Mountain Running
How Tenzin Dolma and Major Sachin Kuntal took on Snow Marathon Lahaul
The veteran distance runners describe their preparations for and experiences participating at Asia's only and the world's highest snow marathon.
The idea of racing on snow is both exciting and daunting in equal measure. Tenzin Dolma would certainly know.
As a two-time women’s winner of the Snow Marathon, she was banking on her past experience during the third edition of the race on 10th March 2024. But heavy snowfall in Lahaul Valley of Himachal Pradesh, just a week before the event, meant that there was a sense of uncertainty on the conditions that she would encounter this time around.
Tenzin Dolma at Snow Marathon Lahaul
© snowmarathon.com
It was no different for Major Sachin Singh Kuntal – who is posted at The Madras Regimental Centre – and his team of 14 ultra runners from the Indian Army. The prospect of testing their abilities on snow had drawn them to the race and they now looked to make the most of their previous experience to leave a mark on their debut.
The waiting game was played out until a final decision had to be made. With piles of snow still on the route – besides avalanche danger in certain sections – the organisers eventually decided to move the race to Jana near the town of Kullu. The new route too had everything that this race is renowned for; the altitude and snow presenting a heady challenge for the 200-odd runners who lined up at the start.
By the end of the race, it was business as usual for Tenzin, who took top spot in the women’s category in a time of 4 hours 35 minutes, while Sachin narrowly missed out on the podium by finishing his half marathon in 1 hour 50 minutes.
“It was a good race for our team. The top-5 spots in the full marathon, first four positions in the half marathon and first five positions in the 10km run went to the Indian Army. Since a lot of the boys are from Ladakh, they were really comfortable on the uphills. It’s something I would like to focus on personally as part of training going ahead,” Sachin says.
Major Sachin Kuntal at Snow Marathon Lahaul
© snowmarathon.com
Training routine
As part of their preparations, the Indian Army team assembled at The Madras Regiment Centre in Wellington near Ooty as early as January. They underwent a rigorous training schedule under Sachin, who is the team captain of the Indian Army ultra marathon and Tri Adventure team since 2022. His past experience in endurance includes a mammoth 1,401km running and cycling duathlon expedition from New Delhi to Drass, a 777km run from Jabalpur to Secunderabad in 10 days, resounding wins in the 60km category of the gruelling Solang Sky Ultra in 2017 and Garhwal Runs (74km) in 2019, and several podium finishes in 100km and 12-hour stadium runs in subsequent years.
The training miles around Wellington, which is perched at around 6,000 feet in the Nilgiri mountains, gave them good exposure to trails at elevation. The 10 sessions each week featured work on endurance, interval and tempo sessions, strength workouts and cross training in the form of cycling or swimming.
“The Army Adventure Wing deals with the adventure activities in the Indian Army. We’ve dominated national events for a while, so our main focus now is to finish on the podium of international races such as the Comrades, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and the Badwater Ultramarathon. The Snow Marathon presented a good opportunity to test our abilities and prepare for the bigger runs,” Sachin says.
Tenzin, who hails from Komic in the upper reaches of Spiti Valley and currently resides in Kothi near Manali, is no stranger to altitude. She started her competitive ultra running journey four years ago and has a number of feathers in her hat that include third place at the Khardung La Challenge (72km) in Ladakh in 2023 and the first female finisher (100km) of the Solang Sky Ultra in 2022.
A month before the Snow Marathon, she put in a few sessions on snow to get accustomed to the surface.
“Living at altitude definitely helps with running. But while I deal with elevation on a daily basis, most of the training happens on the road. A race like this is a very different experience, which is why I keep returning to it every year,” she says.
Tenzin Dolma at Snow Marathon Lahaul
© snowmarathon.com
Running on snow
During the past editions of the race, Tenzin realised the importance of having the right gear to deal with the conditions as well as the temperature variation.
“You cannot run in the same shoes that you use on the road. It’s also essential to have an outer layer that specifically blocks out the wind, besides adequate layers inside that you can easily shed as the heat picks up,” Tenzin says.
While Sachin had plenty of ultra racing experience under him, he was aware that a race like the Snow Marathon needed additional preparation. Besides the layering, he briefed his team on the kind of surfaces they could expect and what they would need on the run.
“The nature of the snow changes every hour. Early in the morning, it is hard, like a mirror or glass, and your feet tend to skid since it can get really slippery. As the weather gets warmer and the snow melts, the shoes start sinking in the slush. So alongside the terrain, temperature and altitude, the constantly changing surface adds to the challenge. There’s decisions to be made on everything from the kind of shoes and apparel, to the use of trekking poles during the run,” he says.
New course
The last-minute route change meant that the participants had no time to recce the course. The race started at Jana Falls and led runners over a 10.5km loop on the trail towards Bijli Mahadev temple, which climbed to a maximum elevation of about 2,700 metres. The full marathon had a total elevation gain of around 1,400 metres, while the half marathon featured close to 600 metres. Though lower in altitude as compared to the original course, the race panned out as expected.
The 6am scheduled flag-off for the full marathon meant that the likes of Tenzin started out in the dark. Though she couldn’t assess the route ahead on her first loop, she felt comfortable on the hard ice and made steady progress.
“I waited for the day to break before picking up the pace. It was all vertical, either up or down. The hardest part of running in loops is that your mind is constantly counting down on how many remain. This race was definitely more challenging as compared to the previous editions,” Tenzin says.
There was enough light by the time Sachin started the half marathon, but he soon realised that he wouldn’t be able to maintain the pace he had in mind on the slippery ice. What helped the Indian Army runners, both in terms of pacing and motivation, was the presence of their teammates on the route.
“Going uphill on the icy surface was alright. But on the downhills, I had to be really mindful about where and how I was stepping to avoid any kind of injury. About 70% of the route had snow, anywhere between 10 inches to 3 feet, so we had a great experience in spite of the route change,” Sachin says.
Major Sachin Kuntal at Snow Marathon Lahaul
© snowmarathon.com
For Tenzin, who made it a hat-trick of wins, the race was another reminder on why she had set off on her ultra running journey.
“During my first race in 2017, I had no idea about running, pacing or training. Running gave me joy and so I simply ran. With each race, I’ve had the opportunity to learn something, especially since ultra marathons last for so many hours. And I’ve evolved into a better runner through my wins and my mistakes alike. Even after all that I’ve achieved in ultra running, I feel like I’m just getting started,” Tenzin says.