Nawang Tsering has won the 6th Kargil International Marathon 2023 in a new personal best (PB) of two hours, 38 minutes and 47 seconds.

Ravi Dass (2:39:20) took second place. Jigmet Namgial (2:43:48) placed third. The timing (provisional) is as published on the website of Sports Timing Solutions.

Among women, the first place in the marathon, held on September 17, went to Agnes Mueni Mutua (3:02:47). Second and third places went to Diskit Dolma (3:36:13) and Jyoti Gawate (3:52:43), respectively.

In the men’s half marathon, Ritik Sharma (1:17:59) secured the first place followed by Kulbir Singh (1:19:21) and Tsewang Nangdan (1:21:52). Among women, the first place went to Tashi Ladol (1:26:43). Stanzin Chondol (1:27:09) placed second while Stanzin Dolkar (1:30:18) placed third.

Kargil has an average altitude of 8780 feet (source: Wikipedia), lower than the 11,500 feet of Leh, where just seven days earlier, Nawang had won the 2023 Ladakh Marathon in 2:42:02. Asked about the race in Kargil, Nawang said, “ it was a bit challenging because I was yet to recover fully from the marathon in Leh. The competition was also tight.”

On March 29, 2022, the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh had issued a press release mentioning the timing of 2:39:39, which Nawang earned at the 2022 New Delhi Marathon, as the fastest by a Ladakhi male marathon runner. The wording in that statement (it was on the performance of Ladakhi runners at the 2022 New Delhi Marathon) had been, “ Nawang Tsering clocked 2 hour 39 minutes and 39 seconds which is so far the best timing by any Ladakhi Marathon-Runner (Men) breaking his own record which was 2 hours 42 minutes and 49 seconds of last year.”

Assuming the above observation is not restricted to the universe of the said event and going by the provisional timing from Kargil on Sunday, the 2022 mark would seem improved.  

Besides Nawang Tsering, the names of Jigmet Namgial, Tsewang Nangdan, Diskit Dolma, Stanzin Chondol, Tashi Ladol and Stanzin Dolkar had featured among podium finishers at the 2023 Ladakh Marathon. They have all registered an improvement in timing in Kargil, which is roughly 2700 feet lower in elevation compared to Leh.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai.)