| Ladakh Marathon | |
|---|---|
 The Ladakh Marathon logo | |
| Date | 11 - 14 September 2025, 12th edition |
| Location | Leh,Ladakh,India |
| Event type | Road race |
| Distance | Silk Route Ultra 122Km Khardungla Challenge Ultra 72Km Marathon Half Marathon 11.2Km Run 5km Run For Fun |
| Primary sponsor | None |
| Established | 2012 (2012) |
| Course records | Men's:2:56:51 (2019) Shabir HussainWomen's:3:18:56 (2017) Jigmet Dolma |
| Official site | Official website |
TheLadakh Marathon is amarathon held inLeh, a town in the Indian Union Territory ofLadakh. It claims to be the highest marathon in the world, held at a height of 11,500 to 17,618 feet (3,505 to 5,370 m).[1] The event's primary edition was held in 2012 and its latest edition was deferred to September 2022 due to COVID-19.[2] In 2015 the marathon joined theAssociation of International Marathons and Distance Races.[1] It is the fifth marathon from India to receive international recognition.[3]
The marathon began as an ambitious initiative to encourage the youth living in "hostile weather conditions" following the devastation of the2010 flash floods. Despite the region being an arid desert, the years leading up to the natural disaster saw more rainfall than the valley was used to.[1]
With the Khardung-La Challenge and the Silk Route Ultra runners going up to the height of 17,618 feet, the Ladakh Marathon claims to be the highest marathon route in the world.[1]
The Ladakh Marathon is organised by India's Rimo Expeditions with the support of theLadakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).[4] The 42 km run of the ninth edition was the qualifying race of series XIII of theAbbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Rankings.
With no sponsor at its helm, the Ladakh Marathon is supported by multiple partners, including Timing Technologies, Enerzal and Bisleri. In 2022 the Khardung-La Challenge partnered withTata Consumer Products' Himalayan with the objective of spreading awareness about the local communities being affected by melting glaciers.[2]
The Ladakh Marathon is divided into the four following categories:[1][5]
In 2012, the first Ladakh Marathon had 1,500 participants. Since then, the number of participants has exponentially increased, with the consecutive editions hosting 2,200 and 3,000 participants respectively. The recent 2023 marathon included close to 6,000 participants from 27 states of India and from 23 different countries.[7][4]
The Ladakh Marathon is held at a height of 11,500 to 17,600 ft.Acclimatization is the foremost issue at this height.Altitude sickness can occur at this height due to lack of oxygen. The Ladakh Marathon has a long pre-marathon work-out schedule to train the participants, helping them acclimatizing to the high altitude and hilly conditions. As per the official website of the Ladakh Marathon, athletes participating in 72 km "Khardungla Challenge" should arrive atLeh at least two weeks before marathon day.[8]
In the last 7 years of Ladakh Marathon, Khardungla Challenge & Silk Route Ultra, the organizers continued the partnership with marathon photography experts SplitSecondPix[9] to provide photo technology for the event. A team of 25 photographers venture out into the extreme terrains of Ladakh to capture the action of the ultra marathon. Starting at 3am in Khardong village and temperatures of −10 °C to 17586 ft Khardung La pass and descending into the Leh Valley the photographers capture the timeless moments through its lenses. Participants can visit the event website or SplitSecondPix[9] website to find these timeless photos on basis of their Bib number.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
The Khardung La Challenge (72 km)[edit]Winners of 72 km "The Khardung La Challenge" also known as "Ultra-Marathon" are as follows.[4][3][16][17][18][19]
Since 2015, special 72 km Khardung La Challenge for women was started. | Women Khardung La Challenge 72 km winner
|
| Marathon 42 km (Men)[edit]
|
| State symbols | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Administration | |||||||||||||||||||
| Geography |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Human settlements | |||||||||||||||||||
| Culture |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Tourism and wildlife |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Transport |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Infrastructure |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| See also |
| ||||||||||||||||||
