My choice of clothing was somewhat unorthodox: thermals, sweat pants, jeans, sweat shirt, polo neck and a down jacket. The idea was to strip off various layers as one descended and temperatures rose. But fearing I would lose too much time, I finished the race as I had started.

To my delight the next section was predominantly downhill, but so much so that a foot not perfectly placed would result at best in a sprain, at worst in a break. Loose rocks and boulders were crammed into a narrow, winding path. Yak trains were another hazard. These enormous hairy cattle are at least one and a half times the size of their western equivalents. To steer clear was, therefore, advisable but it was almost impossible to pass without contact. Apparently yaks think nothing of pushing trekkers off the path and, with thousand foot ravines, passing on the outside was not advisable.

Check point 6 was manned by Daphne, an American spending a year at Oxford and part of the scientific research team. This section was to prepare us for our second major climb and what a climb it turned out to be: an endless, almost vertical path, stripping every ounce of energy that might have remained. Was I to spend the whole of eternity climbing this wretched hill? Spirits rose once more as the top could be seen and then I was only 3 miles from Namche which marked the 20 miles station and, lower down in the village, the finish.