Holly Zimmermann

The Everest Marathon is known for its extremes. Extremely high, extremely technical, extremely remote and, above all, extremely, breathtakingly beautiful. To begin, what other race on earth takes ten days to get to the starting line? From Kathmandu it’s a 30-minute flight to the beginning of the trek which commences in the Himalayan village of Lukla. Sounds wonderfully idyllic. And it is, if all goes well. But this is Nepal and the clock ticks differently here. Our 30-minute hop of a flight was delayed due to poor weather  in the mountains. Then after finally taking off six hours later, only 15 minutes into the trip we were told that the weather window had closed in Lukla and a landing there wasn't possible. We’d be turning back to Kathmandu. Once back in the capital city, we taxied around on the runway till we pulled up next to a small building and the pilots jumped out of the cockpit to use the bathroom. The 15 passengers were also let out briefly to use the facilities wh...

I know I haven’t written much lately…with the release of the book I have been overwhelmed with marketing tasks that are all new to me…so unfortunately the blog has been silent. But what a way to get started up again with the Tenzing-Hillary Mount Everest Marathon! This year will be the 16 th edition of the event which takes place each year on May 29 th to commemorate the first successful ascent to the summit of the highest peak on earth, which happened in 1953 and thus we’ll be running on the 65 th anniversary of the great day! I will fly from Munich over Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu on May 14th, then fly to the tiny Himalayan village of Lukla on May 16th where we begin the climb. A brief word on Lukla. Its is frequently referred to the home of ‘the most dangerous airport in the world’. Arriving and departing aircraft must use a single STOL (short-takeoff-and-landing) runway. There is low prospect of a successful go-around on short final due to the terrain. There is high...

When I crossed the finish line in Boston, I was on cloud nine, but the primary emotion was that of relief because I could finally stop running. I was completely, physically empty. Like every other runner who’d just finished, I walked wearily forward and filtered into the mass of exhausted human beings as we wove our way farther up Boylston Street to be greeted and cared for by the B.A.A. volunteers. We first collected water and HeatSheet blankets. I was freezing by the time I’d gotten mine; it’s amazing how fast your body cools down. They were also handing out stickers to bind the front of the HeatSheets closed, but I didn’t have the energy or coordination to take it in my hand and stick it on, so I just stood there like a child and had one of the volunteers attach it for me. I wasn’t the only runner to do this, and a smile was all I could summon as thanks. Then we got our medals, a bottle of Gatorade, and a bag of food. The volunteers handing out these items were so friendly and we...

(See below for the English version) Vor kurzem, an einem eiskalten Wintertag Anfang Februar, ging ich mit Wolfgang Scholz in den Bergen über dem Zeller See in Österreich um eine kleine Laufrunde zu drehen. Wer ist Wolfgang Scholz überhaupt? Obwohl er in seiner Disziplin einer der besten Athleten der Welt ist, ist sein Name nicht sehr bekannt. Denn bis vor kurzem wurde sein Sport mehr in der Freizeit als im Wettkampf ausgeübt.  Wolfgang ist Europameister im Nordic Walking über die 10 Kilometer Distanz und Vizeweltmeister in der Halbmarathon. Mit 44 ist er nicht unbedingt in der Altersgruppe, in der man normalerweise Weltklasse-Athleten findet, und obwohl er für seine Jahre in ausgezeichnetem Kondition ist, schreibt er seinen Erfolg der richtigen Technik und nicht der körperlichen Fitness zu. Nein, ich fange nicht mit Nordic Walking an. Aber im vergangenen Sommer, als ich versuchte, die 85 Kilometer und 5000 Höhenmeter des Hochkönigman Endurance Trail, genau auf der anderen Se...

Vertical Skitour Racing (Source: International Ski Mountaineering Federation) I had a panic attack in the gondola. Just a minor one, where my heart started racing and that feeling of helplessness swept over me. With Luca (right) and Anton Palzer (Austrian ski touring king!)  The race started at 6 pm, after the slopes were free of the daytime skiers, the course could be marked, and the sun set behind the mountains welcoming darkness over the valley. This last point was the instigator for the panic. It was so dark in the gondola that I could barely see the faces of the people sitting just feet in front of me. The tall evergreens zipping by were a blur and the ground below was indiscernible. What if I get lost? What if my headlamp batteries die out? What if I can’t finish the race, have to stop, and freeze to death out here because no one can find me in this blackness?!? Crossing the Finish Luca was with me. My daughter’s 17-year-old boyfriend. He’d also n...

With the arrival of kale season it is time for a recipe with the king of the green veggies. This is currently the favorite soup of my whole family and it usually gets made a little differently each time. I have found several similar recipes on the Internet, and have taken the best ideas from them all and come up the general recipe here. You can also add whatever extra vegetables you happen to have in the fridge or substitute potatoes for the quinoa. Also, feel free to spice it up any way your taste buds desire. Fresh kale plants in my car  A brief nutritional note on kale...  it has nearly 200% of our daily requirements of Vitamins A and C, it is loaded with Omega 3- and 6-fatty acids; plus, it contains major doses of Vitamin K (684%), folate, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. It puts spinach to shame! KALE, QUINOA & WHITE BEAN SOUP Source: The Simple Veganista Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 yellow onion, diced 2 lar...