Barry has supported Go Dharmic since the charity was founded, this year he decided to take his support to the next level and travel to Nepal to trek 42 km across Mount Everest! The idea of the Original Everest Marathon arose in 1985, after 2 years of planning the first race was run in 1987, and since then it has been completed every year by over 50 people from around the world. Barry decided to complete the marathon early this year and completed months of training in preparation for it. The marathon is said to be one of the most difficult challenges in the world, as participants are not only traveling such a long distance, but they also have the added pressure from the weather conditions, altitude and all of the consequences that come with it.
Barry arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal on the 16th of November, and met with our Go Dharmic representative in Nepal, Janarden, they made plans for the future and how the money raised by Barry will help develop schools and libraries in Nepal. He also spent a day sightseeing and getting to know his teammates before the hard work began!
The next 15 days were spent acclimatizing whilst trekking from Namche Bazaar to Gorak Shep. These were the most uphill and difficult treks he would have done during his whole time on the mountain whilst his body was becoming accustomed to the harsh conditions of the area.
After the climatization, it was race day, and on the 2ns of December, he completed the marathon in just under 9 hours!
A few words from Barry: ‘Thank you all so much for the support!! Been the most challenging three weeks of my life but amazing to hold up Go Dharmic flag at Base Camp and wear Go Dharmic top finishing Everest Marathon. Will put this great charity on the map’
There’s still time to donate to Barry’s Just Giving page, his bravery, and determination to complete the marathon are truly inspiring. Last summer he received a sports injury, so he was unable to train for the whole summer, nonetheless, he completed the marathon with a great time and we are so proud of him!
To donate please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/barrygoudriaaneverestmarathon All of the money raised by Barry will be donated to his chosen campaign, ‘Shape a Future’, where we develop libraries in some of the poorest and most underdeveloped schools in India, Nepal, and Africa.
Earlier last month we partnered with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club for the Sport for Good Dinner to support Barry’s mission to help Go Dharmic develop schools and his December we will be completing our 50th library in GIFT City, Gujarat, India! So far our libraries have reached over 23,000 children around the world!
