Himalaya 100 Mile Stage Race - Stage 2 Sandakphu to Mohle

I have had some bad night's kips I can tell you - but none of them come close to spending a night on top of a big hill in Indialand.

Sandakphu is just the top of a mountain. That's all. There's a collection of Sherpa huts - though how they get a white van up there heaven only knows - and that's about it. I mean, OK, so you can see four of the five highest peaks in the world, including Mount Everprest. But what use is that when there's no gift shop or cafe eh? Not even one of those telescopes that you can stand on and see the sea with.

These Sherpa huts and I had made our acquaintance the last time I visited and so, in a way, I was prepared for the next couple of days and two nights that we would spend there. But nothing can prepare you for the bally cold in the place! My God did the old aluminium plummet in the thermometer. After the journey up the hill in hot weather the cold forces a real sharp intake of breath. After climbing into my sleeping bag I really struggled to get any heat into my body. Of course, bang on cue, the Half Share chose this particular time to start being awkward and refused to let me borrow her sleeping bag to get me warm - and I thought girls were supposed to be warm blooded!

As the temperature slid below zero I tried to ignore my burning legs and my too-active brain and get some kind of rest. I always feel that way after a race - and usually struggle to sleep on Sunday nights for that reason. But add to it my altitude problems and it proved nigh on impossible to sleep, though I suppose I must have had a couple of hours here and there. It made it worse because we were sent to bed at about 7 o'clock - partly because they switch off the generator that works the lights, partly because its too cold to do anything else and partly, frankly, because there's beggar all to do anyway when it goes dark. Once my friend from Bracknell had sloped off early with Georgio - apparently Georgio's zip had stuck in his sleeping bag and he couldn't get his inner blanket out and my friend from Bracknell said he would pull Georgio's zip down and whip it out for him. So that left us with nobody to talk to. The Half Share had got friendly with another old woman but she went off to bed too.

However, we were woken at just gone midnight with a heck of a racket going on outside the hut door - but that was just the Irish girls running up and down the corridor sliding on their knees.

Then the Sherpa men came to wake us up at 4.30 - yes, 4.30!!. Apparently it was to see if we wanted to watch the sun rise. I gave the smallest Sherpa man a clip round the earhole and told him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't see anything else rise, ever, if he tried that little trick on me again. But he said we were woken up because, apparently, there was going to be a spectacular view of Mount Everprest. Well, big deal! Number one, Sunshine, I said to him, I've seen it before. Number 2, pal, I said to him, I also saw it once in a film with Alec Guinness. And number 3 - just what is the big deal anyway - I've seen Ditchling Beacon?

So, I have to say, my superstar's Olympic halo was slipping somewhat when I gathered with the rest of the rather sorry, bedraggled looking group that gathered outside the huts. Did they look 'up' for today's' out and back 20 miler? Well most of them were just wandering round, kicking rocks and smoking their first fag of the day. One of the Nice Work group called John from Essex had won yesterday's first stage. Actually, when I say 'won' he obviously knew that I was pacing myself and I did remind him that that fact alone would probably take some of the emulsion off his so called 'victory'. But I dont bear grudges and I decided to pass on a few tips on technique and running style to him - which I think he appreciated.

One problem I was having was the altitude. Although I was taking medication I was really struggling with my breathing and it was also affecting my chest, I felt sick and I had a pounding headache. Indeed, between you, me and the wheelbarrow I really didn't feel well at all. A number of others in the group were also suffering with a couple of the girls having to be placed on drips by the race doctor. One poor young Irish girl really should have stayed in bed and not attempted the stage today - but she showed grit and determination - plus being a woman ignored any advice anyway. The Half Share said she felt OK - but she's always showing off like that.

The Argentinians meanwhile were still suffering from attitude sickness.

Anyway off we set off on the second stage. The course today saw us gradually descend from 12,000 ft to about 8,000 ft - then back up - then down, then up to 10,000 ft. And that was just the outward 10 Miles! I then had to come back and do it in reverse but I was really pleased with my time of 7 hours and 1 minute. The strange was that 7 hours felt OK for me - whereas if I'd taken that time for a race back home I'd have been disappointed as well as dead on my feet. This stage racing was getting to be a specialism of mine already!!

Along the way today we had been treated to more views of this flippin' Everprest mountain - and I'll be honest, it's not like its anything special is it? The foreign people seemed to think it was though and there were stacks of photos being taken. I much prefer West Hill in Hastings, to be honest, so I did what all seasoned athletes do - I focused on my race and making sure I finished in front of a woman I'd taken a dislike to.

The surface today was a little better than Day 1, though there were still plenty of cobbled stretches to contend with. Quiet a bit of the course though was on trails and tracks - many of which, though, were rutted deeply. Some of the descents were very painful - one in particular was so steep that I spent the rest of the way out worrying about having to climb the thing on the way home. Any stretch of flat or gentle downhill though was a blessed relief for my poor legs.

Quite a bit of today's route would have been runable if it wasn't for the fact that my legs were still shot to bits from day 1 - but the killer part of the course was the last three or four miles back to Sandakphu which just seemed to be one uphill stretch after another - so it was, with some relief, that I ran across the tape to tumultuous applause from the odd runner or fifty who had finished ahead of me. I then waited for an hour so for an old man called Albert to catch me up.

I was still in 'save my legs' mode so was quite content to be eight or nine hours behind the leaders. The winner of today's stage was a Spanish man - well he thinks he's good, but I'd take him on in the Lewes 10 any day!.

After a bit of tea I went back to my hut to try and prepare for tomorrow's big test - the Everpest Challenge Marathon.

My Friend from Bracknell was also on his way back to his hut with his friend Georgio. I think they both have caught some altitude-related illness because they kept looking at each other and doing things with their eyebrows.

Very off putting if you ask me.

The big question was - would I get more than a couple of hours kip tonight? Would I be able to sleep with my legs burning? I dunno - but I was in bed by 6 o'clock to find out!

Tomorrow was going to be a momentous day - and it was important I was prepared for it.

Keep on tapering.

Ron