The Ladakh Marathon is a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

held in

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

, a town in the Indian Union Territory of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

. It claims to be the highest marathon in the world, held at a height of . The seventh edition of the Ladakh Marathon was held in 2018 and its ninth edition is happening in September 2022 after being cancelled for two subsequent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is full member of

Association of International Marathons and Distance Races The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of the organisers of long-distance road running races. It was founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors. Its membership w ...

. The marathon was organised "to foster national spirit and to encourage sport in Ladakh". It is the fifth marathon from India to get international recognition.

History

The Ladakh Marathon was started in 2012 following the

2010 Ladakh floods The 2010 Ladakh floods occurred on 6 August 2010 across a large part of Ladakh, then part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 71 towns and villages were damaged, including the main town in the area, Leh.Hobley, D.E.J., et al., 2012, Reconstructi ...

which claimed 200 lives as well as making several hundred people homeless. According to ''

The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *'' Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) *''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *'' Kokomo Tribune'' *'' Peru Tribune'' * ''The Tri ...

'' of India, "The initiative was started to convey to the world that Ladakh is back and running. It is aimed at encouraging the youth of Ladakh to live a healthy lifestyle by taking up running in hostile weather conditions and by becoming more aware of the need to protect the environmentally fragile region." The Ladakh marathon is claimed to be the highest marathon, but this claim is not supported by the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

, which recognises the

Everest Marathon Everest Marathon is an annual marathon event, held in the district of Solukhumbu, Nepal, around the vicinity of Mount Everest in May. With its starting point at 5401m Meter (Higher Everest Base Camp Height) from where the Climbing of Mount Everest ...

which starts at over 5,200 metres (17,100 ft), though 72 km Ultra Ladakh Marathon goes up to height of 17,618 feet.

Organisation

The Ladakh Marathon is organised by India's Rimo Expeditions with the support of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC). The LAHDC is an autonomous government body which administers the

Leh district Leh district is a district in the union territory of Ladakh, India. With an area of 45,110 ''km'2'', it is the second largest district in the country smaller only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by Gilgit-Baltistan's Kharmang and Gh ...

. Apart from recognition by the

the event is supported by the Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police, tourism ministry of the

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

government. "Timing Technologies" is the timing partner "Enerzal" energy drink partner and Bisleri the hydrant partner of the event.

Events

The Ladakh Marathon is divided into the four following categories: # 7 km Race: This is shortest form of this marathon. Schools students as well as tourists usually participate in this race. Although it is shortest form of the race, it still requires good physical health to run it at height of 11,500 ft. #

Half Marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

: 21 km race. It starts at NDS stadium on the Leh Manali highway and passes through Choglamsar village. # Full Marathon: 42 km race. It starts and ends in

town, and passes through the Leh valley. The marathon course crosses the

Indus river The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmi ...

several times en route. # The Khardungla Challenge/Ultra Marathon: 72 km race. It starts in the village of Khardung and then continues uphill on the way to the village of

Khardung La Khardung La () or Khardung Pass is a mountain pass in the Leh district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The pass is on the Ladakh Range, north of Leh, and connects the Indus river valley and the Shyok river valley. It also forms the ...

at a height of 17,618 ft. With a distance of 72 km and a height of up to 17,618 ft, it is known as toughest and most challenging event of the Ladakh Marathon. "Travel India" called this event the "Mother of all Marathon races".

Participants

The inaugural running of the Ladakh Marathon in 2012 included 1,500 participants. Since then number of participants has been increased. The 2013 edition had 2,200 participants while in 2014 about 3,000 people participated. The recent 2018 marathon included close to 6,000 participants from 23 countries.

Acclimatization

The Ladakh Marathon is held at a height of 11,500 to 17,600 ft.

Acclimatization Acclimatization or acclimatisation ( also called acclimation or acclimatation) is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), ...

is the foremost issue at this height.

Altitude sickness Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People can respond to high altitude in different ways. Sympt ...

can occur at this height due to lack of oxygen. The Ladakh Marathon has a long pre-marathon work-out schedule to train the participants, helping them acclimatizing to the high altitude and hilly conditions. As per the official website of the Ladakh Marathon, athletes participating in 72 km "Khardungla Challenge" should arrive at

at least two weeks before marathon day.

Race day photos

In the last 5 years of Ladakh Marathon & Khardungla Challenge, the organizers continued the partnership with marathon photography experts SplitSecondPixSplitSecondPix
/ref> to provide photo technology for the event. A team of 25 photographers venture out into the extreme terrains of Ladakh to capture the action of the ultra marathon. Starting at 3am in Khardong village and temperatures of −10 °C to 17586 ft Khardung La pass and descending into the Leh Valley the photographers capture the timeless moments through its lenses. Participants can visit the event website or SplitSecondPix website to find these timeless photos on basis of their Bib number.

Winners

The Khardung La Challenge (72 km)

Winners of 72 km "The Khardung La Challenge" also known as "Ultra-Marathon" are as follows. Since 2015, special 72 km Khardung La Challenge for women was started. Women Khardung La Challenge 72 km winner

Marathon 42 km (Women)

Marathon 42 km (Men)

References

{{Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh Marathons in India Sport in Jammu and Kashmir Tourism in Ladakh Sport in Ladakh Recurring sporting events established in 2012 2012 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir