Who are they?
The High is the highest and toughest ultramarathon in the world. The event is held in Leh, the most picturesque part of India, which was faced with a horrendous natural calamity just a week later.
This ultramarathon involved running 222 km in 72 hours non-stop, and crossing two of the highest motor-able mountain passes in the world, Khardung La and Tanglang La at 17,700 ft and 17,583 ft altitude respectively. The route takes elite runners from Khardung Village along the Leh-Manali Highway to Morey Plains in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The average altitude of the course is more than 13,500 ft.
What does their work involve?
The brainchild of Dr Rajat Chauhan, a sports medicine and rehabilitation physician from New Delhi, the run is about human endurance and a chance to highlight the threat to ecosystems and livelihoods by climate change in this mountainous region.
The High - And Then A Cloud Burst
Rajat Chauhan talks about The High in this published article. Download a copy here.
Distance and Elevation Animation
Unless you're using Internet Explorer, you can watch this animation which compares the distance and elevation of The High with another popular ultramarathon, the Leadville 100m.