How ultra runners have trained for the Ladakh Marathon

The sheer thrill of testing the body at altitude is what has drawn runners to this race over the years. The standard distances take a whole new meaning in the rarefied air and uncertain weather conditions, especially while negotiating the steep uphill sections. Personal bests are often an afterthought, for in Ladakh there’s glory in simply getting to the finish, given the brutal nature of the race.

Shikha Pahwa, who was one of two women to finish the 122km race last year, will be back to run that distance yet again. She’s had the experience of running on the route on multiple occasions in the past. Yet, she knows what she’s up against each time around.

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“No matter how many times you’ve done it before, it’s just as hard. And every time you’re running at altitude, there's new learning. I’ve seen seasoned runners getting sick or quitting because they went too fast. So it’s critical not to push yourself too hard because it does backfire," Pahwa, 40, says.

Back home in Delhi, Pahwa started training for the race four months ago. She put in two 10-20km runs during the week alongside strength training sessions, and two consecutive runs of 30km and 40km every weekend. To gear up for the climbs, she took on resistance training routines with added weights. Then in July, she ran the San Francisco Ultramarathon (84km) where the hilly course doubled up as useful training for the terrain in Ladakh.

“Once we start (from Kyagar in Nubra Valley), there’s an eight-hour cutoff to cover the 50km distance to Khardung village, which is really tight in the dark since the road isn’t great. So there’s literally no time to waste on the course. That said, there’s no point burning energy on the climbs, so I prefer brisk walking and making time as I come down," Pahwa says.

Dinesh Heda is also familiar with the relentless mountain slopes the race presents, having participated in five previous editions of the marathon. His training block, starting mid-June, involved plenty of long sessions on the hill slopes around Vasco in Goa, where he would take on uphill walks followed by downhill runs. It’s similar to the plan he intends to follow during his 72km race.

“I plan on walking the 32km uphill section, followed by running the 40km downhill, so I did the same during training. My longer training sessions were on weekends and typically based on time rather than distance. I would run around 40% of the distance and walk the rest.This, in turn, also helped me recover well the next day," Heda, 55, says.

The weekdays for Heda would be a mix of speed sessions, recovery runs, strength workouts and cross training (in the form of swimming or cycling). His first long session would be scheduled for Saturdays, and the following day, he would double the duration of his run to ensure that he was moving on fairly tired legs. He hit a peak mileage of about 115-120km before beginning the taper phase.

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“My intention is to run the Khardung La Challenge, then make the most of the rest day in between and then treat the marathon on Sunday as a recovery run, where I’ll be walking a lot of the course. And from the past, I know it’s possible if you acclimatise well," Heda says.He adds that the biggest learning from the Ladakh race is to understand one’s personal capabilities. “The goal is always to finish in good shape."

A regular on the triathlon circuit, Van Dam took on mixed workouts to gear up for the race. She picked up the mileage through June (371km) and July (247km), running a few half marathon distances on weekdays and back-to-back 40-50km runs on weekends. For the inclines, she made the most of the flyovers around Mumbai and relied on strength training. As part of her final preparation, she covered 83.2km while winning the women’s category of the 12-hour Mumbai Ultra on 15 August. Two days later, she took on a 12-hour swim.

“It’s not the most ideal preparation. Even if you manage to train in the hills, it’s really hard to come here 10 days in advance and get completely acclimatised. So a lot of it is going to be based on how I feel. The race starts in the evening and the first section is rolling, so I’ll try to make time here before the climb to Khardung La begins," she says, adding that it’s going to be quite an adventure running alone in the mountains in the dark.

For Gaurav Agarwal, an experienced runner, the marathon will be his first at altitude. “I have the experience of trekking in Ladakh and know what altitude can do. So I want to constantly monitor my oxygen level and keep track of how comfortable I feel as I progress on the course," Agarwal, 45, says.

As part of his preparation, Agarwal ran about 1,100km over the last six months, a lot of it in the wee hours of the morning to beat the Delhi heat. His longest distance was 40km, besides eight other runs of around 30km. He also included yoga and strength training sessions four times each week.

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While Agarwal lands in Leh this week, the rest have already put in their first run to acclimatise to the altitude. Heda took on easy walks over the first few days, followed by run-walk downhills and a speed session on flat terrain. After a few days of rest and acclimatisation, Van Dam ran 20km around the Khardung La. Pahwa ran from South Pullu, a little below the Khardung La, to Leh, and the following day, walked around 15km near the Wari La while taking on an elevation gain of 3,000 feet.

“The typical signs of altitude sickness are dizziness, headaches and nausea. Some don’t realise it but they struggle to walk in a straight line. These are things that have a direct impact on your race," Pahwa says.

Nutrition plans vary from energy gels and bars for Van Dam and Pahwa, to the natural food available at aid stations for Heda. The run-up to race day will be about taking adequate rest and gearing up for the final push.

“There’s a point when we start climbing to the Khardung La in the middle of the night. It’s when a lot of runners start cursing themselves for getting into this. It’s no different for me, but then again, I keep coming back because this is just a beautiful place to run," Pahwa says.

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.

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