Kathmandu, May 16

American double Guinness record holder Parvaneh Moayedi and Singaporean blade runner Shariff Abdullah will be among the host of runners in the 14th edition of the Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon on May 29.

Moayedi holds two Guinness world records — 68 marathons in a year and 17 marathons in 17 days. Moayedi said she wanted to complete 1000 marathon races by the end of this year and was happy to be a part of Everest Marathon which is her 920th race overall.

Another participant Abdullah, a blade runner from Singapore, wanted to show the world that an amputee was also able to run in adventure races. Likewise, the oldest participant of the race, Austrian Helmut Linzbichler, who scaled the Mt Everest in 2008, said he came back to participate in the marathon with an aim of enjoying the race. He had participated in the race after scaling the highest mountain in 2008. “I had promised to come back to participate in the race and I hope to enjoy the marathon this time around,” he said.

The annual event, organised by Himalayan Expedition, will have 129 international participants in fray along with local runners, informed the organisers at a press meet on Monday. The 14th edition is dedicated to 200 years of Britain-Nepal Bicentenary anniversary. The marathon was started on May 19, 2003 to mark the 50th anniversary of the successful ascent of Mt Everest by Tenzing Norgay Shrepa and Edmund Hillary in 1956 and was later changed to May 29.

The 42.195-km race begins from the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5364m near Khumbu Glacier and ends at Namche Bazaar (3446m). The race is divided into five categories – 60k Extreme Ultra, Open, Women, Foreigners and Half-marathon. Top three in ultra and open sections will receive Rs 100,000, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively, while the winners in other categories will get Rs 50,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 25,000.

Chairman of the Himalayan Expedition Bikram Pandey said British Ambassador Richard Morris will be running 8848 metres — the height of Mt Everest. “There are interesting participants in this edition. We had less number in the previous edition as we organised the race in October because of the devastating earthquake in April and May,” said Pandey.

Meanwhile, Scottish ultra-runner Jamie Ross Mackenzie is scheduled to run 320km race — Everest Mailrun — from the Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu. Mackenzie will be attempting to break the record of 63 hours and eight minutes held by British runner Lizzy Hawker.