Vlad Morozov to run 1,000 miles solo across Nepal for Nepal Youth Foundation UK

When: 10^th September 2018

Where: From West Nepal to East Nepal**

Vladimir Morozov, 35, from Birmingham is to begin his latest challenge on 10^th September: to run 1,000 miles across Nepal solo and unassisted.

Vlad has completed several physical challenges such as the Tour du Mont Blanc and climbing several mountains (some solo) but nothing as immense as this. Until a few years ago, Vlad had never even exercised, but a critical event in his life gave him the wake up call he needed and he decided to lose weight and take up exercise. He took that to the extreme, however and having completed running and mountaineering and triathlon events, Vlad suffered burn out. He was diagnosed with exhaustion and over training. It took him 5 months to be able to start exercising again and when he did he realised he hadn’t lost his passion for it. He says “Getting back to training filled me with joy again. I wanted to test myself again now I knew my limits. I started by doing small challenges again and they seem to have got bigger and bigger – until this!”

Vlad has meticulously planned the route himself; a challenge and responsibility in itself that he finds incredibly rewarding. Using satellite images, elevation scans and old Chinese military maps, Vlad has chosen a route that starts by the India/Nepal border near Dadeldhura in the West and ends near Pashupantinagar in the East.** He has specifically designed the route to take into account its altitude (running between 1,000m and 2,500m altitudes.) and ensure he runs at the most suitable temperature.

It is not just the physical test of running such a distance and across unknown and challenging terrain that spurs Vlad on, but also he opportunity to travel, see different cultures and meet new people. He will be carrying all of his equipment and will be entirely self-sufficient. He plans to camp each night and source local food where possible, but isn’t afraid or proud to accept help if offered. He will be independent only to the point he needs to be. And the thought of being alone is not something Vlad dreads. In fact he feels the opposite: “Running has become meditative for me. I like the solitude of it and I’m at my happiest outside – between the sun above my head and the grass under my feet.”

Knowing how much he would enjoy it still wasn’t enough for Vlad: he wanted other people to benefit from his enjoyment and decided the best way would be to support a Nepalese charity. Vlad is raising money for Nepal Youth Foundation UK, a charity offering hope and opportunity to the most vulnerable children in Nepal since 1992. “I thoroughly researched charities in Nepal and when I saw the work that NYF was doing, it really clicked with me. We share similar values and I respect what they do. Some of the programmes they run are pioneering and they are clearly making a significant and enduring difference. I can’t wait to be able to see this for myself during my trip. “

Although Vlad will be running long distances every day to meet his goal of 1,000miles in under 3 months, there will be rest days and he will use this time to visit NYF’s projects and meet the children they help, as well as get to know the local communities that he is staying in. Visiting Nepal has been on Vlad’s radar; it was at the top of his dad’s wish list before he sadly passed away. Now Vlad has found the perfect way to combine his passions of adventure, nature and helping others as well as fulfilling the dream he shared with his late father.

To find out more about Vlad’s journey or to donate please visit www.runacrossnepal.org

To learn more about the charity he is supporting please visit: www.nepalyouthfoundation.org.uk

**The route may end up being reversed and going from East to West.

ENDS

For images or interviews please contact Hannah Coppersmith on 07803 421466 / hannah@nepalyouthfoundation.org.uk