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Ladakh Trail to Heaven — Edition Zero: The Pioneer Edition

Beautiful, Brutal, and Unforgettable
The high desert of Ladakh is no place for half-measures. With its thin air, towering passes, and merciless swings between scorching sun and freezing night, it is a land that strips an ultra down to its essence: runner, trail, willpower and soul.

On 7–8 August 2025, the first-ever Ladakh Trail to Heaven — a 160 km (~100 mile) ultra — delivered exactly what its name promised: beauty beyond belief, and a brutal test of human endurance.

The Numbers Tell the Story
Registered: 8 (2 women, 6 men)
Starters: 7 (2 women, 5 men)
Finishers: 4 (1 woman, 3 men)

From the start line in the ancient high-altitude town of Leh, runners faced immediate exposure to the extremes: daytime highs around 30°C in the sun, dropping to near 5°C in the cold of night. The route threaded across valleys, canyons, rivers and windswept ridges before hitting the race’s defining challenge — the much-talked-about monster section over Kongmaru La at roughly 5,300 m (17,388 ft), a height on par with Everest Base Camp.

Every Runner a Hero
In a race like this, finishing is an extraordinary achievement — but so is daring to start. Every athlete who toed the line stepped into an unknown world, where altitude, weather, and terrain demand total respect. Those who listened to their bodies and chose to stop honoured the same spirit as those who crossed the finish: knowing when to push, and when to yield to the mountains.

Into the Unknown
Chetan Sehgal, our Race Director’s own words sum up the spirit of this pioneer edition:
“When we first dreamt of an ultra trail race in Ladakh, we knew the mountains would test us — but we didn’t yet know how. Would the thin air slow runners more than expected? Could we get supplies to remote checkpoints on time? Would the weather play nice, or remind us who’s in charge here? The pioneer edition wasn’t about setting rules or locking formats. It was about stepping onto the trails with more questions than answers — and finding those answers in the dust, wind, and silence of Ladakh’s high passes.”

It was a journey of trial and learning: what worked, what didn’t, and what must be reimagined. Every problem demanded a solution born from the landscape itself.

Backed by a 42-strong local support crew, many of them seasoned Sherpas, the race carried an authenticity you can’t manufacture — their warmth, resilience, and deep mountain knowledge gave runners a genuine connection to Ladakh’s high-altitude spirit.

Redefining Victory
Perhaps the most talked-about moment came at the finish. The first — and only — woman to complete the course arrived just beyond the original cut-off time. In some races, that’s where the story ends. But not here.

“We’ve embraced every runner who reached the finish line as an official finisher, even beyond the cut-off. In Edition Zero, the true victory was in taking on the challenge and seeing it through.”

It’s a decision that speaks to the ethos of the event: in this first step into the unknown, the measure of success wasn’t just the clock — it was the courage to keep moving until the end.

The Ladakh Trail to Heaven has already earned its place in the lore of high-altitude ultras. With only four finishers, temperatures that swung from punishing to frigid, and altitudes where oxygen is a luxury, the Pioneer Edition lived up to its promise: beautiful and brutal.

For the runners who dared, the reward was more than a medal — it was the memory of a place and a challenge that will live in them forever.

Bellissima gara, molto tecnica, pochi tratti corribili. Panorami fotonici per tutto il tempo della gara.
Da menzionare i volontari sul percorso, super gentili e disponibili, oltre che evidentemente preparati.
Tutti gli organizzatori super simpatici, compreso lo speacker.
Menzione speciale per Paolo e Roberto.

Qualche anno fa, avevo fatto la 39.. bellissima, ma della 58 mi sono veramente innamorata!

WHAT A NIGHT!

From the moment I arrived the vibes were there, arrived early to pitch up my tent in the camping area with many of the volunteers coming over to offer help with the set up. We got checked-in and got allocated a bib, then a Polaroid which went up with all of the other runners, you also got one to keep, very nice touch!

After that, the race started and the commitment and vibes stayed high all night thanks to the volunteers, coming through the HQ twice it allowed us to get extra support on those harder laps! Also big shoutout to two of the volunteers who lent me their head torch after mine ran out of power!

Overall a fantastic experience and I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking to do an ultra in this format!

Thanks Gaz & Steph, all the volunteers as well as fellow runners for getting me through that 80km!