Heard the one about the three Filipino climbing teams racing each other up the planet's tallest mountain? Two are backed by rival TV stations and the third is a well-known showman who came to prominence after driving a Land Rover to the crater of an active volcano.
It may all sound like a dodgy joke, but the punch line is deadly serious as a nation waits to see who will plant the first Philippine flag on the summit of Mount Everest.
Last week, the tropical country's finest had made it to base camp (altitude 5,500m), where they were acclimatising to the freezing oxygen-deprived conditions.
And they were far from alone.
Just half a century after mankind first conquered the remote and awesome 8,848m peak, Everest in April and May - the official climbing season - is a crowded sea of human activity.
Last week, tents were spread out over a massive area at base camp on the mountain's Nepalese south face.
In coming weeks, more than 100 people are expected to make the big final push, most harbouring a lifelong dream of standing, literally, on top of the world.