FAQS

Registrations for the 10th edition of Ladakh Marathon will open in March 2023 and close on 15th July 2023.

Ladakh is the northernmost Union Territory of the Republic of India. Ladakh lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the Himalaya to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in India. Historically, the region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys, the Indus Valley, the remote Zangskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Aksai Chin and Ngari, including the Rudok region and Guge, in the east, and the Nubra valleys to the north.

Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, the Valleys of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the trans–Kunlun territory of Xinjiang to the far north. Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It is sometimes called “Little Tibet” as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture.

We recommend arriving in Leh at least a week to 10 days ahead of race day and if you can come earlier it is even better. For those participating in the Silk Route Ultra and the Khardung La Challenge we recommend to arrive in Leh two weeks in advance. High Altitude sickness occurs when your body does not adjust to the altitude due to lack of oxygen. It is common to feel light headed when you land in Leh as the air is thin and oxygen much less. Following the rules of acclimatisation, you need to take things easy in order to acclimatise properly and not rush around. On arrival, it is imperative to take “complete rest” on Day 1. You need to sleep on arrival, go slow, not move around too much and not go to the high points around Leh. It is also important to keep yourself hydrated so drink plenty of water, soups and avoid alcohol for the first few days.

Diamox, a diuretic, is taken by most people from the previous night before arriving in Leh. Those allergic to sulphur drugs should consult with their doctor for an alternative. You need to drink plenty of fluids and you will be passing a lot too due to the medication and as serious conditions of altitude sickness is about fluid retention in the lungs (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (fluid retention in the brain), taking a diuretic aids the process of acclimatisation. It is not a medicine for altitude sickness but an aid to help you acclimatise.
With proper acclimatisation there should be no issues which is the reason we recommend participants to come well in advance to prepare themselves and with so much to see and do in Ladakh, you can spend several days and weeks visiting the various sites, enjoying activities like trekking and rafting and at the same time practicing for Race Day! So Participants, come early, enjoy this awesome place and run for Ladakh!

Acclimatisation depends entirely on one’s personal body condition as some acclimatise very fast and some take several days. So if it is your first time at high altitude it is necessary to come early. For more information please read here

We recommend arriving in Leh 7 to 10 days prior to the event so as to acclimatise well to the altitude. For those participating in the Khardung La challenge and Silk Route Ultra we recommend arriving at least two weeks in advance.

The course of 05km, 10.5km, 21km and 42km is paved road surface with asphalt. Majority of the course of the Khardung La Challenge and Silk Route Ultra is also paved road surface with asphalt, except little above 20 km which is rough road and not paved.

Besides the Age & Eligibility criteria and Terms & Conditions there are no preconditions to participate in the event. As long as you are physically fit you should be able to participate and run. Please arrive at least a week to 10 days in advance so as to acclimatise. For more details please refer to “Eligibility Criteria”

All races are timed except the 05km Run Ladakh for Fun. The Silk Route Ultra is timed manually.

Please refer to “Cut- Off Time”.

All races except the Khardung La Challenge and Silk Route Ultra start between 6 to 7 a.m. from N.D.S. Memorial Stadium in Leh.
The Khardung La Challenge starts at 3:00am on Friday 08 September from Khardung Village. Participants need to report to the Ladakh Marathon Hub on 07 September and are transferred to Khardung village, and their accommodation and food is taken care of.
The Silk Route Ultra starts at 7:00pm on Thursday 07 September from Kyagar Village. Participants need to report to the Ladakh Marathon Hub on 06 September and are transferred to Kyagar village, and their accommodation and food is taken care of.

The race is being organised with the support of the administration of UT Ladakh. Traffic will be controlled along the course of all 6 races.  Mobile ambulances with emergency first aid will ply along the route besides medical aid stations on the route. Volunteers with walkie-talkie sets will be deployed at regular intervals along the route and there will be support team moving up and down along the various marathon courses. Toilet facilities with dry sand pits (and not flush loos) will be available at regular intervals. Support sweep vehicles will be there to bring back those participants to the finish point who are unable to continue.

There is no refund of fee for cancelled registration / unable to participate last minute, except for the sole exception of serving Indian Defence Personnel.
Bib and timing chip is non-transferable. If you provide your bib and timing chip to another person to participate in the race, they will be disqualified and no result will be provided.

The nearest airport is Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe – Leh (IXL). There are daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi and other cities to Leh of Go Air, Air Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet and Indigo.

Yes, there are professional photographers for all six races of Ladakh Marathon.

No, you have to take care of your own accommodation arrangements while in Leh. The registration fee includes the race kit and refreshments on the race day. A list of hotels is available on our website, and all confirmed participants will be entitled to larger discounts than usual at most of these hotels.

Finishing point for 05km, 10.5km, 21km and 42km races is the N.D.S. Memorial Stadium in Leh. The Khardung la Challenge and Silk Route Ultra finish at Main Market, Leh.

Bib distribution will take place at the Ladakh Marathon Hub in Leh. For details please check here

One bag per person should be fine to carry with your personal items. You can leave your bags/belongings behind with our team at the race starting point and collect these at the race finish point.

Please refer to respective page of each race to know more about number of hydration points. Participants are requested to bring out their own hydration packs and water bottles to help us in our effort to reduce the use of plastic.

You need to make your own transport arrangement from Leh market / N.D.S Memorial Stadium to your hotel in Leh.

Participants of these two ultra races are transferred to the starting point by the organisers.

Silk Route Ultra participants need to report to the Ladakh Marathon Hub on Wednesday 6th September at 9:00am. At 10:00am transport will leave for Kyagar village where accommodation is in local homestay / tents and all meals are taken care of. All participants will undergo a medical check at Kyagar that is carried out by the medic team of Ladakh Marathon. The organiser reserves the right to disallow/disqualify any participant who is known or suspected to be physically unfit for this ultra race.

Khardungla Challenge participants need to report to the Ladakh Marathon Hub on Thursday 7th September at 9:00am. At 10:00am transport will leave for Khardung village where accommodation and food is taken care of for the night. Accommodation will be local homestay / tents.  Participants are requested to arrange their own pack lunch for 7th September. All participants will undergo a medical check at Khardung village that is carried out by the medic team of Ladakh Marathon. The organiser reserves the right to disallow/disqualify any participant who is known or suspected to be physically unfit for this challenge.

Besides the local prepaid SIM cards, ONLY POSTPAID SIM cards of service providers BSNL, AIRTEL & RELIANCE JIO work in Leh. Prepaid SIM cards from the rest of India DO NOT work. International SIM cards also do not work in Ladakh. Even with post paid SIM cards, Airtel works within Leh and not outside of Leh. BSNL works best and in the outskirts of Leh but not at all places too.  Local SIM cards take up to 3 to 5 days to get activated.

Temperature in Ladakh during the peak tourist season of July and August ranges from a minimum of 15°C to a maximum of 35°C. However as Ladakh is a high altitude mountain desert, the real feel temperatures can be 20°C to 40°C. It is hot outdoors in the afternoons between 2 pm and 5 pm but pleasant indoors. The skies are usually bright blue. However when it gets cloudy, the temperatures drop to between 8°C to 15°C.
On race day in September the temperatures will vary from 8° to 10° Celsius at the start. Temperatures will rise to 20°-24° Celsius as the event ends by the afternoon. For race day we recommend all participants to carry a light jacket until the race starts as it does get chilly in the mornings.
For Khardung La Challenge temperatures at Khardung Village at 3:00am will range anywhere from -3° to 4° Celsius.

For Silk Route Ultra temperatures at Kyagar Village at 7:00pm will range anywhere from 8° to 10° Celsius.

Sonam Norbu Memorial Hospital run by the Government is in Leh . They have a dedicated team of doctors who are very good in handling altitude related problems and for any emergency, one has to be evacuated to Delhi. The Army Hospital is also there and the SNM hospital refers patients to them if needed.

Leh market has a variety of General Goods Stores that sell all necessities from food items – biscuits, chocolates, juices, chips, etc and toiletries of well known Indian brands and imported brands . Close to the hospital there are more general goods stores and medical shops.
Outdoor clothing stores catering to good quality outdoor gear sell as well as give on hire gear such as sleeping bags, head lamps, jackets, gloves, thermals etc.

Yes, since the temperature in Kyagar as well as Khardung village can drop very low, you need to have your own sleeping bag of minimum -5° C grade. Sleeping bags can also be hired at nominal charges from various outdoor gear stores in Leh.

Yes, all Finishers (within cut off time) get a certificate for their race except for the 05km Run Ladakh For Fun. Along with the certificate, there are medals for the finishers  (within cut-off time) of all races including the 05km run.

The limit to number of participants is only for the Khardung La Challenge and Silk Route Ultra, same being 200 and 50 respectively.

Presently we do not accept any group registrations. Participants need to register individually as timing certificates are required to be uploaded to meet the eligibility criteria.