After running the Gold Coast Marathon a couple of years earlier I promised myself “no more”. It was too long, the drink stations were too far apart, it was too hot and my legs hurt too much (I was too under-prepared).

Then came to opportunity to travel to Leh in the Ladakh province of Northern India (on the Tibetan Plateau, hence the name of the race) to run the first ever Great Tibetan Marathon. How could I refuse?

GETTING THERE
The first part of the trip was getting to Leh. It is situated at 3500 metres above sea level and there are only two flights in and two flights out per day. Depending on the military (who control the airport) and the weather sometimes there’s not even that.

Our first night (all three hours sleep worth) was spent in New Delhi in the regal splendour of the Taj Palace Hotel, by way of an eight hour flight from Sydney to Singapore and a four hour flight onwards to New Delhi. All very comfortable and smooth, even the part where we thought we had lost our luggage but actually had just not been paying attention at the collection carousel. We were met at the airport by a very friendly guide who assured us that the 35 degree heat was not actually hot and humid but in fact a welcome break from the 40+ degree heat they had experienced the day before. Thankfully it had rained and really cooled things down!

The flight to Leh was early in the morning due to the altitude of the airport. The flight was uneventful other than those with window seats playing shoot and hide with their cameras as we went over the mountains. Photography is not allowed on the plane. The approach to Leh airport really has to be experienced. One minute you are level with the mountain tops and the next you are landing. Most of us were still waiting to be told to “please fasten your seatbelts in preparation for landing” when the plain flopped onto the runway. The next surprise was the length of time it takes the plane to stop. The air is thinner so the brakes have to work real hard. The good news is that there have not been any accidents at Leh; a tribute to how good the local pilots actually are.

LEH
Leh is a typical Tibetan town we were told (the people here consider themselves to be Tibetan and not Indian). The houses are made of real mud bricks, the roads are mostly 1 ½ lanes wide and there are real cows on the street (and quite a few dogs too). Our hotel was called the Singge Palace, and whilst it might not have quite lived up to its rather grand title it was clean, had a magnificent view out over snow capped mountains, and it had a real, western style toilet, a feature that cannot ever be rated highly enough! We were greeted by the entire staff and given a welcoming silk scarf and then sat down for a cup of local black tea.

Due to the altitude, we were advised to spend the entire day at the hotel acclimatising. Even though we had taken the prescribed altitude sickness pills this was a good piece of advice. You feel OK when you arrive but it takes a while for your body to catch up. Several people got sick over the next couple of days and almost all of them felt fine the first day, went wandering around town and spent the next few days in bed.

Our group was a real mixed bag; my wife who is a 3:30 marathon runner, myself who is a 4:50 marathon runner, and three Danes. Peter the cameraman, Henrich the TV personality (he won the Danish equivalent of Survivor) and Soren the photographer. Peter was there as a guest of the race organizers and he was making a film about the event (my wife was being featured). Henrich was there at the behest of the leading Danish newspaper that thought that he would make a great story, and Soren was there as one of the official photographers. Francis Kay from MarathonPhotos.com was also there to capture the event.

It was true that the reason we were all there was for the Marathon but the race itself became just another part of what was a truly memorable 11 days. We spent time in the local markets buying all sorts of trinkets as well as doing some serious “power shopping” and came away with rugs, bowls, scarves and a 2 metre Tibetan Prayer horn. We went on a four day, three night camping expedition down the Indus valley that including mountain trekking and white-water rafting and washing in a river that came directly from the top of the mountains (very cold indeed!!!). We saw the regions oldest monasteries and spent a most memorable morning in a monastery as the monks celebrated their morning prayers.

We had run a little during the week to see how we had acclimatized, and the medical staff had also put each and every runner through a walking test that had everyone’s heart racing. We were ready for the big race.

THE RACE
The day of the race came quicker that I expected, but then it always does. The start of the race was at 3800m and we got up bright and early for our jeep ride to the start. The convoy was impressive as each jeep normally carries only 3-4 people. I was informed later by the race organizers that they had used 110 jeeps to ferry all the runners and officials up to the start.

Hemis monastery is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the area and the central square was to be our starting point. Once everyone had arrived we were treated to an individual traditional blessing from the head monk, we joined the queues for the toilet, we made sure our ChampionChips were securely fastened, we faffed around in the way only a group of runners seem capable of doing, and we were off.

Out the main gate and we hit the road. 4kms of twisting and turning downhill road. The road was closed to traffic with the exception of than the odd scooter carrying Francis, who was madly taking photographs. Down we went into the valley below, understanding finally why the race directors had insisted that every runner acclimatise for at least 6 days prior to running. The air really is thinner here and you notice the lack of oxygen straight away (it’s not just the views of the sun rising over the mountains that takes your breath away).

Once we turned off the road another 28km of track awaited. Whilst not really difficult to run on care needed to be paid to the road surface. Parts were made of gravel; there were sections that were loose stone and others that could best be described as “rough”. All in all a great track to run on. The drink stops appeared every 4km and were most welcome, especially as we had been able to put our own special drinks out (I am not one to endorse one product over another but there is something to be said for Coca Cola every 8km).

The last 10km of the race was incredible. We ran over loose tracks, crossed the Indus River three times and had the privilege of spending time with some of the local cows and donkeys, who were oblivious of the historic events unfolding around them.

The finishing line was something special that simply has to be experienced. We ran around the base of Spituk monastery and into the grounds, to be greeted by hundreds of locals dressed in their national costume. They were accompanied by the monks from the monastery in their finest red cloaks as well as the 5km, 10km and half Marathon runners who had already finished. What an experience. I have never felt so good after running (and occasionally walking) for 5:10. There were massage tents, local media, plenty of water and food, medical aid should it be required, and even the Indian tourism minister waiting for us. The monks were seated in prayer and giving blessings to all the runners and my wife and I were fortunate enough to get a personal blessing from the head Llama, whom we had met a couple of days earlier on a sight-seeing side trip. What a climax. I was on top of the world.

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS
That evening the race organisers put on one of the biggest parties I have ever attended. There was dancing, live music, food galore and as much local beer as one could wish for (at about $1 for a large bottle). We all had a fantastic time and it was a great way to finish off what was a memorable event.

Whilst not the easiest event I have ever competed in the Great Tibetan Marathon turned out to be one of the most memorable and pleasurable experiences of my life so far. For sheer enjoyment and satisfaction it would definitely get a 10/10 on any scale and I will most certainly give this race another go.

After promising that I would “never do another” the Great Tibetan has now made me a committed Marathon runner and I will definitely be back for more.

Note: for those interested in records, as the only Australian male in the race I now hold the official record for the fastest male Australian. My wife, who is a much more competent runner than I am, holds the Female and All-comers Australian record.

These records are, of course, up for grabs!