KOTA KINABALU: Like others before her who had conquered Mount Everest, extreme sports runner Adelinah Lintanga is seeking to do the same come April by putting in “1,000%.”

       “Mentally, I am prepared. Physically, I think I am too, but I will put 1,000% more effort. The preparation for this coming expedition is very different from all the runs I did before,” said the mother of one.

       “Of course, I am concerned about the high altitude. Who wouldn’t be? But I will try to not let this overpower my will to reach the summit,” Lintanga, 37, added.

       She said it had been a dream of hers to scale Mount Everest when she joined an ultra trail competition in Nepal in 2017.

       “I am happy to be one of the five chosen for this expedition. But I am also excited and scared at the same time,” she said.

       The Sabahan will be joining four others – Ravinchandran Tahru-malingam, 57, from Kuala Lumpur, Fazilah Shahren (Sarawak), Elan Ghovan, 64, (Negri Sembilan) and Caine Yow, 67, (Selangor) – in the 60-day expedition.

       Her coach for this expedition is Ravichandran, best known as “Ravi Everest”, who had conquered the summit twice and in the process, lost his fingers to frostbite.

       “We received quite a number of applicants to be part of the expedition but in the end, we chose Adelinah because we feel that she is the best and most qualified candidate,” Ravinchandran said.

       He said apart from physical preparation, those attempting to conquer Mount Everest must be mentally strong.

       “This is, in fact, more important for many climbers. Imagine sleeping on cold hard ice for 60 days and going to the toilet high up on the mountain which is constantly shaking.

       “Every second you are there, you will be asking ‘what am I doing here?’,” Ravinchandran said.

       However, he hoped that with the support of teammates and their Sherpa guides, they could motivate each other to complete their climb and return safely.

       Ravinchandran emphasised that safety would be, and had always been, his number one priority during any climb.

       Yow, who is also an avid climber and extreme sports enthusiast said:“I am not young anymore and it is one of my dreams to reach the summit.”

       He said as climbers, they have to listen to their bodies and not push through if they feel they cannot continue with the expedition.

       Elan expressed his excitement and hoped his years of experience in extreme sports would not let him down.

       Earlier, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan promised to assist Adelinah and help her source for funding to complete the climb.

       An estimated US$40,000 (RM167,832) is needed for each climber to scale Mount Everest.

       This includes a US$11,000 (RM46,154) permit fee to be paid to the Nepalese government.