lepkirk

The route is yet to be finalised, but it’s looking like 1,000 miles with 60,000m of vertical elevation.

I’ll be running with all my equipment, solo and unsupported.

I’ll stop for food where I can, in small villages along the route. I’ll also bag-up as much food as possible when leaving villages to last me through the times I’m in the wilderness.

Navigation will be handled by GPS – 3 devices – iPhone, watch, sat com device. I’ll bring a solar panel and a USB battery to keep everything charged. Sat com will provide live 10 minute interval tracking throughout the run.

The Route

I’ve planned the route from satalite images, elevation scans, and Chinese military maps. It’s not a known tourist trail. A big part of the adventure is the unknown element of the route and terrain, I’m sure I’ll alter my route as I progress, ask for suggestions from locals. Parts of the route goes through real wilderness where I won’t see a village for a few days at a time, and some goes through big urban areas where I’ll be able to restock and recover if needed. I’m planning on running between the 1,000m and 2,500m altitudes. 

Training

My training consists of 4 days of long runs (at least 2 days back-2-back with bivvi overnight, 1 day British Military Fitness HIIT which includes extra running, 1 S&C with trainer, 1 S&C at home, 1 deep tissue massage a week, plenty of stretching and rolling, 1 rest/yoga day. I run around 55km a week as of mid-June and this will increase to around 150km over the next 3 months.

Who am I?

My name’s Vladimir Morozov (Vlad). I’m a web developer from Birmingham, UK. I didn’t do anything sporty what-so-ever until around 5 years ago. I was overweight and unhealthy. I was at a fork in the road of my life. I had a choice: get healthy and lose some weight or stay this way as I get older. I decided to get healthy. Through dieting and walking I lost 20kg in around 6 months. This made me faster so I was motivated to keep going. I took up cycling, then swimming, then decided to train for triathlons. I competed in a few sprint and olympic distance triathlons. I enjoyed it but became more interested in the great outdoors instead of training purely for speed. I began enjoying exercises for it’s own sake, not just as a way of staying healthy. I started hiking, hill walking, and mountaineering. I travelled as much as I could. I climbed Mount Toubkal, Mont Blanc, and later Elbrus (solo). I started wild camping as a way of reconnecting with nature, escaping the common stress associated with modern living. I’m at my happiest outside – between the sun above my head and the grass under my feet.

Where did the idea come from?

It was the night that I completed the Tour du Mont Blanc (200km hike with 11,000 metres of elevation gain). I got chatting to a guide on the bus to Chamonix who later joined me for my last day of the TMB. When we both got back to Chamonix, we bumped into my Airbnb host and a few bottles of wine later, an idea was forming. My Airbnb host was Nepalese and I was listening with interest as he recalled stories of his home Nepal.

Aside from collecting money for charity, why try to run 1,000 miles across Nepal?

Running across Nepal is my way of getting to know the country. It combines a few of my biggest passions: adventure; sport; nature; wild camping; meeting people from different cultures to my own. I’ve been told that the Nepalese people are very friendly so I can’t wait to get our there and meet new friends.

Nepal Youth Foundation UK offers hope and opportunity to Nepal’s most impoverished children by providing them with what is every child’s birth right: vital healthcare, education and a safe environment.

Children are perhaps the hardest hit by the nation’s challenges.

But however impoverished or disabled, and however difficult the circumstances that surround them, Nepali children have an enormous capacity for happiness and success. Nepal Youth Foundation knows how to make an enduring difference.

Meet the charity’s founders and see first hand some of the work that they do in this film about their Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes.

https://www.nepalyouthfoundation.org.uk