One of the few shoots I was able to get out there and shoot during Covid. It was great to get in the hills, meet Ricky and be a part of this super project. The team behind the fantastic trail running mag ‘Like the Wind’ have created this beautiful new book for 2022 called ‘Running Wild’. I shot the Lake District section with runner Ricky Lightfoot in Buttermere a few months back, and the Great Himalaya Trail section with Lizzy Hawker.
A short story about a long run
I arranged to meet Lizzy Hawker – the 5-time winner of the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc – in the Everest region to take some pictures of her record-breaking run from Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu. She ran the route non-stop in 63 hours and 8 minutes which is a truly astonishing achievement. We chose to meet on the ridge above Dingboche which has spectacular views of Ama Dablam and the Khumbu valley. We met early in the morning hoping for the best light but cloud was folding in quickly and by the time Lizzy arrived I barely had time to shoot a dozen or so pictures before the mountains disappeared altogether. At the time I was disappointed not to have been able to take more pictures but while the clouds filled the valley I was able to get this shot of Lizzy silhouetted against Ama Dablam. The picture is the now the cover of her recently published book Runner.
"Runner tells Lizzy’s story and in so doing, uncovers the journey of the physical, mental and emotional challenges that runners go through at the edge of human endurance. From the school girl running the streets of London to breaking records on the world’s mountains and toughest races, Lizzy Hawker is an inspiration to anyone who would like to see how far they can go, running or not."
You can buy Lizzy's book Runner on Amazon
Lizzy Hawker with Ama Dablam in the distance
Lizzy Hawker promo shots for North Face
While working on my last project at Everest base camp I also had the great fortune of spending some time working with inspiring Lizzy Hawker. Lizzy is an endurance athelete and world record holder for the ‘Everest Mailrun’, a route taken by those carrying letters to and from expeditions at Everest base camp before the opening of Lukla airstrip in 1964. The route is a dizzying 319km from Everest base camp to Kathmandu. Lizzy already had the record with a time of 71 hours, which she has now successfully beaten with a new record of 63 hours! Her principal sponsor is The North Face who needed some new photography of Lizzy in action. Here's some of the shots...
