When Peter Counsell heard that a marathon existed on Mount Everest, he thought "gee that'd be good to do".
The 65-year-old completed the epic journey over eight hours in May.
He will tell the story tonight in an audio-visual presentation at South Newcastle Rugby League Club in Merewether.
"Normally you start a marathon at the starting line. This one took 12 days to get to the start line," he said.
"You have to fly into the world's most dangerous airport called [the Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport].
"From there it's a 12-day trek up to base camp [elevation 5300 metres] and you've got to acclimatise along the way."
The 42.2km marathon is run downhill from base camp, but winds through valleys so a lot of the course is uphill.
"You end up camping on top of the glacier, where the earthquake hit a few years ago.
"Imagine you're up in the sky and a little bit more. That's where you're starting from. I've done 30 marathons. This was by far the hardest."
Dealing with the altitude is a challenge.
"Literally after a short walk, you're pretty much out of breath. We had a couple of doctors there who tested us every couple of days for oxygen levels to make sure we're OK," he said.
"For the first five kilometres, you're literally running along a glacier. It's incredibly rocky. It's just about impossible to run unless you're a sherpa.
"You're sharing a very narrow trail with yaks, porters and other trekkers, so it's a lot of stopping and dodging."
The yaks have the right of way.
"Normally I might do a marathon in four hours, this one took double that."
The weather was part of the challenge.
"At the start, you're totally surrounded by snow and ice. So you have to dress in all the gear, not knowing whether you'll be in the middle of a blizzard or stinking hot when the sun comes out."
Peter said he runs marathons "basically to keep fit". "A lot of my colleagues are now retired and they tend to sit around and vegetate and their health just goes. They get overweight and really don't have much to look forward to," he said.
He likes "just going out and doing stuff" and meeting people from around the world.
On the run, he was in a group of 18.
"We had people from Brazil, Mexico, India, Nepal and England," he said.
Peter has been trekking to Nepal for 40 years. "In the early days, I used to lead the treks. Now I try to get over at least once every couple of years," he said.
The people, culture and scenery attract him to the country.
"People are really friendly, the scenery is beyond comprehension and the culture is the Buddhists and Hindus mixed together. Kathmandu is like going to a different planet. It's still very much Third World. A lot of people are doing it tough."
His presentation will raise money for the Australian Himalayan Foundation.
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