The world-breaking company organises marathons in more than 40 countries and across six continents.
A Qatar-based adventure travel company has broken a 35-year-old Guinness World Record held by Everest Marathon for the highest trail running event at Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
On July 15, 30 runners from 12 different nationalities gathered up in Arusha to take part in the four events challenge, the Uhuru Peak Challenge, which consists of the V1000, Half, Full, and Ultra Marathon.
Participants landed on July 8 to take part in the exciting adventure race on the “Roof of Africa.” Considered the highest peak in the world and the highest free-standing mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro rises to a height of 5,895 meters.
The group consisted of a few first-timers who signed up for this journey as well as several skilled marathon runners from around the world.
The Kilimanjaro climb requires travelling through five different climate zones in order to reach Uhuru Peak— beginning with the Bushland Zone. The participants began their five-day acclimatisation journey towards the peak after completing the required trek briefing and gear check.
The next day, the group hiked through a rainforest area to a campsite at 2,800 meters.
Running through the Moorland/Heather zone on Day 3 of the hike, campers spend the night at 4,000 meters. When they get to the Alpine Zone at 4,980m to get ready for the races to start, the two hardest sections of the journey started.
V1000, a 1,000-meter vertical ascent via the Arctic Zone to Uhuru Peak, was the first race. The International Skyrunning Federation certified the V1000 course, which is regarded as the highest Skyrace in the world.
The runners travelled 4.3 kilometres and ascended 1,000 metres from 4,980 metres to 5,895 metres to the summit. This was no ordinary feat as the racers struggled through subfreezing conditions, thin air, and altitude sickness to reach the peak.
Tamina Vogel of Germany took first place in the women’s competition, while Jack Haug of Switzerland won the men’s competition.
Harvey Mitchell-Divers, a 17-year-old Scottish runner and World Spartan Age-Group champion, won the Half Marathon (male) competition in a time of 3:22:58, and Tamina Vogel placed first among the women.
Both the Marathon and Ultra Marathon were won by Swiss athletes, Jack Haug taking first place in the Ultra Marathon and Alexander Scherz taking first place in the Full Marathon. The female marathon competition was won by American Cara Nelson.
