Leh (Ladakh) [India], September 13 (ANI): Ladakh Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena flagged off the Ladakh Marathon 2026 on Sunday, with the high-altitude endurance event witnessing an active turnout of 5,407 runners amid growing participation from across India and overseas.

The 13th edition of the Ladakh Marathon, being held from September 10 to 13, saw more than 7,000 registrations across its various races, with the Full Marathon, Half Marathon and 11.2-km Run drawing large numbers of participants.

Secretary, Sports, UT Ladakh, Bhanu Parba, said around 1,600 runners took part in the full marathon, while approximately 2,100 participated in the 21-km half marathon. The 11.2-km run, flagged off by the Ladakh DGP Anand Jain, saw another 1,700 runners.

"Today is the third day of our Ladakh Marathon. And with a lot of enthusiasm, around 7800 to 8000 registrations were made. And in a lot of big numbers, the participants also turned up. In fact, we just saw a while ago how Honourable LG sir flagged off the full marathon and half marathon. In the full marathon, there were around 1600 runners. Similarly, in the 21-kilometre half marathon, we saw around 2100 participants. After that, Respected DGP Sir flagged off our 11.2-kilometre run. In it, again, there were around 1700 runners," Bhanu Parba told ANI.

Parba highlighted the growing involvement of local youngsters in the event's demanding ultra-distance races, including the Khardung La Challenge and Silk Route Ultra.

"So, there is a lot of enthusiasm. In fact, we saw the day before yesterday in Khardung La and Silk Route how the kids and the youth took a big part. And how the toughest marathon of Ladakh- in fact, the toughest marathon in the whole world- completed 122 kilometres; our kids won awards and also won cash rewards in big amounts," she added.

The Ladakh Marathon, which began in 2012, is recognised as the world's highest AIMS-certified marathon and has developed into a major high-altitude endurance event, attracting runners, families and supporters to the region every year.

The event also has a significant impact on the local economy, with participants often extending their stay in Ladakh for acclimatisation and training.

Parba said the marathon was estimated to have generated more than Rs 40 crore in tourism-related activity this year, with runners and their families staying in the region for several days and using local accommodation.

"In fact, we talked to some people who run the Silk Route and Khardungla challenge; they come here from June-July and to get acclimatised here and to practice, they live in some villages of Khardung, in homestays. So, obviously, the local Ladakhis get a lot of economic help from this. And we were doing some calculations with a rough estimate. So, in this year's Ladakh Marathon, more than 40 crores of tourism activity has been calculated. Because some people stay for a week, 10-10 days. Some people come with their families. And it has become like a festival. It has become like a festival. It has been 12 years now. It's the 13th edition. And we have seen, year after year, that its size is also increasing. The participation is increasing. The number of registrations is increasing. And this time, because the prize money has also been increased by the UT administration, we can see this has actually translated into bigger participation this year," said Parba.

Besides the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 11.2-km Run and 5-km Run for Fun, the 2026 edition featured the 72-km Khardung La Challenge and the 122-km Silk Route Ultra, two of the world's most demanding ultra-distance races.

The enhanced prize purse and growing international participation have further strengthened the marathon's profile, while the Ladakh administration has continued to promote the event as both a sporting and tourism platform.

With its combination of extreme altitude, endurance challenges and growing community participation, the Ladakh Marathon has evolved into an annual sporting festival for the region. (ANI)