Leh – The First were too fast and I was too late
10. + 11. September 2026
Tsering had to spend the whole day making tea, serving, etc., for a mourning gathering—so she dropped me off at the bus in the morning, and I took it back to Leh. It was interesting because it was my first time riding an electric bus here. They’ve been in service since late 2022. They looked a bit more run-down than expected, but this one ran smoothly and briskly all the way to Leh.
In Leh, I met up with Eva again, who had just finished a 10-day Vipassana retreat. I was able to recommend the Ngari Institute in Saboo to her for the next few days—and she actually really likes it!
Optimistically, I wanted to set up a homestay trek for the 12th. The guide I had in mind couldn’t make it after all because he had too much work to do at home. So I had to find a new one. There is a WhatsApp group for local guides, and one immediately responded who I found off-putting… Three others also reached out (they seemed nicer), and then I remembered someone from Zanskar I had crossed paths with a few times. And yes, he was free! We met at Kharlam Cafe. While I was waiting, another familiar face popped up: Vanathi! She’s from Tamil Nadu, and I first met her back in 2023 during a hike in Manali and got to know her a bit. A truly impressive woman. And here I meet her again in the far north in a tiny cafe—isn’t the Indian world small sometimes?
She is here with her husband and friends, and they want to do some serious hiking and climb a few peaks. I chatted with one of her buddies for a bit longer. He’s an ultra-runner, but he had never been at this kind of altitude before. A really nice guy.
This place is crawling with people here for all the different events under the Ladakh Marathon umbrella. The Silk Route Ultra—122 km with the 5,360 m high Khardung La (2,530 m up and 2,150 m down)—is the toughest, and only 100 runners are allowed to enter. Then there’s the Khardung La Challenge at 72 km, where you “only” have to go up 1,430 m and down 1,890 m. Compared to those, the 42 km marathon with its 400 meters of elevation gain almost sounds easy. You can read more about it on the website of the Ladakh Marathon.
The Silk Route Ultra started in the evening and the Khardung La Challenge during the night, with both scheduled to finish in the Main Bazaar in the morning. I really wanted to see that—and ended up missing the very first finishers, who were much faster than expected at 12:12 and 12:37 hours. I went down a bit later and was amazed by how light on their feet other runners looked coming across the finish line. I saw almost exclusively men, though women were also out on the course or had already finished. The winner was from Zanskar, and second place went to a truly impressive man from Jaipur, which is down at sea level. Usually, local Ladakhis sweep the top spots, making his achievement all the more remarkable. Here are the two of them at the award ceremony:
Then I have the fastest woman from the Khardung La Challenge here, who was beaming, though limping a bit as well. And a fast runner who is at the Ladakhi Scouts.
You could only tell where people had started by looking at their bib numbers. Either way, I never would have thought anyone could run those final few meters looking so light on their feet. A few of them were feeling pretty patriotic along the way.
After 22 hours of the Silk Route Ultra and 14 hours of the Khardung La Challenge, the broom wagon essentially arrived. I went back down shortly before and watched the final runners come in. I was just as amazed by them as I was by the first-place finishers. Some were still running with real momentum, others couldn’t get past walking pace, but everyone was clapped for. And it moved me. Because they had been out there on the road fighting for almost 22 or 14 hours straight. When you take that long, you are fighting. And when they actually make it across the finish line, I find it so moving—and the supportive atmosphere so beautiful—that it almost brings a tear to my eye. I especially liked the ones who didn’t look like runners at all. And yet they made it.
Insider: I ran a marathon back in 2002 and took over 5 hours. I wasn’t right in front of the broom wagon, but I fought. A running coach once told me she admired us slow runners much more—she couldn’t stand being out on the road for 5 hours, which is why she preferred running faster. And every running event of this kind reminds me of that single race of mine. Back then, I was deeply moved too, mostly by the supportive spectators and the enthusiastic kids. And by the fact that I had actually made it.
The history of the marathon here is also interesting. The very first one took place in 2012. It was launched as a community recovery and resilience initiative following the devastating flash floods that hit the region in August 2010. The goal was to signal to the world that Ladakh was rebuilding, while encouraging local youth to take up endurance sports. I was there back then too and was amazed. I never would have thought a) that people actually took part back then, and b) that it would expand so much. In 2012, 1,500 people started, and now there are more than 6,000.
So, but now the pics:
I forgot to mention: I came to an agreement with Ringchen from Zanskar the day before, and tomorrow we’re heading off to the Sham Region. I’m hoping so, so hard that with the asthma spray and taking things nice and slow, everything goes smoothly!