Two people from Bhopal, Bhagwan Singh and Mahesh Khurana, have become part of an elite group of athletes. They completed a challenging marathon on a frozen lake in Leh-Ladakh. They took part in the Piercing Cold Lake Marathon in 2024. This race is known as the highest marathon in the world.
This was the second time the marathon was held. It took place on February 20th. The participants ran in heavy snow at a high altitude of 18,680 feet. The temperature dipped as low as -15 degrees Celsius. This made it one of the hardest marathons in the world.
Bhagwan works for the sports department. He said that all the runners had rigorous tests before the marathon. These tests were done every day during the practice rounds. Due to bad weather, the distance of the marathon was reduced from 42-km to 21-km.
Bhagwan has a record as a mountaineer too. He is the first person from Madhya Pradesh to climb Mount Everest.
Many people supported the organization of this marathon. It was organized by the Adventure Sports Foundation of Ladakh. The local administration and the 14 Corps of the Indian Army also supported it. The event had 120 runners from seven countries. They participated in two categories – 21 km and 10 km.
The report also mentioned other marathons. One marathon in Besant Nagar had 2,500 participants. Another marathon in Gurgaon was internationally recognized. Also spoke about a couple who lost weight through running. Now they are leading runners in the L&T Sea Bridge Marathon.
Vocabulary List:
- Elite (adjective): Representing the highest quality or standard.
- Challenging (adjective): Demanding difficult conditions or tests.
- Altitude (noun): Height above sea level.
- Rigorous (adjective): Thorough and accurate, demanding strict adherence to a standard.
- Administration (noun): Activity of managing or supervising something.
- International (adjective): Involving or relating to two or more countries.
