Mt. Everest

First thing they teach you in WFR about altitude is that not everyone responds to it the same, so just because you're in awesome shape doesn't mean you'll respond well at all.

I get the lean part, but I think in situations like that it's more important to be EATING fat than to BE fat. Many climbers aren't too much heavier than your average (not elite) distance runner, so I think choosing the right clothing, eating correctly, and staying warm through other methods would probably matter more.

Are you an aspiring climber?

look at the sherpas.

build of a distance runner with a little more non bulk strength.

The increased red blood cells b/c of running would help. The relative lack of size would aid b/c it would decrease Oxygen consumption.

Haha not aspiring just yet; I'm still in college. Perhaps in the future though, it is pretty inspiring.

I'm still in college too, but hopefully in the future...

You can get a general idea by going to 10,000 feet from sea level (below 2000 ft) and running a mile at 7 min pace.

It was hard, but I did it (kinda like a tempo)

if 10,000 did that to me, I don't want to think what 20,000 ft would do, let alone nearly 30,000.

Hope you're not planning on running a 7:00 mile on the top of everest

Well, Ed Viesturs, the first American to summit all 14 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, runs 6 miles a day, if that tells you anything.

As for physique, most of the guys I climb with are significantly bigger than the average distance runner, especially the hardcore aplinists who are actually qualified to go climb something like Everest without being short-roped up by some unlucky sherpa. At those altitudes you literally can't eat enough food to meet your body's metabloic needs, so everyone starts burning muscle eventually, and being a smaller guy means you're going to run out sooner.

Doesn't mean the 6 miles a day is helping him with altitude...

I would agree that they're significantly bigger, but they don't have a significantly higher fat percentage, especially the hardcore alpinists. And you'd get hypothermia before you "burned through" all your muscle. I belive that the size difference between a distance runner and a climber would definitely not make *the* difference between making it and not, or surviving and not.