The 1,300-kilometre route traverses some of the Himalayas' highest and most remote terrain, crossing 21 mountain passes, many above 6,000 metres, with a cumulative elevation gain of about 90,000 metres, according to the project's organizers.
Jakub Szczepański aims to complete the route in 45 days after several years of preparation, including reconnaissance expeditions, high-altitude training and equipment testing.
Jakub Szczepański. Photo: Materiały prasowe/Press kit
The trail passes through areas surrounding Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Mount Everest, the Rolwaling Valley, Manaslu and Annapurna, exposing participants to extreme altitude, unpredictable weather and limited infrastructure.
Unlike traditional trekking expeditions, Szczepański's project calls for completing the route primarily by running, significantly increasing both the physical and mental demands of the challenge.
"This is not a trekking expedition," Szczepański said in a statement. "Running in the Himalayas is not only about pace and results, but above all about managing energy, risk and your own mind. It is a prolonged endurance effort in an environment that does not forgive mistakes."
"Running in the Himalayas is not only about pace and results, but above all about managing energy, risk and your own mind," says Polish ultrarunner Jakub Szczepański (pictured). Photo: Materiały prasowe/Press kit
The project, called RunGHT, also includes scientific research into human performance in extreme environments in cooperation with international research institutions.
Organizers said the expedition would be documented in real time and later featured in a documentary film and a book.
The Great Himalaya Trail High Route is widely regarded as one of the world's most demanding long-distance mountain routes, and attempts to complete it by running remain exceptionally rare.
Szczepański, a philosopher and lecturer at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, southern Poland, is scheduled to begin the attempt on October 15.
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Source: pap-mediaroom.pl