Runners brave icy winds and extreme cold to conquer full marathon at Pangong lake

Runners brave icy winds, wear four layers as they finish full marathon in an adventure of a lifetime; the full marathon race was run on Monday, February 24 at the Lake, made even more famous by the movie '3 Idiots'

At least seven runners from the city are back in the heat and dust of sweltering Mumbai, after finishing the full marathon (42.2 km) at Pangong Lake, located in the Leh district of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. Pangong is one of the most famous lakes in Ladakh.

Temperatures

The full marathon race was run on Monday, February 24 at the Lake, made even more famous by the movie '3 Idiots'. Dr Neel Ashar one of the runners who battled intense conditions to complete in 6.08 minutes said, "You can say this was the world's highest full marathon. Pangong Lake has hosted half marathons for the past two years, in 2025 they made their hosting debut for the full distance."

Ashar, who is a dentist practising in a western suburb said like most other runners, "this race went beyond timings. It was a brilliant experience. The challenge came in the form of weather from minus 15 degrees Celsius to minus 8 degrees Celsius and then going to minus 20 degrees Celsius during the last few km of the race. Some of us were wearing special shoes from Sweden. A lot of runners were wearing cleats (like spikes) to prevent slipping on ice. We also had at least three to four layers of clothing to battle the cold. The 'adversary' then was not just the challenging route but other factors. In the end, post-race, most of us were over the moon and then chilling out, literally and figuratively," he laughed.

Goals

Pangong Lake has a scenic beauty that, "no picture postcard can do justice to," said the runners as they recalled passing scenic vistas at the breathtaking locale. "Breath" is the operative word said finisher Pradeep Katrodia. The Borivli based fitness trainer said, "The high altitude, 14,500 ft above sea level, meant that we were running through extremely thin air, which is so challenging. In Mumbai, most runners were doing a lot of incline running in training to prepare for the race. Several landed in Leh-Ladakh at least 10 days ahead of marathon day to acclimatise."

Kalpesh Doshi, athlete-businessman and finisher also from Borivli added, "The biggest goal for me for this race was finishing, it was not about timing. I have run so many marathons, I am also a six-time Ironman and yet, it was the conditions that made the Pangong Marathon so difficult. To run in Leh-Ladakh with a goal like reaching the finish line was a lesson in life. It is when you have a goal, that may not be in a race, but any area that you are focussed and you have direction. It was also enlightening to meet runners doing the full marathon from other corners of India and there were Koreans, runners from Australia too. I think there may have been 300 competing in this category."

Most runners cautioned that one needed to be an experienced runner to run the full at Pangong, "to participate here, this is not for the impassioned novice who may have trained but needs to have a couple of races at least under his belt. Mental strength is huge too. Every marathoner experiences that unique, tingling thrill at crossing the finish line at the end of 42.2 km, yet, at Pangong we experienced a literal top of the world feeling," they finished, elated that they conquered not just the distance but all the conditions that makes Pangong Lake a stunning though daunting marathon venue demanding incredible reserves of endurance and will power.

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