World’s first ‘Everesting’ triathlon completed by Hongkonger after wife tells him ‘you’re not going to die’
- Mayank Vaid is in the middle of his second night when he considers giving up, bringing some tough love from his wife – ‘this is just in your head’
A Hongkonger completed the world’s first ‘Everesting’ triathlon on Sunday, finishing after 71 hours and seven minutes – over 55 hours of moving time – but it would not have been possible without the support of his friends and tough love from his wife.
Everesting is the latest challenge in the endurance community – cyclists ride up and down the same hill until they accumulate the full height of Everest, 8,848m (29,029ft). Runners then took up the mantle and completed the same feat by foot.
Now, Mayank Vaid has upped the game again – he consecutively swam 9km, ‘Everested’ on his bike and then ran up High Junk Peak in Sai Kung, Hong Kong.
“Other ultras are journeys. Doing these repeats for two days constantly and seeing the same thing on the bike and the run, the repetition takes it toll on the athletes and the supporters,” said Vaid, a lawyer for Louis Vuitton. “I’d come down, I’d touch the water and turn and I could see High Junk Peak. Every time I saw it, it seemed higher, taller and further.”
On the second night, it began to rain. Vaid completed a lap that took him over an hour, one of his slowest, and failure entered his thoughts. He also began to feel guilty he had wasted so much of his friends’ time. They had come to support him, even swimming, cycling and running with him.
“Then, Theresa [Vaid’s wife] gave me a good lecture – ‘you’re not going to die, your life is not in any threat, you can move, this is just in your head’,”