Asia

DONOVAN CONQUERS EVEREST CHALLENGE

31 OCTOBER 2002 - GALWAYMAN, RICHARD DONOVAN, WON THE EVEREST CHALLENGE MARATHON EN ROUTE TO WINNING THE HIMALAYAN 100-MILE STAGE RACE IN NORTHERN INDIA, WHICH CONCLUDED ON THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 2002.

The Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race concluded on Thursday with another stage win for ultra marathoner Richard Donovan. Donovan's high altitude week of competition saw him win each of the five stages of this extraordinary event to take overall first place by a forty-six (46) minute margin.

"It was a tough week of running at that altitude covering those kinds of distances on difficult terrain," commented Donovan from his base in Rimbik, India. The five stages covered distances of 24 miles, 20 miles, 26 miles, 13 miles and 17 miles respectively, sometimes at altitudes over 11,000 feet. On stage one, the competitors covered the twenty-four miles, which included almost 10,000 feet of cumulative ascent.

Stage three involved the running of a separate race, the Everest Challenge Marathon. "I'm familiar with the understanding that country miles tend to be longer than the real thing but I thought that was an Irish expression. It seems to have been embraced in India as the Everest Challenge 'Marathon' turned out to be thirty miles long. I was lucky to hold on to first place on that day as Steve Seaton from the UK chased me down and finished only one minute behind."

Donovan's experiences over the course of the year, where he has claimed victories in Australia, the South Pole, the North Pole, and Peru stood to him as he coped with the conditions quite well. "I've competed at altitude, experienced the frigid conditions of the poles, and endured the heat of America this year and was able to call on those experiences to acclimatise to the conditions for this race" said Donovan. " It probably wouldn't feel the same if there weren't some difficult aspects to the race".

Steven Seaton and Tim Phillis respectively of the UK followed Donovan in second and third places. Other Irish competitors included the second overall placed female, Jane Watt, and Graham Porter who had two very credible third-place stage finishes.

Donovan leaves the scenic vistas of the Himalayas, where four of the five highest peaks can be viewed from the racecourse (Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga) for a unique fund-raising event in Galway on Wednesday 27 November. The Seven Continents Fun Run takes place in Salthill, Galway and features the themes of the continents for the participants. All of the fundraising will benefit GOAL and the GSPCA. Donovan has embarked on a year long mission to raise awareness for these projects by attempting to become the first person to complete an ultra marathon on each of the seven continents in one calendar year.

Donovan has roasted himself, frozen himself, and gone to dizzying heights to help the disadvantaged in our societies and encourages others to contribute to the fundraising effort by making donations to the seven continents bank account or by sponsoring a student in this month's Seven Continents Fun Run.

Asia (October 27th - October 31st, 2002)

Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race: This five-stage race traverses isolated jungle and pine forests, crosses major rivers, and passes through small settlements and villages in India. The race begins at 5,000 feet above sea level and on the first stage there is an altitude gain of 7,000 feet. The course is most often described as the 'most spectacular running course in the world' due to the panoramic views of the world's highest mountains.