Nepal. The birth place of Buddha. The home of Mount Everest and eight of the ten tallest mountains in the world.

A magical place of sheer beauty and enticing challenge. And the venue for our annual Capital to Country Ultra Marathon.

This five day event covers 123-miles, winding its way through the foothills of the Himalayas. Described by a previous participant as a cross between The Marathon des Sables and the Ultra-Trial du Mont-Blanc, Capital to Country takes in a diverse mix of towns and villages, some jaw-dropping temples and holy sites, and panoramas of lush vegetation and snow-capped peaks.

This year’s participants set off on day one – a 27-mile route that takes in some tough climbs – around five hours ago.

They had previously enjoyed a far more relaxing visit to the World Heritage Site of the Monkey Temple or Swayambhunath in the west of Kathmandu City – the traditional first adventure of this epic challenge.

Over the next few days, we will be checking in our incredible runners as they take on the (literal) highs and lows of Capital to Country.

In the meantime, enjoy the below pictures from Adrian Howes, who will once again be capturing some magical moments from this unique race and country.