Running 160 kilometres (100 miles) at high altitude on the roof of the world is no mean feat for even the fittest young athlete. But when you are 61, officially retired, and were once told not to expect to walk again, never mind run, the challenge enters a new dimension.
The event is billed as the 'world's most beautiful marathon' and some entrants get so high they feel they can reach up and touch a piece of heaven as they trip along the Himalayas. The yearly Mt Everest Marathon above India's tea estates of Darjeeling, where they still make a good cuppa and play re-runs of The Sound Of Music in village cinemas, is part of the 100-mile Himalayan Stage Race and comes on the third stanza of the five-day challenge.
Completing about 32km a day through isolated jungles, pine forests and cheered on by villagers - while yaks, wild ponies or red pandas take a curious peek at the throng - may strike a chord in the hardy band of adventurers who compete each year in early November, but it sounded like the height of folly to me.
The race was better suited to the Von Trapps of this world and, from remarks by American journalist Steve Seaton, who took part a few years ago, the pack wasn't singing Climb Every Mountain as it went along.
Running at 3,700 metres, said Seaton, felt like 'trying to breathe with two small men sitting on your chest'. And that after having to climb out of his sleeping bag to face running in icy conditions before the sun switched on fully. Yet, despite the arduous conditions, Seaton's story had a silver lining: 'Although the marathon part of the race took me double my usual time, who cares? You don't come to the Himalayas for fast times. It was the most memorable race I have ever run, and the most enjoyable.'
Another finisher, 45-year-old American Linda van Tilborg, told how the stunning surroundings kept her going. 'I expected the race to be difficult. But somehow, even when you feel nauseous and tired from running at altitude, the magnificence of the course buoys you up and makes you glad you're up there. I thought I would need supplemental oxygen, but all I was allowed were English tea biscuits, bananas and water. I was exhilarated when I finished the race on my feet. I was greatly encouraged by villagers. Sometimes children ran alongside us.'