The queen of the hill stations is now also a destination for runners

YAWAN GURUNG, EOI, DARJEELING, APRIL 9, 2023 : Darjeeling has always been the preferred destination for tourists from all over India but this time along with tourists, it is the runners who have added to the shine of the hills. Darjeeling saw during the weekend a back-to-back running event; one in Sandakphu and other one in Darjeeling. 

On Saturday around 300 runners were camping in Rimbick for the Hell Race –Buddha Trails and then on Sunday around 2,000 runners participated in the JBG Gorkha 10 KM in Darjeeling. 

The fourth edition of The Buddha Trails Ultra Marathon, hosted by The Hell Race, a Gurugram-based adventure sports organization, was successfully conducted in Rimbick, in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The event witnessed close to 300runners participating in three different categories of 53-km, 30-km, and 12-km. 

The race was flagged off by Gorkhaland Territorial Administration executive member Norden Sherpa. The GTA and the local administration of Darjeeling extended full support to the event, making it possible for the runners to experience the beautiful and challenging terrain of the Himalayan foothills. 

This year's Buddha Trails Ultra Marathon was special as Race Director Vishwas Sindhu announced the launch of a support system for the local boys of Rimbick, Hemant Limbu, and Som Bahadur. These two young athletes have been selected to represent India at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships2023. 

The support system will provide them with the necessary training, nutrition, and equipment required for competing at the international level. Som Bahadur Thami aced the 53-km in 06:09:46hrs.

On Sunday around 2,000runners from different parts of the country and many from abroad took part in the second edition of JBG Gorkha 10K, organized by Sportiz and supported by Darjeeling Police, GTA Tourism and VikRun Foundation. 

Besides the participants from India, athletes from Nepal, Kenya, Bangladesh, England, the US, Vietnam, Japan and Ethopia ran the marathon held with the theme “Peace and Harmony.”. 

The event was held under Elite 10K and Open 10Kcategory. The marathon started and ended at Chowrasta, Darjeeling