“I Am Very Happy”: Rajasthan’s Suraj Meena Battles Ladakh’s Gruelling Weather To come Second In 122 km Ultra Marathon

Leh, September 11: Rajasthan's Suraj Meena put up a spirited performance to pass out with flying colours in the ultimate endurance test at high altitude as he finished second overall and emerged as the fastest non-Ladakhi runner in the gruelling 122-km Silk Route Ultra Marathon here on Friday.

The long-distance runner from Rajasthan clocked 12 hours and 35 minutes in a gruelling and physically demanding race. For Meena, it was a 'dream come true' moment as he managed to finish on the podium, coming from a geographically and climatically different place.

"I am very happy as it was a dream come true moment. It is a big thing for me to finish in 12 and a half hours," Meena said after the gruelling run, quoted the PTI.

The extreme altitude and thin air make the event particularly challenging for runners unfamiliar with Ladakh's conditions. Meena said the rising elevation had a major impact on his breathing and forced him to change his race strategy.

"It is very difficult for people who are not from Ladakh because they are breathing at high altitude. It is a little difficult because of that. But for this, I have trained, and I have been training here for a month now," he said.

Meena led the race until around the 40-km mark, but found the going increasingly difficult as the course climbed higher. "I was leading till 40km, then the elevation started from there. The altitude increased, the oxygen was getting thin, so because of that, it was a little difficult to run," he said. He subsequently switched to a run-walk strategy to conserve energy and manage the demanding conditions.

The result marked Meena's third appearance at the Ladakh Marathon. He first competed in the full marathon in 2022 before taking part in the Khardungla Challenge last year. This year, he stepped up to the 122-km Silk Route Ultra.

His connection with the mountains goes beyond racing. In 2024, Meena cycled nearly 2,400 km from Jaipur to Ladakh via Manali, completing the journey in 12 days. He later cycled back to Jaipur via Kashmir, covering another 1,500 km in the same amount of time.
Meena also highlighted the significance of his finishing time for non-Ladakhi runners.

Before his performance, the record for a non-Ladakhi stood at 15 hours and six minutes. His 12-hour-35-minute finish therefore represented a substantial improvement and underlined the impact of his high-altitude preparation.