KOTA KINABALU: Sabahan ultra trail runner Adelinah Lintanga is hoping to conquer her fear of heights as she prepares to scale Mount Everest in April.

       The 37-year-old will be joining four others – Ravichandran Tharumalingam, 57, from Kuala Lumpur; Fazilah Shahren from Sarawak; Elan Ghovan, 64, from Negri Sembilan; and Caine Yow, 67, from Selangor – in the 60-day expedition.

       “Mentally, I am prepared. Physically, I think I am too but I will put a thousand per cent more effort and preparation for this expedition because it will be 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 not to let this overpower my will to reach the summit,” she said.

       Adelinah said it has been a dream of hers since 2017 to scale and reach the summit of Everest ever since she took part in an ultra trail competition in Nepal that year.

       “I am happy and glad to be chosen for this expedition but am also excited and scared at the same time,” she said.

       Her coach is Ravichandran, better known as Ravi Everest as he conquered the summit twice, losing his fingers to frostbite in the process.

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

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

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

       “Every second you are there, you will be wondering ‘What am I doing here?',” Ravi said.

       He hoped that with the support from teammates and their sherpa guides, they would be able to give each other the strength needed to complete the climb and return safely.

       He stressed that safety was always his number one priority during any climb.

       Yow, also an avid climber and extreme sports enthusiast, hopes to make a name for himself as being the oldest Malaysian to reach the summit of Everest.

       “I am not young anymore and for me, it is one of my dreams to reach the summit,” he said.

       He said as climbers, they have to listen to their bodies and not push through if they cannot make it halfway through any expedition.

       Elan, on the other hand, expressed his excitement for the expedition, saying that he hoped his years of experience with extreme sports would come in useful.

       Earlier, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan promised to help Adelinah in any way possible through the state Cabinet, in helping her source for funding to go on the expedition.

       An estimated US$40,000 (RM167,832) is needed for each climber to scale Mount Everest, and this includes a US$11,000 (RM46,154) permit fee to be paid to the Nepalese government.