Yes Indeed! You definitely got to put up a smile before you get your arse whipped and the pain is surreal. But we live for it, we live to gain all the insights on what it takes to grow wiser in the field of Ultra Running.
The Season two had begun and post the Nandi Trail run, it was the time for yet another biggie. The Khardungla Challenge 72kms was on the waiting list since 2020 and had actually planned this event prior to LAULTRA 111kms. But this never happened due to Covid and I ended up doing 111kms before the ice breaker of 72kms at Khardungla. Nevertheless, LAULTRA was a confidence booster but when in Leh things can turn upside down in no time.
A strict schedule followed by plans to acclimatise and earn the altitude during the recce runs is a slow and steady process one needs to adhere to in Leh and FYI, this cannot and must not be compromised. The organizers have done a pretty good job by mandating the BIB pickup for respective race well in advance to ensure runners do reach Leh for the much needed acclimatisation.
Keeping that in mind, I landed on 30th August early morning to juice out as much as I could the following weekend in terms of recce runs and build some confidence by aligning to the weather conditions. Day 1 was easy filled with rest, hydration, sleep. Day 2, a short walk towards Shanti Stupa is a much needed one to sink into the hot weather of Leh and yes, it was surprisingly hot instead of cold.
Day 3, a run towards Khardungla and back, to cover over 15kms with a gradual gain in elevation. It was not wise to hit the altitude this early, hence waited a day out.
In Pic :- Vijay and Hitesh
The Bib distribution was scheduled on 31st August and 1st September. The race kit primarily comprised of the rain jacket, t-shirt, and timed bib.
With just over a week left for the event and Sunday being right at the corner, a solid recee run with 4am start made it to our schedule. This was much needed to familiarise with the conditions that would prevail in the wee hours of Leh. The conditions were pretty warm this time compared to what it was in April. A couple of layer clothing and off we go towards Khardungla for a 15km uphill followed by a downhill 15km making it a 30km run for the day and a good excuse for a sumptuous meal.
With five more days left for the D day, it was about time that I take the much needed rest from runs but continued a bit on the strength training that adds a feel good factor to stay active during the week rather than feeling lethargic by doing nothing.
Runners were requested to report on 8th September, 9am at Marathon Hub to be transported to the start line in Khardung where the stay and dinner was arranged. Mind you, I hadn’t been to Khardungla yet and hence the acclimatisation with elevation gain was still due. I therefore decided to venture a day before i.e 7th September on bike to Khardungla peak and onwards to Khardong village.
While I rested the night of 7th, it gave me quite an insight of the weather conditions in Khardung and what I should be expecting from it. Mornings and evenings were indeed colder compared to Leh and the preps to layer up had already started doing rounds in my mind. This time I layered down, by that I mean instead of 4 layers I stuck to 3 layers of clothing, to maintain that comfort zone of running with all the attire on me and not wishing to shed off clothing in the early hours of the run.
Now, the most important part if you ain’t a fan of organized chaos. All the guest houses in Khardung are booked by the organizers and you are assigned the stay. Visiting the place a day in advance for some recce can help you also explore the options near the start line, and mind you this works when you are able to convince the guest house owners to choose yourself as one of the runners who could occupy one of the rooms. And, if you have your peer runners with you, you could always put in a recommendation.
Okay! Now, that the stay is sorted, the remainder time is spent resting in the calms of the mountain. A routine medical checkup followed by a good dinner is all that was left prior to hitting the bed and wishing for a good night sleep.
The drop bags or checkpoints were at North Pullu, Khardungla Top and South Pullu. North Pullu wasn’t a preferred drop bag location as we did not expect much happening in terms of weather and the same set of clothes would be used to pull off till Khardungla Top and so did I.
For a 3am start, an hour hustle before the start time to answer the nature’s call not once but twice and to get ready in terms of hydration and some muchies which has been my regular muesli. In addition to drop bag for the run, ideally you could also send the bag that has rest of your clothing to Leh.
So, here’s the start line that can send chillers down your spine 🙂 but you would be equally motivated looking at the fellow runners gearing up for the ultimate challenge.
The restlessness of starting the run had already begun and with no more waiting time, the event kickstarted with slogans among the runners and was indeed eventful.
With headtorch ON, that helps you pave your way in the dark to the top is a go-to gadget that often comes handy in darker part of the run. The initial 7-8kms road was uneven being an under construction road. This has to get over as soon as possible as the loose gravel wasnt giving much grip to hold onto while running, hence slips here and there was not a surprise as it was bound to happen.
Vijay and I tagged along for the initials kms and we’re pushing each other to do our best. Post 10-12 kms, the roads were comparitively better and you tend to be conscious to attend to the paparazzis and give it your best shot :).
You reach North Pullu and the day lights just give you the glimpse of the surrounding that you are actually conquering. This was indeed a reality check when you know there is yet another 15kms to go and to our mercy, the slight drizzle and a snowfall gives you a brain freeze in no time. This is when I also realised that I lost Vijay behind and was screaming out his name with no acknowledgement in return.
The snow lasted for very short period of time and I continued to head towards the top. And yes, the top had another 2 hours to go and already looked like a daunting task. As a matter of fact, the whole run was.
The last 5kms were really getting on to me as it lead to some dizziness while gradually gaining the altitude and this wasn’t a surprise. It was something you can expect when you are out there dealing with fatigue, dehydration, hunger, sleeplessness, lack of oxygen and the icing on the top, I mean literal icing on the top.
By lowering down some pace and grasping for much needed air, I crawled to the top and these 5kms had me experience hell like never before. The only goal in mind from the start was nothing else but the first 30kms, the rest of the 42 kms decline was never thought through at all because, I knew by now that I had the mileage in me. Since it was all downhill, it could make things a bit easier.
So KTOP or Khardungla Top happened and officially touched the highest altitude in a running event but the journey wasn’t over yet. The next 42kms marathon was a task too as the sun was out and the harsh UV rays is something you have to save yourself from. While I still wore 3 layers of clothing, compressions, warmer and the Omni heat jacket, the heat gets on your nerves and the very next target to layer down few clothes was at South Pullu. Now, here is where you pity yourself. You can view South Pullu as soon as you cross few miles towards it. It seemed close but yet so far. One can see all the windings roads you have to take to reach it which is in sight forever from the downhill start.
You may feel that downhill right after KTOP can be a piece of cake, which may be for some or may not be for others. Mind you, since you are still at the highest altitude, please do not fall prey to the downhill and race through it because you will indeed find yourself grasping for air. The idea of run, walk, recover, run is I what I usually follow when you are dealing with almighty Khardungla. By now, I wasn’t seeing any runners in sight ahead and with steady pace downhill, I started hunting for the much needed motivation in the scorching heat. With considerable fatigue, the idea was to cut down to shorter goals and achieve them without a sense of hastiness.
Grabbing cheese, peanut sandwiches at each aid station and the water refills were coming in handy to deal with the hydration. Once I reached the comfort level, I planned on increasing the pace and strategized to finish it under 10 hours which again didn’t feel doable past the South Pullu checkpoint. I used this station to undo the layer of warmer and dumped all the waste I was carrying in my pockets. From here on, it were the milesstones that helped me keep a track of the distance covered and distance left to end the race.
With 15kms left and the zeal of a sub 10 was hitting me hard. Eating quite well in this phase along with sips of water helped me increase my pace even further and had to juice out all that I could from the downhill and so I did. Post Ganglas, it was about 9-10 kms left and again being a descent, the idea of reducing the rest stops and keeping a steady pace is all that made me overcome the shorter goals in sight.
Okay! Now that I was 5kms away from the target, the restlessness of seeing the finish line bothered me a lot as the temperature definitely felt to be on the rise. The rolling hills during the last five was also making me reduce the pace of those elevations. After all, this had to be done to tick that bucket list with Khardungla Challenge at the worlds highest ultra marathon and the finish line had gotten me all energized seeing all the people beyond the barricades and cheering us to the cross the finish line in style. That very feeling got me out of all the tiredness I developed and was elated to see your dear ones at the finish. That lovely moment, nothing can beat it!
And phew! It’s a wrap. Well, not really though. A days rest and had to gun down the Half Marathon at Ladakh Marathon 2022. Woohoo, yet another countdown to yet another start line. And oh boy, can’t wait for this much needed recovery run.
The ritual at Mettacafe:-
Results:-
https://www.sportstimingsolutions.in/live-result.php?e_id=69363&e_name=Himalayan%20Khardung%20-%20La%20Challenge%202022
Strava Stats:-
https://strava.app.link/Bd9GdGrIptb
Garmin Stats:-
