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.
