Super-fit soldiers from 36 Engineer Regiment and The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers made the journey home to take on the world’s highest endurance race.
The annual Tenzing-Hillary Mount Everest Marathon starts some 5,360m above sea level and descends through several passes to Namche Bazar at 3,440m – a route scattered with ice and scree.
The first British Army outfit to participate in the event, the team arrived in-country a week early to acclimatise and train with local elite runners before an 11-day trek to the start line at Everest Base Camp. All ten soldiers finished the race, with the fastest, Spr Shreedhar Dangi, posting a time of of 5hr 24min to secure a top-ten placing.
Exped leader Capt Chandra Pun said he noticed “transformative growth” in each member during the trip.
“We are a more resilient unit, poised to tackle any challenge and united by a spirit forged in the mountains,” he concluded.
