of drink becoming “more and more of a problem”.
Despite already being a runner – “I started running ten years ago, but only quit drinking five years ago” – Owen’s health and mental state were deteriorating rapidly.
He was a million miles away from completing a five-day ultra across the hills and valleys of Nepal. Yet that’s exactly what he did after turning his life around in 2019.
Owen said by quitting drinking he found space in life for “more of everything”.
He added: “I had more time, more money, more energy, more enthusiasm, more ability to do what I wanted to do.”
When it came to taking on Capital to Country, he found the multi-day challenge tough but rewarding.
“I don’t think anything prepares you for something so extreme,” he said, before adding that on crossing the finishing line he had “the happiest face you can possibly imagine”.
“That’s what made it,” he said. “It was a trip to a very happy place, having been through some pretty shitty places on the way through.”
Helen Ramwell, meanwhile, said she felt renewed when she came back from Nepal.
She said: “I’d say to people that they should definitely do it. It’s different. It’s thrilling, but equally it’s manageable and exotic. I loved it.
“I feel like I came back with a bit of renewed energy. It ticked a lot of boxes for me.”
Emily, meanwhile, found the peace she was looking for in the mountains.
“The event, the views, the people and even the pain of ultra marathoning all combined to make this the trip of a lifetime,” she said.
“I feel privileged to have been to Nepal. To have seen the country and to have taken part in this fabulously unique, friendly race.
“And most of all I feel privileged to have met some amazing people who will remain friends forever. Oh, and up in those beautiful hills I did one other thing: I found Emily.”