Nikhil Singh and Stanzin Dolkar win 42K titles at 13th Ladakh Marathon
Nikhil Singh won the men’s open 42K title and Stanzin Dolkar claimed the women’s open 42K at the 13th Ladakh Marathon in Ladakh on Sunday, while Tsetan Namgyal and Gargi Sharma took the men’s and women’s Half Marathon crowns respectively.
Singh finished the full marathon in 2:44:36 and Stanzin Dolkar in 3:32:58; Tsetan recorded 1:14:13 and Gargi 1:42:04 in the 21 km race. The 42K and 21K events, together with the 11.2K run, formed the centrepiece of the event’s final day, and organisers offered a total prize pool of ₹1 crore across the competition.
In the men’s 42 km race Nikhil Singh finished ahead of Vipul Kumar, who clocked 2:50:37, and Hans Raj, who was third in 2:53:03. Other recorded finish times for the full marathon included Anil Jindal 3:03:06, Vishal Kaushal 3:05:14 and Anurag Konkar 3:07:13.
Stanzin Dolkar completed the women’s full marathon in 3:32:58, with Sarswati Rai second in 3:33:41 and Disket Dolma third in 3:37:57; Disket had taken the Khardung La Challenge open females’ crown days earlier. Additional women’s finish times listed include Anvita Verma 4:05:34 and Neha Devi 4:08:48.
Tsetan Namgyal won the men’s Half Marathon in 1:14:13, with Dhola Ram second in 1:20:32 and Sarfaraz Hussain third in 1:23:25. Gargi Sharma led the women’s half in 1:42:04; Stanzin Yangdol and Simta Sharma followed in 1:52:57 and 1:54:51 respectively. The 11.2 km open men’s winner was Sonam Stanzin in 42:22 and Stanzin Diskit won the women’s 11.2 km in 58:22.
Two days earlier in the ultra events, Ladakh’s Nawang Tsering set a new course record to win the 122 km Silk Route Ultra in 12:12:18, with Rajasthan’s Suraj Meena second in 12:35:00 and Tenzing Dolma the women’s winner in 14:26:29. Jigmet Stobdan established a course record in the 72 km Khardung La Challenge with a winning time of 6:00:03, while Disket Dolma won the women’s 72 km in 7:03:26; the 72 km recorded an unprecedented 291 finishers and the 122 km 82 finishers.
“This has been a very special edition for the Ladakh Marathon. We have seen some exceptional performances, new records and a very strong response from runners across India and the world. But the success of the marathon is also about everyone who makes it happen, from our runners and volunteers to the local communities, partners and the many people who work behind the scenes. I am proud of what we have achieved together, and I congratulate every winner and every finisher of the 13th edition.” — Chewang Motup Goba, Founder and Race Director.
More than 7,800 runners registered for the 2026 Ladakh Marathon, with over 7,200 qualifying after meeting participation requirements and upwards of 5,300 finishing within the stipulated cut-off times; the four-day event featured six races (122 km Silk Route Ultra, 72 km Khardung La Challenge, Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 11.2 km Run and the 5 km Run for Fun). Organised by the High Altitude Sports Foundation Ladakh with logistical support from Rimo Expeditions, the race is the world’s highest AIMS-certified marathon and an Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group Qualifier; organisers continue event measures including a ban on single-use plastics at race venues since 2019 and a junior programme that has schoolchildren collect PET bottles as part of participation.