The 4th Ladakh Marathon ran Sunday September 13th.
I tried to register in person on the 12th. And was turned down. Told they already had 4000 registrants. But went to watch the start anyway, just for fun.
In past years (we heard) the start was atop the Peace Stupa.
A runner from Bangalore and I climbed the steep stairs in the early dawn light, both feeling the altitude.
We were wrong. The start was actually down below on the other side of the Stupa.
The full marathon drops down to cross the Indus river. Then climbs up to Stok – the green patch under the mountains. The Dalai Lama spends a lot of time in Stok. I’ll start my trek there.
And they’re off.
I’d estimate about 1000 runners. Perhaps 4000 total were registered, counting all the local students that didn’t actually turn up. 🙂
Still, it was an impressive sight.
Rick McCharles 