RacingThePlanet: Nepal 2011- A Seven-Day Footrace Across Annapurna

Racing the Planet, an international organization specializing in high endurance races is organizing a footrace in the Annapurna region from 20th to 26th November, 2011.

Nepal 2011 footrace will begin just outside Pokhara. Competitors will have to cover a distance of 250 kilometers within seven days, carrying their own equipment and food. They will sleep in both tents and tea houses supported along the way by highly regarded Sherpas and a professional medical and operations team. During the race, the course will venture close to Mustang Region and the altitude is not expected to go much above 11,000 feet. According to RacingThePlanet, one of their missions in organizing the race is to document and contribute to improving the lives of ethnic minorities and tribes in the areas they explore, and to encourage and support competitors to raise funds for their charities. In the Nepal race, competitors will be supporting over forty charities through their efforts.
Around 250 participants, plus 50 media reporters, staff and volunteers covering more than 40 countries will be involved in the event. As all events organized by RacingThePlanet have received wide publicity, the race in Nepal is also expected to garner attention from international as well as national media.

RacingThePlanet has its headquarters in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom and 11 offices worldwide. First founded by American Mary K. Gadams, the organization commenced operations from its base in Hong Kong in 2002 when it organized the Gobi March, an arduous seven day race set in the Gobi desert. TIME Magazine named the Gobi March the #1 footrace in the world. It was also named one of the world’s top ten endurance events. Since then RacingThePlanet has organized 29 events in 8 Countries, from China to Antarctica. The race in Nepal is going to be its 31st event. Official partners of the event are Nepal Tourism year 2011 and technology giant Intel.