150 plus runners take part in 2012 Everest Marathon...

Back on the 29th of May, more than 150 runners took part in the world's highest Marathon which started close to Everest Base Camp. The Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon is part of annual celebrations marking the first conquest of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) summit on May 29, 1953, by Edmund Hillary and his sherpa Tenzing Norgay. The race starts every year at 7:00 am in Gorak Shep, close to Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,356 meters, and finishes around 2,000 metres lower in the town of Namche Bazaar.

The atmosphere at base camp contains only half as much oxygen as at sea level, meaning runners find themselves gasping for breath even on the slightest incline along 26.2 miles (42 kilometers) of narrow, rocky mountain paths. Organizers describe the route, which passes through Buddhist monasteries, monuments and over suspension bridges, as "probably the most adventurous trail run in the world". The temperature at the start on Tuesday hovered around freezing. "We had 93 foreigners and 62 Nepali runners. This year was our tenth anniversary and when we started we only had two foreigners," said organizer Shikhar Pandey when asked.

The winner was Phurba Tamang, a Nepalese runner who completed the race in three hours, 41 minutes and 31 seconds -- just 11 seconds slower than his winning time two years ago.