On a wing and a prayer Great Tibetan Marathon, . 16 August 2003

By Alison Kay High up on the Western Tibetan Plateau in northern India, marathon runners are a rare species. Those who make it 3500m up to , the capital of Province, keep company with birds on the wing. Close by lie the borders of China and Pakistan – Ladakh was closed to foreigners in the wake of the Indo-Pakistan War but has seen a steady rise in tourist interest since the late 1970s. Only now, with the inaugural Great Tibetan Marathon, is their number swelled by runners. When a marathon route runs monastery to monastery (gompa), it’s bound to be a blessed event. Lined up at the start, race participants were blessed by Buddhist monks at the Pictures by Gompa, one of the largest in the area, dating back 350 years and home to about 500 monks. Many of them turned out to participate in ceremonies or to act as helpers on the course. In the middle of the valley is a surface improves and the going More chortens, prayer flags and long stone mani-wall, carved with gets easier. From 25km to 12km to mani-walls, and a large rock On holy ground, it was not sacred Buddhist inscriptions, and go, the road leads through a displaying colourful Buddhist appropriate to begin the race with said to be the longest in all of string of villages from Chusod inscriptions and paintings, line a starter’s pistol. Monks instead Ladakh. The green fields give way Shabma to Chusod Yokma. Some the route to the finish in the launched the run with a fanfare on to the bare foothills of the are Tibetan, others Muslim, and middle of Spituk Gompa long Himalayan horns, similar to mountains and the Indus Valley runners pass a spiritual variety of courtyard. Traditional Ladakhi Swiss alpenhorns. Ahead lay 42km gradually comes into view. The chortens and mosques. music celebrates the arrival of of assorted surfaced and road is still sealed - which means runners. Blessed were those who unsurfaced road, dirt track, narrow the scenery can be truly Between the villages are small ran. paths and scenery that took in the appreciated while the feet take fields, surrounded by low mud barren mountain wastes of the care of themselves. brick walls, and planted in season Tibetan Plateau as well as the mainly with barley and rape. lush, green meadows along the After a while the runners pass a Most have been harvested by this Result . chorten and cross through the time of year; summers are short at mani-wall. Ahead is barren stone this altitude. After Chusod Yokma, MEN Arriving too soon before the desert and, in front, a clear view of the route takes runners onto an 1 Sonam Angdus IND 2:59:43 race for serious training, runners Kharu village and the Indus valley. unsealed road parallel to the 2 Tashi Stobgais IND 3:22:37 3 Konchok NAMGYAL IND 3:24:56 adjusted to the altitude with a Further along, the route crosses Indus River. They pass through a 4 Jacques NIELSEN DEN 3:26:16 week of sightseeing in Leh. The through the mani-wall and village with large, whitewashed 5Claus HOEIER-MADSEN DEN 3:31:43 course is downhill much of the runners again find themselves houses along both sides of the 6 Dan AIGENS DEN 3:34:58 way and runners could soar in criss-crossing the foothills of the road. Chortens, prayer flags and 7 Mikkel GORMSEN DEN 3:38:33 imitation of the birds, without lower part of the valley until they small mani-walls abound to bless 8 Miguel GARGANTILLA ESP 3:53:26 courting disaster. From the Hemis reach the road leading northwards and protect passers by. 9 Jorn PEDERSEN DEN 3:55:38 Gompa at 3800m to Spituk Gompa to Leh. 10 Leif NIELSON DEN 3:59:18 at 3400m, nobody had problems With just 10km to go, the finish WOMEN The road becomes more point marked by Spituk Gompa 1 Ishey LHMAO IND 3:35:43 with the altitude. Race organisers 2 Disket LHADOL IND 3:44:50 had a specialist medical team on challenging from the 37km to the comes into view, but there is a 25km to go mark. Distances in distance to be run away from the 3 Malene MUNKHOLM DEN 3:45:33 hand if needed. And anyone 4 Pia LYHOLM DEN 4:12:02 flagging along the way needed this race were marked down from main road: across small tracks 5Helle AAGESEN DEN 4:24:58 only to spin a handy prayer wheel 42km to make it easier to follow and paths leading back towards 6 Mari-Mar WALTON AUS 4:35:45 or chorten for a spiritual pick-me- for the half marathon, 10km and the Indus; between low walls 7 Anne SVENDSEN DEN 4:39:12 up. Prayer flags along the route 5km runners, who started further separating fields and higher walls 8 Britt NIELSEN DEN 4:43:03 and on bridges also offer along the course. In places the between whitewashed Tibetan 9 Inger ANDERSEN DEN 4:46:09 10 Jette JACOBSEN DEN 4:47:39 blessings and protection to those road sees little use and is in poor houses. who pass. shape. Snow meltwater, coming Half Marathon down from the mountains, washes The first of three bridges that MEN Runners descended from the away parts of the sealed surface. runners take across the Indus, as 1 Punchok DORJAY IND 1:13:59 Hemis Gompa courtyard onto a Other areas are unsealed and in they follow its path, marks 6km to 2 Takda SANGDUP IND 1:33:37 sealed road heading towards the still others irrigation channels go. This one is a wooden 3 Lobzang DORJAY IND 1:40:49 village of Martselang. The course have been dug across the road by suspension bridge draped in 4 Jens BENTSEN DEN 1:43:48 prayer flags to protect the bridge 5 Stanzin LAKTOG IND 1:55:20 drops most rapidly over the first local farmers. WOMEN 4.5km towards the Indus River, and those crossing it. The next is Two more monasteries – a narrow steel construction, near 1 Sonam SPALDON IND 1:49:02 crossing it by a small bridge and 2 Rigzen ANGMO IND 1:49:37 then following a stream used to Gompa and its village, and a Hindu temple, and the third a 3 Tsering DOLMA IND 1:51:52 irrigate adjacent lush pastureland Gompa, can be seen hanging bridge which also carries 4 Diskey DOLMA IND 2:00:08 of the Hemis valley. perched on a hilltop as the road cars. 5Rinchen DOLMA IND 2:05:15

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