 in Langtang, running for human trafficking survivors){kind=small}
Kathmandu, April 13
German ultra-endurance athlete Alicia Bayer has successfully reached the snow-covered summit of Tserko Ri (4,985m) in Nepal's Langtang region, completing the climb as a part of a seven-day, 132 km speed-hiking and trail-running expedition from Kathmandu through Langtang Valley and back, with a total evaluation gain of 8,470 meters.
Bayer began her Nepal leg on April 10, taking a bus from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi before hiking directly up to Lama Hotel at 2,500m on the first day. She reached Kyanjin Gompa at 3,800m the following day and summited Tserko Ri the morning after. "Today I have already reached 4,700m in only two days of hiking," she said. "I speed hiked up to Kyanjin Gompa and this morning to Kyanjin Ri in just two hours, up and down."
She is currently executing a rapid 2,485m descent back to Lama Hotel before continuing toward the sacred Gosaikunda Lakes, after which she plans to cross a high-altitude pass and run back to Kathmandu.
In Nepal, Bayer is working with local NGOs to raise funds for survivors of human trafficking, documenting her journey on Instagram to collect donations along the way as a part of South Asian Advocacy Tour for Women's Rights. "I do this to prove that endurance is not just physical; it is a tool for advocacy," she said. "If I can push through these mountains, we can collectively push through the barriers that survivors of trafficking face every day."
On April 22, upon returning to Kathmandu, she will lead a charity hike joined by representatives from several local NGOs. "It will be an amazing event," she said.
Bayer's Nepal expedition follows a grueling 650 km run from Mumbai to Goa along India's Konkan coast, where she averaged nearly a marathon a day over 15 days, visiting girl-child schools and meeting with women-led organizations to promote the message that women are capable of achieving "the undoable."
Looking ahead, Bayer aims to become the first German woman to complete the Everest Ultra later this year, and is already planning a Kathmandu-to-Everest Base Camp run in autumn, both in support of charitable causes in Nepal.
Alicia Bayer is an ultra-runner and advocate from Germany. Through her project "Run the World with Alicia," she uses extreme endurance challenges to raise awareness of gender inequality and human rights issues globally.
