On November 26th, I started from Mudkhu, a small road intersection that was reasonably close to my house. Over the course of the next 50 hours, I ran and walked in a clockwise fashion around the valley and had an amazing time. I saw the sun rise twice, chatted with monkeys, climbed a million stairs, worried about wild boars and leopards (not really that much of a threat but your mind does funny things) and had my spirits bolstered by friends who joined me along the way. And in the end, everything worked and I finished strong with a smile on my face five minutes under 50 hours. Now this wasn’t my first rodeo and I have a lot of fast friends in the endurance running world. Fifty hours is not a fast time for 160 kilometers, even if you factor in the elevation gain. But my goal was not to do it fast, my goal was just to finish, be safe, and have a smile on my face at the end. I would love to see others tackle this and beat this time. I would also love to see others simply use my notes and go for an awesome hike in these overlooked mountains. Trust me, you don’t need to fly to Lukla or bus to Pokhara to see the Himalaya tower over you – that front row seat is closer than you think.
Wolpin's run was reported in an article in the Nepali Times.