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.

ladakhmarathon.com

Flying from sea level to Leh at 3524 metres (11,562 ft), it’s strongly recommended you rest for at least 3 days. To acclimatize.

I recall doing exactly that after flying in to Lhasa 3,650m some years ago.

Instead I decided to register for the Ladakh Half Marathon. … What could go wrong?

Luckily for me they turned away my last minute US$35 registration. With nearly 4000 runners already signed up, I was one too many.

I’ll acclimatize at least 3 days before hitting the trail. After all. 🙂