Lahaul Spiti (Himachal Pradesh): A first of its kind Snow Marathon was organised in Himachal's Lahaul Spiti on Saturday. Different categories of races were organised in which more than 100 people took part in this snow marathon, in which 10-10 runners of the Indian Army and Indian Navy, besides trekkers and others were also included. Apart from this, local people and tourists also participated in the one-kilometre race. SDM Keylong Priya Nangta flagged off the marathon while Lahaul Spiti Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar presented the prizes to the winners.
Shashwat of Karnataka won the country's first snow marathon. Shaswat completed the 42-km full marathon in 4 hours and 41 minutes. Shaswat was preparing for this marathon for a long time in Manali where he used to practice running in snowy areas. While the women's full marathon was won by Dolma of Palchan (Manali), she completed this marathon in 5 hours and 5 minutes. Shashwat lives in Manali and is fond of trekking, which has helped him win this race.
The marathon was organised by Reach India and Gold Drop Adventures organisation in association with the Lahaul Spiti district administration. This marathon was divided into five categories. Apart from 42 km full marathon, 21 km half marathon, 10 and 5 km run were organised. Marathon was conducted separately for females and males. Apart from this, a one-kilometre race was also organised in which children, women and common people, tourists also participated.
Neeraj Thakur, Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul-Spiti, expressed his gratitude to Reach India and Gold Drop Adventures for successfully conducting the Snow Marathon. He expressed hope that this tradition of the Snow Marathon will continue in the coming years. The organisers Gaurav Shimar and Rajesh Chand also expressed their gratitude for the cooperation of the district administration. They assured that next year this event will be organised on a large scale to which international runners will also be invited.
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Marathons are organised in many cities of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, but this is the first Snow Marathon in the country where the participants of the marathon ran on a sheet of snow. Earlier this type of Snow Marathon was organised in the cold and countries of Antarctica, Russia, Northern Europe. Himachal has achieved the distinction of hosting the country's first Snow Marathon, besides setting a new record by organising a snow marathon at the highest altitude of 10,000 feet.
A large number of tourists from different parts of the country also witnessed the Snow Marathon and captured this adventurous race in their cameras and mobiles. According to the administration, the conducting of this marathon gave a boost to tourism and adventure sports in Lahaul.
Apart from Snow Marathon, Half Marathon was also organised. Rohan was the winner of the 21 km half marathon in the men's section. He completed the race in two hours and 53 minutes while in the women's category, Diksha won the title. It took her two hours and 59 minutes. At the same time, the 10-kilometre race was won by Daulat Ram, who took one hour and four minutes. In the women's section, Hemlata won the 10-kilometre race in one hour and 20 minutes. A one-kilometre race was also organised to instil enthusiasm among the local people in which children and women participated enthusiastically. Marathon's brand ambassador Karen D'Souza also graced the occasion and ran a distance of 10 km along with the participants.
