The Ladakh Marathon tests the very best

Across freezing passes and oxygen-starved trails, Ladakh's marathon becomes a rite of endurance

- Shail Desai

A familiar sight greets Disket Dolma, 27, each day when she gets to work at Metta Cafe in Leh. Adorning the ceiling is a row of multi-coloured bibs that announces the exploits of endurance athletes who've completed various races across Ladakh. Though she doesn't make much of it, her colleagues throw in a reminder every now and then—they want her medal hanging there soon.

It's the kind of pressure that comes as the defending champion of the Ladakh Marathon. After finishing as runner-up in 2022 and 2023 behind her training mate Jigmet Dolma, 32, who also holds the course record (3 hours, 18 minutes, 56 seconds), Disket came up with a mighty effort to win last year's race by over 25 minutes. Her performance this year—ninth among the elite Indian women at the Tata Mumbai Marathon and fifth at the Delhi Marathon—will certainly make her one of the favourites for the 12th edition of the race on 14 September.

"It's always tricky when we are running together. Jigmet and I are part of the same training group, so we know each other really well and keep pushing one another. I've missed just one edition of this race, so the experience certainly helps, especially when it comes to the race route that we run on regularly," Dolma says.

The Ladakh Marathon is gradually becoming a regular feature on India's racing calendar—from 1,906 entries in 2022, there are 6,160 runners this year. There's the draw of endurance in the Silk Route Ultra (122km) and the Khardung La Challenge (72km), the test of speed in the marathon and the half marathon categories, and the delight of running a 5km for greenhorns at altitude.