In what may look to some like yet another mid life crisis, I am about to head for Nepal to take part in the RacingThePlanet Nepal 2011 250km Ultra marathon. Starting on 20th November, 2011, this is a 7-day, 6-Stage, 250 kilometer, self-supported endurance foot race. That means you have to carry all your kit and food to last the week which will weigh around 9kgs and try to run as much of it as possible.

The course is in the foothills of the Annapurna Mountain range in the Himalayas surrounding Pokhara. The total elevation gain across the course in 29,500 feet and the elevation loss in 31,800 feet, so up and down Everest from the beach.  Temperatures will likely range between 0 degrees and 35 degrees Centigrade.  There are also ten bridges in the course, the longest of which is 250m long and 150m high.

I decided that since I was taking on this foolhardy challenge I should try to raise some money for a Charity helping Children in Nepal to help to build a better future there. My chosen charity is CWS...any donation however small greatly appreciated. Gus

CWS is UK registered charity which works with local partners in Nepal to provide health, education and protection services designed to give disadvantaged and vulnerable babies and children a better start in life and pave their way in to full time education.  It also provides support for child labourers, children living/working on the streets and children who have been abused/trafficked, to help them realise their rights to a brighter and safer future - at least 85% of all contributions go directly to the projects in Nepal.

Whilst Nepal is a country of outstanding beauty, famed for some of the best  trekking and mountain climbing in the world,  what many people do not realise is that it is also one of the poorest countries in Asia where

 55 % of the population live below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day

·         Amongst the poorest 20% of the population 1 in 7 children will die before their fifth birthday

·         Almost 50% of children under five have stunted growth from under-nutrition

·         1 in 31 women will die as a result of pregnancy

·         Over 31% of children aged between 5 – 15 will be involved in child labour

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.