'We ran the Polar Circle half-marathon on a whim'

WE USED to run sporadically, a few kilometres here and there, when we felt like it (which wasn't particularly often!). That changed a mere 21/2 years ago.

In June 2019, we started running 3 times a week as we had committed to trek to Everest Base Camp the following year, and wanted to improve our ability to cope with the physical demands of the climb.

At first, we literally ran around the block. One and a half kilometres, at a pace that was only marginally faster than a brisk walk. The thought of wheezing our way up to 5,600 metres motivated us to stick with the regimen.