Holly Zimmermann

A few days ago I got an email from a man named Apa Tenzing Sherpa, an Everest summiter and mountaineer. He called my attention to a web page that he oversees via the Climbing Gear Lab which posts helpful, interesting and well-written articles about mountaineering and rock climbing gear, technique as well as general geographical information. He asked if I’d be interested in including a link to one of his articles on my blog* since it related to my post on the Mount Everest Marathon. The article, entitled Mount Everest Deaths Statistics by Year (1922-2019) , is self-explanatory; it summarizes the deaths over the past 100 years on Mount Everest alone. Since I studied up on the dangers of high-altitude exposure and climbing in extreme weather conditions for sections of my book Running Everest , I am all too familiar with the risks; yet, people still die every year attempting to summit (or descend) the highest mountain on earth. A decision to climb any mountain should be ...

If you've been wondering why I haven’t posted a report, or anything actually, since the pre-race post on the Adventure Race Croatia, it’s because that race was the very first one in which I did not reach the finish line. Not that I didn’t want to or wasn’t capable of it, but in a team event, there is more than one person making decisions, and after only 33 hours, with a total of 15 minutes of sleep during that time, two of the guys on my team decided to throw in the towel.* Was it inadequate training that forced them to quit? Or lack of resilience? Or both? The term ‘resilience’ can be defined in many contexts: In ecology, the capacity of an ecosystem to recover from climate change; in engineering and construction, the ability of buildings and infrastructure to absorb assaults without suffering complete failure; and in psychology, an individual's ability to adapt in the face of adverse conditions. In endurance sports there are two aspects to resilience: physical and men...

Next week I will begin the greatest adventure of my life. At least I hope it will be great. I am nervous. Nervous because there are so many question marks and so much for me that is new. Not only will I be racing the longest distance that I’ve ever competed in, for the longest duration non-stop, but there are sports disciplines which are new to me as well as the dynamic of competing on a team. What is this crazy race? It’s called the AdventureRace Croatia , a 500-kilometer, 10,000-meter elevation gain/loss, non-stop event involving not only running, but also mountain biking, climbing, rappelling, kayaking and, since there is no marked course, navigation with maps and compass.  Teams of four athletes must include both males and females and any combination thereof. Our team consists of three guys and me. We must complete the entire race together, staying within 100 meters of each other at all times. There are 41 teams from around the world; we are the only one repre...

  Click here for the English version 11. Mai 2019 Strecke M: 16 km (17+), 960 hm (1040) Bedingungen: Schlamm, Schnee, Regen, Schneeregen, Wind, Kälte und mehr Schlamm Obwohl es sich um eine neue Serie handelt, werden die MountainMan-Rennen professionell organisiert, als hätten sie jahrelange Erfahrung, aber es herrscht ein unverkennbar familiäres Gefühl. Die Organisatoren und das Support-Personal lächeln und lachen immer und haben Spaß dabei, sich auf die Bedürfnisse eines jeden ihrer Läufer einzustellen. Bei ihren Rennen fühlen Sie sich wirklich wie ein Teil der Familie und treffen sich zu diesem jährlichen Wiedersehen an einigen der malerischsten Orte, die die Welt zu bieten hat. Bin es nur ich oder hast du das Gefühl, je schlechter das Wetter ist, desto mehr Spaß haben Trailrunner? Man hört sie nicht jammern, wenn Mutter Natur böse und wild ist und sie an ihre Grenzen treibt, aber man hört Trailrunner an schönen Sonnentagen jammern, weil es dann einfach zu ... ...

Hier klicken für die deutsche Version Although a new series, the MountainMan races are professionally organized as though there are years of experience, but there is unmistakably a very familial feel. The team and support staff are always smiling and laughing, having a blast themselves, while ready to jump to the needs of any of their runners. At their races, you really feel like part of the family, meeting up for that annual reunion in some of the most picturesque locations the world has to offer. 11 May 2019 Strecke M: 16 km (17+), 960 HM (1040)  Conditions: Mud, Snow, Rain, Sleet, Wind, Cold... and more Mud Interview with Rudi and Stephan :) Is it just me or do you get the feeling that the worse the weather is, the more fun trail runners have? You don’t hear them complaining if Mother Nature is wicked and wild and pushes them to their limits, but you DO hear trail runners complain on beautiful sunny days because then it is just too… well, they say ‘warm’ but ...

The question I am most often asked is not “ How do you train for running in the desert?” nor “ How do you stay motivated during those long runs? ”, but rather two simple words, “ What’s next? ” And from those who know the type of races I prefer to run, they ask the question, waiting with bated breath, hoping that I will dazzle them with something off the charts. No pressure there. Bu honestly, I don’t choose races for the ‘Wow’-factor, I keep my eyes and ears open as to what is out there, waiting patiently until I hear of a race that sends a chill down my spine, and then I know it is the next one. Choosing races of such magnitude with any other motivation I think would make it impossible to invest in the amount of training, planning and preparation necessary to pull it off. During my down-time this past winter I created an Excel spreadsheet with all the race options that interest me including all of my standard short-distance races in and around Regensburg that I run with my...

(Quelle: Impulse.de) (Click here for the English version)   Wir alle machen Ziele in unserem Leben: die meisten sind aber grob. Zum Beispiel, nach der Schule möchten wir vielleicht studieren, dann möglicherweise in der technischen Industrie arbeiten, schließlich heiraten und dann ein oder zwei Kinder haben. Aber im Sport, besonders für leistungsorientierte Sportler, sind grobe Ziele nutzlos. Es gibt also drei wichtige Aspekte für das Setzen von Zielen in Sport. Punkt 1. Ein spezifisches Ziel setzen Wir brauchen ein sehr bestimmtes Ziel; es sollte genau sein, z.B. auf dem Podest in Vereinsmeisterschaft stehen, oder innerhalb 6 monaten 10km unter 45min laufen, usw. Natürlich muss das Ziel realistisch sein. So sehr ich auch gerne Olympiasiegerin in Zehnkampf wäre, es wird niemals passieren. (Quelle: Fast4Education) Warum so ein bestimmtes Ziel? Stelle dir vor, du schießt einen Pfeil, aber es gibt kein Zielscheibe. Wo solltest du schießen?? Einfach in...