While you are getting your training in shape and booking tickets, we would suggest that you ideally plan to come in to Rishikesh to do some walking on the tough and wild route.
That way you can take in both Rishikesh town and the Ashrams and Arti etc and then the rafting and the wilderness around Shivpuri - at Himalayan Hideaway Lodge- 21km upstream. We have some great stay and rafting packages for you that Himalayan Hideaway Lodge - our Hosts are providing.
Accommodation at HIMALAYAN HIDEAWAY LODGE on Sat 10th Feb and Fri 9th Feb available including dinner, room and post run brunch and taxes:
2 rooms on a 4 sharing basis - 1 double bed and 2 bunk beds @ 3750 each
Triple sharing basis @Rs 5000 each
Twin sharing basis @5500 each
Single room @9500 for the Sat night
There are only 10 rooms in this quiet luxury get away with great food.
THE FOOD AND VIEW AND PEOPLE HERE ARE AWESOME.
This is definitely the recommended option as there will be a bonfire on Fri night, to chill out and get to relax. River rafting is available through Himalayan River Runners but please book early and email info@nexxtopindia.com.
The race pack pick up is from here and this is where we get together post the run for a slide show over brunch :-)
Email us at contactus@runningandliving.com with your information about whether you need Fri, or Fri and Sat, or just Sat night reservations and for how many people.
We will then give you our bank details for transfer and then look forward to meeting you there.
Transportation:
We recommend staying only at Shivpuri and around since the runs start at 6:30am and the assembly time is 6:00am.
Camp fires and more at the Himalayan Hideaway the evening before the run with fellow runners
Our recommendation
This is a lovely family holiday so look at it like that and plan for it:
Leave home on Fri Feb 10th and arrive in Shivpuri.Take in a spa or massage and possibly do a morning rafting trip and pick up your race pack between 10 am and 2pm at Himalayan Hideaway, 4km above Shivpuri. Link up with fellow runners on the Facebook event pages and travel together -
River rafting post the run from 10am to 12 noon - you will definitely be on a high Return for the post race brunch slide show at Himalayan River Runners Camp starting from 11am. Return for home post 2pm or stay on for an extended holiday
The course for the XC 25k in particular is very tough - train well and get ready to be humbled on this trail.
The link to the route on Google maps Click Here. Elevation for the climb to Kota goes from 385m to 871m - it is a tough climb and a tough descent. Click on the above link for elevation and more detail.
The 4 runs start 2km beyond Shivpuri at the Himalayan River Runners Ganga Base Camp- 18km upstream from Rishikesh and then essentially travels up stream past The Hideaway and the Glass House on the Ganges until it reaches Malakunti Village. This is where the 9km run finishes and the other runners cross the river on the bridge and then move downstream on the other side of the river where the route gets tough and cross country. Rocky, pebbly terrain gives way to concrete paths, and a bit of river sand and then steep climbs on shale. There is a tough climb of around 385m to Kota Village and there is a U turn on reaching the primary school at the far end of Kota. And the route takes you back to the Malakunti bridge where you finally thank God that it is over. Coming down is trickier than going up, so watch your step. This is a tough run so treat it with respect. On the way back from Kota you may want to take a dip in the Cold water of the Ganga and fix all your muscular aches - this is a great part of the experience since this run is not as much about your timing but about the overall experience.
Link up with fellow participants and train and travel and stay together.
Meet up with others who stay close by and run together even after this event. Click on the facebook event page
Run Safe on this very tough cross country route
Running is a fun activity but running in a race, like engagement in any activity, also comes with attendant risks, which you should be aware of, and only then enter. Anyone registering for this race should make sure that he/she is medically fit and does not have any precondition - however minor it may seem to them, that would indicate that they should not run eg being on some medication, onset of a cold or flu, not yet recovered from a flu or an injury etc.
This run includes a lot of cross country terrain which CAN have a incidence of ankle twisting, slipping and falling. Loads of up hill and downhill so take short slow steps while coming down on loose shale. This would be rated as the toughest half marathon in the country so sign up for this one only if you have already run quite a few half marathons and done some cross country running earlier. Train well and be ready for a timing 1 hr more than that of your most recent half marathon. Be acutely aware that this is India's toughest 25k.
Train well - We want you to have fun and stay safe, and do your bit towards that.
Cut off time will be 4:00 hrs for the half marathon and 4:30 for the 25K and the aid station at the 18km mark at Kota will be wound up in 3:00 hours from the start.
SO CALLED 'PACERS OF FRIENDS' OR ANY OTHER 'FREELOADERS' ARE NOT WELCOME IN OUR RUNS. ALL PARTICIPANTS NEED TO BE REGISTERED. WILL LEAD TO DISQUALIFICATION OF RUNNER FRIENDS TOO AND ERASURE OF ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ETC
Your entry is not transferable to other people and is not cancelable.
You must wear your race bib as issued, pinned on front. Participants must be over 18 years of age
TRAIN WELL FOR THIS TOUGH CROSS COUNTRY HALF MARATHON and 25K
The Race pack and chest number pick up will be at HIMALAYAN HIDEAWAY LODGE 4km from Shivpuri on Sat Feb 10th from 10 am - 2 pm. Definitely pick this up else you will not be able to participate. Plan to come into Rishikesh early
There will be loads of information on river rafting, the runs, yoga and more. So if you are planning to run, block off time for the expo - you will get to know the way to the race location and will also meet several other runners and make new friends and also plan a few treks along the weekend. Most importantly have a blast whether you are running, volunteering or spectating, because that will help make it the most spectacular run for all of us.
Baggage storage - within your own vehicle
Switch to a shorter run distance if required as there are strict cut offs, And then don't worry about anything but completing your enormous achievement that you have embarked upon within the cut off time
Congratulations to all the participants of these runs.
Photographs are in the album on facebook
Sandeep Negi from Kotdwar and Sunil Yadav from Gurgaon ran like the wind and finished in 2:57 and 3:09 hrs respectively. 65 year old Dr Vinod Sharma had a fall at the 11k mark and kept on, with a few yoga breaks in between and finished too.
Parth Sharma from Ambala came 1st in 2:58 and Ankur Gandotra from Jammu in 3:02 in the Half Marathon.
Amit Gupta, Rajendra Yadawa and Kaushik Trivedi were the 1st three finishers in the 15k
Detailed timings are below
