Mumbai: Following the success of previous years, La Ultra- The High is back this year with its 7th edition. And this year coming on board with them is Bisleri Vedica as its exclusive hydration partner.
The ultra marathon will take place once again in the scenic yet extremely challenging high mountain passes of Ladakh, a massive cold desert, part of The Great Himalayan mountain range, in India from 11th to 14th August. The race represents a unique challenge that does not exist anywhere else in the world. The altitude, terrain, weather & scenery is what makes the Trans Himalayan region of Ladakh inimitably beautiful yet dreadfully difficult for the runners.
So what draws so many people from across the world to try this extreme sport and push themselves to run across the demanding topography of the Indian Himalayas?
Anyone who has tried it knows it as the cruelest ultra marathon in the world. The region is as brutal as it is beautiful. It can make you experience 40°heat and take you to -12° cold in a matter of 6 hours. Oxygen levels are 50 % of what you breathe at sea level. However for an ultra marathon runner, nowhere else on our planet would they ever get a chance of running over not one, but three 17,500 ft mountain passes.
Displaying race briefing 3.jpgLa Ultra- The High comprises of three separate races all beginning at the same time from the same start point, in the middle of Nubra Valley. These races are run continuously over 111, 222 and 333 kms in 20, 48 and 72 hours respectively. There are cut offs to ensure that participants reach certain milestones during the race. The entire course is at altitudes between 11,500 – 17,500 feet. All runners go over Khardung La (claimed to be the highest motorable pass in the world) in the first stretch of 111 Kms.
Ladakh is a land of barren beauty. For those willing to endure the long and trecherous journey, they will experience beauty beyond imagination- beauty which is pure and serene.
Born of a clear spring, that for centuries has traversed a labyrinth of mineral enriched bedrock, before gushing out to the surface, Bisleri Vedica is a natural Himalayan water. Rich in sulphates, which are natural detoxifying agents, Vedica carries with it the ancient secrets of nature to cleanse, restore and replenish. It is for this reason that Bisleri Vedica has come on board as the hydration partner. Available to the runners during the entire race, Vedica aims to not only quench their thirst but energize the runners with its purity and sweet taste.
Last year Parwez Malik, a scrapdealer from Meerut, won the 111 kms category by being the very first ultra runner and Indian ultra runner to have finished 111 kms category, that too in record time of 17:57:35 hrs. Saurabh Agarwal, a mountaineer and runner from Delhi, became the 2nd Indian to have finished 111 kms category in 23:02 hrs.
This year 13 Indian runners are taking part in at LA ULTRA- The High in the 111 kms category.
Runners and crew will be reaching Ladakh on 31st July to start their practice. Runners from across 9 countries are participating this year for the 7th edition of La Ultra-The High.
