He tested his endurance by running ultramarathons in the four corners of the globe, and having finished all of them, he is now gearing up for the top. This time his destination is not Mount Olympus, which he has climbed more than 100 times, but the highest peak in the world, Everest.

Long-distance athlete Marios Giannakou will travel to the Himalayan mountain range on March 30th with the goal of trying to reach Everest on a green trail mission.

“The climbing expedition to Everest starts at the end of March and will last until the beginning of June, that is, about two months, during which climbers have to acclimatize due to lack of oxygen. Therefore, our goal is to be ready in the last ten days of May to make an attempt to climb the highest peak in the world, ”says the athlete from Drama, who, together with his team, set himself the goal of not only reaching the highest peak on the planet, but also during the descent so as not to leave marks on the mountain.

“Because of the climbing expeditions that try to make these ascents, heavy materials are too often left in the mountains and pollute the area. Therefore, our expedition, which we have given the name Eco-Everest Expedition, has as its goal demolish all the trash that will arise during the mission“, says Marios, who competed in the 500 km race in the Arctic in 2022. Now he knows the risk is greater than ever.

What made him make this decision? “I think that in life we ​​sometimes have to take some risks for the sake of what we dreamed of achieving, otherwise we will have to be content with a life that does not serve us and does not make us happy. I think life is too short not to live it the way it should be,” he says.

“Many times I analyze a project and think about what could go wrong. Therefore, the feeling of fear is necessarily born. I think it’s normal and human and it’s what prepares us to be more efficient and more prepared when the going gets tough.”

“What always drives me to these endeavors is the adventure, not so much the nature of the sport. After ten years in ultramarathons and ultradistances, I wanted to try myself in a completely different area, which includes a very large part of the adventure. So I decided to try something different this year than in recent years,” he explains, and when asked if there is a limit to everything he does, he replies: “Maybe there is a limit somewhere. Where exactly I don’t know!

Why Everest? “Because he’s there!”

“Why Everest?” there was a question that automatically followed the discussion of limits, and Mario borrowed the famous dictum of British mountaineer George Mallory to answer, “Because it is.” Because it’s there. While he admits there are risks, he states that he is determined to try and climb to the top.

“At the extreme altitude, there are several dangers, since at the extreme altitude of 8848 meters, the existing oxygen is 1/3 of what exists at sea level. Therefore, due to the lack of oxygen there is a risk, if the person has not acclimatized properly, of getting HACE syndrome (high-altitude cerebral edema).), i.e. cerebral edema.

According to him, there is still a risk of pulmonary edema, avalanches and falls in the Kumbu Glacier area, which is one of the most difficult places in the area. “However, proper preparation and medical examinations work preventively and effectively,” explains Dramino, an ultra-long-distance athlete.

As for the conditions he is expected to encounter, he says they are always related to the weather at the time. “Temperatures can drop even as low as -45 degrees Celsius, and blizzards are a more frequent occurrence. which prevail at high altitude,” he says.

The effort will be dedicated to Ermis Theocharopoulos, who died exactly one year ago at Tzoumerka doing what he loves, as well as the fight for air rescue in Greece. “We all have an obligation to support this effort.”

RES-EMP source