Queen’s Park Everest Challenge

Saturday 15th April 2023. The day that 723 chickpeas were transported from the bottom of Queen’s Park to the flagpole at the top, via the most direct route possible, an elevation gain of approximtely 40m each time. Each rep started by taking a chickpea from a jar at the bottom of the hill, where Park Run starts next to where the exercise machines are situated. The ground here was hazardous just as you might imagine being at 5364m above sea level, this was Everest Basecamp for the day. After passing through this sketchy area of soft and squelchy ground, runners hit the grassier terrain that provided better grip before slowly starting to ascend towards Camp 1. Camp 1 was situated at the point where you would cross the low-level path that connects the tennis courts in Queen’s Park to Balvicar gates.

After Camp 1 things started to get spicy. The gradient rose sharply and once again became dangerously muddy and slippery. At times crampons may have been advisable for extra grip. Soft grass and wet ground made the going tough for a few strides, you wouldn’t want to slip or fall here. We were lucky this damp area hadn’t frozen as it would have taken the shape of some trecherous ice falls that would have required the use of some technical climbing gear for sure, a hazard the barefoot runners may not have overcome. It was always a relief to reach Camp 2 which was at the point where the main path leading to the flag pole was crossed. This is well known territory for southside westies who can be found trying to run fast up this particular stretch of hill to the flag pole. A brief pause in effort, 3 or 4 steps over the tarmac, and a moment to contemplate the next line of ascent up Everest.

Daunting ice fields lay ahead, the next section was never to be underestimated. There were a few different route options to choose from before reaching Camp 3 but first you had to negotiate the ‘Hillary Step’. This was at the point where the tarmac met the grass again and where a small ditch had formed due to water runoff from the icefields above, creating a huge crevasse of about 10cm in length. Camp 3 lay just after this technical feat but best not get too confident here as there was still much more technical climbing ahead. This was Everest afterall.

After Hillary’s Step you could either head left to the dry and grippier stretch of grass, head direct through the soft, sludgy ground or slightly right to the dryer ground but where a huge branch lay across the route, requiring a well-timed jump to facilitate a smooth crossing. Camp 4 was situated at the point where the gradient reached its steepest point, where calves and quads started to burn and oxygen became scarce.

The steep section here draggec on a little before finally plateauing out towards the top. Slowly the summit of Everest would emerge. Enjoyed most spectacularly on the day at 6am as I climbed through the mist and was met by clear skies at the top and a wonderful sunrise with an inversion over the city, I mean the Himalyas. Sunrise in the Himalayas is quite spectacular and on days like this one it wasn’t too shabby in Queen’s Park either. The burning in the calves and quads subsided and Camp 5 was reached where the ground became flat enough to safely pitch a tent.

Camp 6 was situated at the bench before the last push to the summit, by this point you know you will make it and you could start to get your precious chickpea ready to place in the jar at the top. Last little push up the remaining ice fall, a few well positioned axe placements and finally the summit was reached. The flag pole is an impressive 8884m above sea level and the views across the Himalayas from here leave you breathless or was that the 110 reps? Was it Ben Lomond or Ben Vorlich that could be spotted in the distance? No time to verify this mystery, I was heading back down to get another chickpea.

Thank you to everyone who took their time to support and cheer me on, I couldn’t have done it without you. I never thought spending the day running up and down the same 300m stretch of grass in Queen’s Park could be so fun!

The homework club has now set up WiFi and all the kids are enjoying fresh fruit to snack on after school, they are so grateful for the support. If anyone would still like to donate the link is here, all money is going directly to Ama and Asmita who currently support the homework club with no financial help: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/queens-park-everest-challenge

The stats:

723 reps, 29,389m total gain (3.3 x height of Everest)

110 reps by Ella, 4400m, 67km

14 hours (6am – 8pm)

68 different people joined in by running or walking (some of these people I had never met before)

5 dogs

One fabulous day of community, fun and good times, thanks again!