How I can Run Mountains

Here's how I envision breaking down the greater goal of running a marathon and relating it to climbing mountains. You see, much like climbing to high altitudes where one must acclimatize their bodies to the lack of oxygen and demanding environment, a distance runner must also "acclimatize" their bodies to the physical demands of running for extended distances. One would not set out to run a marathon or climb Everest on their very first outing. It would be foolish! It takes some time to work your way up to either goal.

By scaling the height of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) to the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles), you get about 1,108 feet per mile. Taking this ratio, several important running distances can be converted to an "altitude". A simple 5K race is the equivalent of scaling Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. A 10K is equivalent to Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountains. A 15K is Mount Agung, a volcano located in Indonesia. Fitz Roy is a particularly difficult mountain to climb, located in the Andes on the Argentina/Chile border which corresponds to a 10 mile run. This is appropriate as running a steady and routine 10 mile run is a solid accomplishment and milestone. Equally notable as an accomplishment is the running of a half marathon (13.1 miles), which is equivalent to summiting the Matterhorn or Mount Rainier, both well known mountains.

	Relative Elevation
Run Distance	Feet	Meters	Mountain
0 miles	0	0	Sea Level
3.1 miles (5K)	3,435	1,047	Greylock
6.2 miles (10K)	6,870	2,094	Mount Mitchell
9.3 miles (15K)	10,305	3,141	Mount Agung
10 miles	11,080	3,377	Fitz Roy
13.1 miles (Half Marathon)	14,515	4,424	Matterhorn	Rainier
15 miles	16,620	5,066	Vinson Massif
18.6 miles (30K)	20,609	6,282	McKinley
20 miles	22,160	6,754	Huascaran
23.7 miles	26,286	8,012	Shishapangma
26.2 miles (Marathon)	29,029	8,848	Everest

Now for the more difficult "summits" of runs. A 15 mile run roughly scales to Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica, certainly not easy terrain or climate. A 30K or 18.6 mile run works out to be the famous Mount McKinley in Alaska. For even more of a challenge, a 20 mile run is the equivalent of Huascaran, the highest point in Peru. Now we get into the major distances and difficult altitudes that take a great deal of time, effort and strength to surmount. The summit of Shishapangma is the lowest of the eight peaks on Earth that are +8,000 meters in height. This marks a 23.7 mile run… just a short couple of miles further to push to the summit of Everest at 29,029 feet… or 26.2 miles.

So why have I been mired down at sea level for so long?

My Mount Everest

I just finished "reading" (as an audio book) Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and I am astonished and intrigued by the idea of climbing Mount Everest. This book tells the story about the expeditions who climbed the mountain during 1996. Five people in these expeditions and three others in an expedition of climbers from India were killed. The sheer immensity of this mountain and the difficulties that must be surmounted to summit this peak are astonishing to me. In climbing Everest, you are climbing to the cruising altitude of commercial passenger jet airplanes. I made a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado a few years back. At an altitude of about 10,000 feet, I noticed my breathing became very labored just by carrying my bags to my room! I also had difficulty sleeping initially at that very modest altitude. The summit of Everest is about three times this altitude. I can't imagine what kind of mental focus, bodily strength and dedication it must take to conquer this.

I do not think i want to climb Mount Everest. It would be an exciting accomplishment, but the idea of rolling the dice with one's life like that seems rather irrational.

My own version of Everest has been, and remains to this day, the running of a marathon. Twenty six and two tenths of a mile in distance seems just as lofty a goal to me as 29,053 feet of altitude. Much like the climbers of Everest, I have made some attempts that have fallen short. Stay tuned for more about a novel way of breaking this goal down and why I am currently tied down at “sea level”.