Imagine you were invited to a challenge where you had to race your most bitter rival to the top of Mount Everest and only the winner would get the chance to plant his flag at the top.

You prepared meticulously for the race with the means you had at your disposal, but once you arrived at the start, you realised that you were already staring defeat in the face: your rival had secured the best equipment, the best Sherpas, not to mention all the oxygen bottles in the area.