Sikkim marathon in November at 16400ft

TT, Gangtok, Oct. 27: Sikkim will host a marathon at an altitude of 16,400ft on November 5.

The marathon has been christened the Kanchenjungha Marathon and would be followed by a trek from Yuksom in West Sikkim.

The marathon will begin at 6am from Goechala which is a popular trekking route for adventure lovers located in the foothills of the Kanchenjungha and will conclude at Yuksom village in West Sikkim.

There will also be a team of doctors and paramedics accompanying the runners.

The process of participation is through online registration which is closed now and the registration fees for marathon and trek is Rs 12,000 for Sikkim residents, Rs 32,000 for other Indians and Rs 42,000 for foreigners.

There are fourteen runners participating, among them one from Germany, two from Bangalore and Odisha. The youngest participant is 14-year-old Aashiv Subba from Darap.

The event will be organised jointly by the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation and the Sikkim Amateur Mountaineering Association (SAMA).

"The idea of the marathon was conceived in 2008 but somehow could not materialise. It is a line of Everest marathon that is held annually in the Everest base camp. SAMA is providing the technical and other supports to organise the event," said Kunzang Gyatso, the president of SAMA.

The chief executive officer of the state tourism corporation, Binita Rai, said that the Kanchenjungha marathon would be an annual event and will be also listed in the tourism calendar.

The winner will get a cash prize of Rs 75,000.