Ladakh Marathon : For the resilient & the brave

Ladakh marathon is one of world’s highest altitude marathon @ 11,155ft / 3.4Km from sea level. Started in 2012, post the devastating floods, to inform the world that Ladakh was up & running. The run happens in the backyard of picturesque Himalayas with stunning mountains, rivers & valleys.

Characteristics of running in Ladakh at this higher altitude are depletion in oxygen levels (around 50-60% as compared to our usual), change in atmospheric pressure, varying temperatures (2deg to 25deg in summer), piercing rays of sun, undulating terrain. This impacts normal bodily functions. Altitude sickness is very common and hence we get there early to acclimatise. In short, It’s an adventure sport in itself.

When I signed up for the marathon 6m ago, I had not really comprehended with what it meant. I signed up because many said it’s a great race to run. By then I was already training for long runs and guessed this would help. Took a leap of faith & went with the flow

Honestly, from the time I landed in Leh, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it. Guess, I was brave enough (or foolish enough) to register for this event without having got into details. Further more, the last few weeks before race were busy with intercontinental & cross country travel, that did take a toll on the body & mind. A week before the marathon was a washout, having run only 26Km of the plan.

Coming to the race, 690 registered for the the full marathon or 42.2Km of which around 500 ran the race. I happened to be one of them ??. And it seems I am in top 15% of this group. Not that I am bragging, but this should mean something??. Fortunately, I had been training well, thanks to Coach Deepa Nayak who ensured I built my endurance, gradually increasing my weekly mileages, supported by strength & core exercises. Guess training whenever possible, and with sincerity, helped.

Lessons 1

• Know where you are headed, what’s your target. You might not have all the details at first. Don’t let that stop you, slow you down. Start with what you know, research further & develop your strategy. Strategy will evolve as things get clearer. And then put a plan together to drive that strategy. And execute on that plan.
• Start preparing early, follow a plan, execute it sincerely, track progress, accept challenges & failures, introspect & learn, course correct as needed. Rome was not built in 1 day.
• We reap benefits of our efforts, directly or indirectly, in time. So putting in “sincere” effort is important.

After landing at Ladakh, we have to acclimatize. This is at least 2days affair. Yet, we went for practice runs from day2 as I felt ok. And, every run just challenged my endurance. Breathing became a big challenge. I was huffing & puffing within 100m of start. Nonetheless, the day came, 8th Sep 2024. And I ran the race, hoping to complete. And, having set an interesting target for myself - I have to finish the race by 11am, meaning in 5hr to catch a flight immediately ??. That truly was the only thing running in my mind. All pace & distance calculations were basis that. If I compete 10k in 55mins, I can target 32 by running 8k/hr. This then dropped to 7K/hr after completing 20K in 2hrs. And when I knew I was in striking distance, I slowed. No thanks to the steep climb. Not something I recommend, but it was one of the days I decided to do so.

Lessons 2

• We need to have a goal , a target, how much ever small or big it might be. These have to be SMART - specific, measurable, achievable & actionable, relevant & repeatable, time-bound & trackable. It will shape our actions, and help monitor our progress. Why?
• Goals become easier when you break it down to measurable, manageable level, easy to track & monitor. They are easy to visualize, results are comprehendible, and hence appreciate.
• As we succeed with this unit, and get to it early, we are more confident in achieving the larger target
• As we start closing on the target, rather than slowing down, consider stretching further.
• And, then work towards exceeding / overachieving the plan

Of course, due to high altitude I continued to have breathing issues. I tired & settled for what felt comfortable & safe, not over extending beyond limits.

Lessons 3

• Growth is not just doing what we know & do, but also about going outside our comfort zone, doing things differently, taking more responsibilities. Meaning, we will need to stretch ourselves to know our limits, learn to extend further, while taking responsibilities, and set new benchmarks

In Ladakh, having decided to run at this high altitude for 1st time, operating with many unknowns, stretched to the point where it seemed doable. On hindsight I feel I could have extended further, but then decided to settle into what felt safe. It was matter of health as well.

Lesson 4

• You train for it - physically & mentally. And you prepare for it with systematic planning & follow through on action steps - set by yourself, with your coach, based on your goals.
• There will be times when you will not be able to stick to your plan. It might impact your goals. Be prepared for such situations. know it, prepare for it, and be ready to course correct. Don’t get too carried away
• It’s you who endures it. You demonstrate resilience & grit.
• You lead the way, with guidance from mentors & coach. But, finally you make it happen
• You meet a lot of people on this journey, who also contribute in their own way. Listen to them. Appreciate them. Acknowledge it.
• When you get to the finish line, you should be satisfied to have reached this goal. May over achieve or fall short, but you make it to the end. And you introspect for future.
• There will be good days & bad days. Both events have to analyzed, introspected. Lessons learnt, and immediately implemented.
• Most important learning of all - I M Possible (nothing is impossible).

Lessons 5

• Everyone is important, & they contribute? in some way. We went as a group. We spent time together. We got to know each other. And in our way we cared for each other, helped one another, appreciated our individualistic needs, and never breached boundaries.

Finally, the realization

While we ran this to achieve a goal, it made me realise this is also a way for all of us to appreciate the hardships of our soldiers who endure it for their living. With Ladakh sharing borders with Pakistan, China, one doesn’t need to explain this any further. Most of the wars have been fought around Ladakh. While for us it was running at this altitude, for them this is there way of life. For me, Ladakh might have happened just as an after thought when someone mentioned of running in ladakh, nothing more, nothing less. But what I take back from here is the privilege I experience every day in the warmth of my home with my family, that these soldiers have made it possible for us all to enjoy.

So from learnings that are relevant for work & in life, Ladakh Marathon is also something that increases my appreciation of armed forces & their role in keeping our borders safe. You experience it up close.

As I record my thoughts, I am in disbelief ?? of how it all started for me. But am bewildered ?? with what I have experienced & achieved. And importantly some friendships for life.

Signing off for now. And of course, I expect to be back at Ladakh for the next edition!!!

#resilient #brave #SMART #LadakhMarathon #marathon #running