Mountaineer climbs 6,584m peak, goes straight to Annapurna 100km race to ‘see how far I can push’ and inspire women
- Japan-based mountaineer says running ultramarathons is becoming boring as she searches for her physical limit
Carole Fuchs has had a crazy week. She flew into Nepal on a Friday, climbed the 6,584m Chulu Peak on Sunday, drove 12 hours in a bumpy jeep and has arrived in Pokhara to run the Annapurna 100km mountain ultramarathon on Saturday.
“I did it for the challenge to see how far I can push it. For me, just running a race is becoming very boring. It’s not an adventure for me,” the Japan-based Frenchwoman said. “It’s nothing like exploring. I hadn’t climbed this year so far, I’d focused on running, I hadn’t done an 8,000m peak like I planned, so I thought I’d do this instead.”
Fuchs used a hypoxia chamber to train, but said it is not perfect preparation because it only replicates a lack of oxygen and does not replicate the lack of air pressure. However, she landed and went straight to the 5,000m-high camp, reached the summit through deep snow and then descended straight to Manang village, 3,000m below. The downhill in particular has left her legs tired ahead of the ultramarathon.
“It won’t be easy. I’m very sore,” she said. “It was downhill like crazy, with a big expedition bag. I was my own porter. My Sherpa was not my Sherpa but my climbing partner as we did it alpine style as there are no fixed ropes.”
Fuchs, 40, has been climbing since she was 14. Last year she climbed Everest, and plans to be the first woman to summit the five highest mountains in the world in just four months, if she can secure the sponsorship.
“When you are in the mountains nothing exists, you are just floating,” she said. “It’s like meditation. You forget about everything else you are so focused. It is just magical.”