Mother of all Marathons, Kargil to Kohima, flagged off

Kargil, Ladakh: Here is the mother of all marathon. The full marathon, a long-distance race is one with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres. A half marathon is a road running event of 21.0975 km. But the one we are talking about here is the mother of all marathon with a distance of more than 4500 Km. Yes! In order to commemorate 20^th year of Kargil Victory and to live up to the true tradition and motto of IAF i.e. “Touch the Sky with Glory”, a unique expedition Kargil to Kohima (K2K) Ultra-Marathon- “Glory Run” is being undertaken by IAF from Kargil War Memorial, Drass (J&K) to Kohima War Cemetery, Kohima (Nagaland).

The Kargil to Kohima (K2K) Ultra-Marathon- “Glory Run” flagged off on Saturday from Kargil War Memorial, Drass by Air Vice Marshal PM Sinha AVSM VSM, Air Officer Commanding J&K.

Kohima and Kargil are the two forward most outposts of India in the East and in the North where two of the fiercest battles were fought in 1944 and 1999 respectively. K2K – Glory Run commenced today will culminate on 06 Nov 19. In this unique tryst, a team of 25 Air Warriors will cover a distance of more than 4500 km in 45 days by running an average of 100 Km per day. The aim of the expedition is to promote awareness for Pedestrian Safety and recently launched Fit India Movement by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also to pay tribute to the brave hearts who have made the supreme sacrifice for our motherland. Earlier, on September 6, 2019, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee & Chief of the Air Staff handed over the ‘Glory Torch’ to the team leader Squadron Leader Suresh Razdan at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhavan), New Delhi.

The team has been selected after rigorous selection trials and has undergone strenuous training at Air Force Station Leh to undertake the Ultra-Marathon. The composite team consisting of officers and airmen including one female officer Flight Lieutenant Rishab Jeet Kaurand Warrant Officer Indra Pal Singh, whose age is 51 years. The expedition is led by Squadron Leader Suresh Razdan who is a Su-30 aircraft pilot. The team will be following Drass – Leh- Manali Highway where the average elevation is 13,000 feet with its highest elevation being 17480 ft at Tanglang-La mountain pass. The team will be crossing many small streams of ice-cold water from snow-capped mountains which demands audacious attitude to negotiate the treacherous mountainous terrain. Some of the passes in Ladakh region are Namiki–La(12198 ft), Fout–La(13510 ft), Tanglang–La (17480 ft), Lachung–La(16613 ft), Baralancha–La(16040 ft) and Rohtang (13129 ft). The team will undertake this adventurous expedition involving camping and living outdoors, managing and surviving in snow, rain and extreme climate through the varied terrain of Ladakh, HP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West-Bengal, Assam and Nagaland.