Day 1: Arrival in Delhi
On our way to the Tibetan plateau and The Great Tibetan Marathon, we will stop over in the capital of India, Delhi, but only briefly, as this is the day that we gather together. You, other runners and your companions from all over the world will arrive on this date. Upon arrival at the Delhi Airport, we will meet you at the arrival lounge and send you on to your hotel. Though there are not any pre-arranged activities on this day, if you arrive early, you are welcome to spend the afternoon exploring the chaos of India’s capital city. Please refer to our bulletin board in the lobby of the hotel to find out exactly when and how to meet the rest of your group. No meals are included this day.
Day 2: Delhi (216m) – Leh (3,505m) / Flight to Leh and acclimatization
We leave very early in the morning to drive to the domestic airport in Delhi. We are going directly deep in the Himalaya Mountains and up to the Tibetan plateau.
The destination of this flight is known as the small capital, Leh. The largest city in the area is Ladakh. After the flight from Delhi, we set out for one of the most sensational flights in the world. The flat Indian plains are quickly superseded by the deep valleys and white peaks of the Himalayas, which are in turn replaced by the pale pink and brown nuances of the high Tibetan desert plains. Very few flight paths are so dramatic as this flight up to the Tibetan plateau, with its magnificent vistas over the white clad peaks of the Himalayas below us. During the 90-minute flight, we glide less than 1000 meters over some of the world’s highest mountains. And you will not believe your eyes when the pilot directs the plane downward toward the narrow Indus Valley, where we then aim to land in a moonlike landscape along the great Indus River. The airport in Leh is situated at a height of 3,520 meters, less than 5 kilometers southwest of Leh.
At that height, you can become a bit dizzy or light-headed, so we will drive directly to Leh to take lodgings at our small cosy family hotel. Since the city is located so high above sea level, we very strongly recommend that you take it easy for the rest of the day. This is in order to get used to the height and to acclimatize. Without exception, everyone will feel the thin air with symptoms such as slight dizziness, headaches or nausea. And the only relief is to rest – in the hotel! That is NO short walk in the pleasant town of Leh. Stay in the hotel! Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included this day.
Days 3, 4 & 5 : Leh (3,505m) / On your own
For the next 3 days there is not a planned agenda. So there is every opportunity to tone down the training and instead use this period to recharge your energy deposits for THE DAY when it will all be released. But at the same time remember, that it is the thin air and the great height that will cause the most problems. And therefore, one should naturally not discontinue physical exercise, so that muscles become slack and sluggish. Pace yourself at a VERY sedate tempo the first two days, and then a combination of walking and jogging the last days will probably suit most people best. And there are a number of small trails to take, both in and around Leh. These days include full pension.
Day 6: Leh (3,505m) / Hike to Sankar monastery via Namgyal summit
We will start off early on this day, for a light 3-4-hours hike in and around Leh. You do not necessarily have to participate in this hike, but since all groups participate and at nearly the same time, AND furthermore there are refreshment stations set up along with a team of doctors, this is your opportunity to find out how it will be on the day of The Great Tibetan Marathon itself. This day includes full pension.

Day 7: Leh (3,505m) / Morning run in Leh – On your own
This is the day before the last physical check-up before the sacred long horns sounds off in the courtyard. In other words, there is a 3-kilometer “pleasure run” early this morning, where we can get an idea of how we will/have to manage to run in the thin air during The Great Tibetan Marathon the following day.
At 06:20 ALL participants in The Great Tibetan Marathon must meet up at the monastery in Leh. The Danish team of doctors and the Danish Athletic League will give the final instructions for The Great Tibetan Marathon 2007.
At 07:00 we start the 3-kilometer check-up and pleasure run. The route goes through the narrow streets and lanes of Leh, and the run ends op at the same monastery. And here it will be possible to meet with the different groups of officials behind the Great Tibetan Marathon. When that is over and done with, well, this is the day before The Great Tibetan Marathon, and we can only recommend once again that you take it easy the rest of the day and save your energy for the ultimate most difficult run ever. This day includes full pension, where dinner consists of a pasta party.
Dag 8: Leh (3,505m) - Hemis (3,800m) - Spituk (3,400m) - Leh (3,505m) / The Great Tibetan Marathon 2007
We wake up early for the day that is set aside for the even which most of you are coming for - The Great Tibetan Marathon 2007. And at 04:45 both runners and spectators are driven from their respective hotels the 45 kilometers to the starting line at Hemis monastery.
Arrival at Hemis will be at about 06:00, followed by the official blessing of the runners - “Race Puja” - at 06:15. There will probably be masked monks dancing the ritual dances, where they fight the demons on behalf of the runners, while they slowly rotate to the deep monotone tones from the several meter long brass horns. This will certainly wake us as well as the sun, and also frighten off the demons we must have brought with us from our home countries. The ceremony ends with the gathering of the runners being blessed by the supreme monk from Hemis monastery.
At 06:35 the half marathon runners gather to be driven out to their respective starting points along the route. At 07:00 the starting shot sounds for The Great Tibetan Marathon and at last one of the worlds hardest marathon begins!
Although it is an official international marathon race with official times, medals and certificates for all, we must emphasize that it is also a jogging race, where the experience is primary and where completing the course is more important than winning. Therefore, there is no special prize to the first place finisher. As runners eventually cross the finish line at Spituk monastery, there is transportation by jeep back to Leh and the hotels. In spite of our sore muscles, due to time restrictions, we are going to celebrate the completion of the world’s hardest marathon already that evening. And at 19:00 everyone from all hotels will be driven to the banks of the mighty Indus River, where we have set up huge tents for the occasion, and where we will hold the banquet. The theme? 1001 Tibetan Nights! This day includes breakfast, lunch and a formal dinner.
Day 9: Leh (3,505m) - Delhi (216m)
With regret, we must now leave the Tibetan highland and colorful Ladakh. We wake up tiredly with the sun, eat breakfast and then drive out to the small airport in Leh. On the way back to Delhi, we can however enjoy another wonderful flight over the majestic peaks of the Himalayas.
We thus return early in the morning to Delhi, which besides being the third biggest city in the country has been the capital of India since 1911. A look at the strategic location tells plainly why this spot has been so sought after over the centuries. Very few cities have been burned, plundered and conquered as many times as Delhi. Not fewer than 2 queens- and 70 kings have ruled here since 1193 and all have left their mark - something that makes Delhi a classic capital, a reflection of India in the past, present and future.

But what makes Delhi different from other large cities is the sharp distinction between the government and the people. As a capital, Delhi continues to maintain a dignified facade with its fine official service buildings on the enormous green areas in the southern part of the city. Nobody sleeps on the huge lawns between the monuments and the public notice boards, which proclaim in English the different welfare campaigns. On the other hand, everywhere else in the city you can find the contrasts of the city in profusion. You do not have to search far before the facade of order is replaced by the inner soul of India. There are enormous contrasts between rich and poor, old and new, chaos and order. And there are few places in the world where it is all so easily accessible.
It is in the streets of Delhi that we come in contact with the cosmopolitan roar from the masses - the Sikhs with their big turbans, the colorfully dressed women of the Thar Desert, the sadhus (ascetic holy men) and the ragged homeless on the sidewalks. Everyone rubs shoulders with each other, and share the limited space, if not a conversation. And it is here in the streets that the humid heat of India breaks through the layers of grimy polluted air and functions as a merciless social stabilizer. Everyone sweats together here! With Delhi’s fascinating mixture of old and new, the city can best be described as two cities in one. The new district, which was inaugurated by the British in 1931, is nearly a modern city with broad boulevards, green areas and skyscrapers. And we’ll stay here!
The chaotic old part of the city has the furrowed face of Methusalah. The scent of incense, the sacred cows and an incredible throng of people in the streets and lanes make this district an orgy of sounds, smells and colors, that testifies to its ability to undauntedly live on - on its own premises, exactly as it has done for thousands of years.

From the airport we set out directly to the chaotic “Old Delhi”, where we start off by visiting the impressive Jama Mosque. With its elegant combination of red sandstone and white marble, it’s high vaulted minarets, and besides that, it placement on a platform over a hill, the mosque sits in state over the nearby streets and lanes. And although the mosque was built between 1650 and 1656, it can house up to 25,000 believers during the Friday prayers and is therefore the largest in India.

After visiting the mosque, we exchange our bus for bicycle rickshaws. The intention is to experience the seething dream world of small boutiques, shops, and street sellers that make up the bazaar in Old Delhi. The trades people of the area offer for sale fragrant spices, clothes, trinkets, paper, tools, used auto parts and a wealth of other goods. So it is right here that we lose ourselves in the labyrinth of alleys and lanes, and before we know it, we find ourselves in a part of the city where few travellers come. Although getting lost can often be half of the experience, after an hour’s ride, we arrive back at the mighty Jama Mosque in the center of the bazaar. And that one-hour ride on the back of a bicycle rickshaw is guaranteed to become one more experience to remember for the rest of your life!

We are then driven by bus back to the organized world and our luxurious hotel, where the rest of the day is at your disposal. This day includes breakfast and lunch.

Day 10 - Delhi (216m) - Agra (169m) - Delhi (216m) / Day trip by train to Agra and the Taj Mahal.

It is always difficult to get really close to the heart of India, and that is why travelling by train in the Indian plains is a very special experience. There may faster or more punctual ways to get to your destination, but you will never find any way that is more authentically Indian. In the past Indian trains were tightly packed with rundown coaches and even the running boards and the roof were filled to the bursting point with scantily clad human bodies. Today the express trains are fast and efficient, and we are going to ride airconditioned train know as Shitabdi express, which is particularly comfortable. Already upon arrival at the station in Delhi, there are crowds of sellers. From their food stalls they offer fresh fruit, vegetables, “bidis” (cheap tobacco rolled in leaves), newspapers and magazines. And with the monotone shouts of tea sellers “chai- walla”, the VERY early express train starts off to the city of Agra.
Very little is known about the early history of Agra. In fact it was not until the beginning of the 16th century that the city became a capital of the kingdom of the great Moguls, and Agra became a powerful center on the Indian subcontinent. The great Moguls were more than just a Muslim tribe that came from the Afghani-Persian area and invaded a huge part of northern India. With a reign that extended from the year 1500 to 1700, the great Moguls were probably the most significant of all of the foreign rulers.
Today Agra is a large widely spread city, which is mostly situated on the western side of the Yamuna River. And the main attraction is without doubt, the Taj Mahal, which can still make the hearts of the most hard-boiled globetrotters to beat in double time with emotion and enthusiasm. Depicted by the classical Indian poet, Tagore, as “a tear on the face of eternity”, Taj Mahal is undoubtedly the pearl of Indian architecture, and simply one of the most fascinating edifices in the world.
It was the Sultan Shah Jahan who erected Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died under tragic circumstances during childbirth. And the mausoleum, which was founded on a 4-meter high base, was built from 1632-47 in Persian style and surrounded by four thin minarets. In sparkling white marble, decorated with millions of semi-precious stones, the structure radiates an unusual calm and harmony – something that is otherwise rare to find on these wide roads. And it is extremely difficult to detach yourself from this architectural wonder.
However, we move on the next point on the program, which is the Red Fort. The fort was constructed in red sandstone in the years 1565-73 by the ruler Akbar. The fort is an impressive and well-maintained structure, which bears distinctive marks by the shifting rulers, from the red sandstone by Akbar to the silky white marble with inlaid semi-precious stones contributed by Shah Jahan. From a room with a lovely balcony in meticulously carved marble, we can see the Taj Mahal over the Yamuna River - the same view that Shah Jahan enjoyed in his last years of his life. Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, was power-hungry, and after he forcibly took over rule from his father, he killed his younger brother and made his father, Shah Jahan, a prisoner in the Red Fort. From here, Shah Jahan enjoyed the view of Taj Mahal until his death.
The morning ends with lunch at one of the luxurious hotels in Agra. After that, the plans for the afternoon are loose, either relax by the hotel swimming pool or shop at the bazaar followed by dinner in Agra. Later in the evening does our train, the Taj Express, return to Delhi and from here bus transfer to the International Airport.
Hopefully it is a large airplane that we return home with at night, because both our suitcases and souls are certainly about to bust with the unforgettable experiences as we journey home.
Kindly note that the above program should be regarded as a general guideline and it is subject to change.

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