Noida man completes 70-km Adi Kailash Parikrama run in 12 hours

Noida runner Sameer Nehra completed the 70-km Adi Kailash run in 12 hours 17 minutes, enduring -18°C temperatures and low oxygen at 15,000 feet.

Noida: A 42-year-old Noida resident completed the 70-km Adi Kailash Parikrama Run in 12 hours and 17 minutes, despite challenging conditions at an altitude of around 15,000 feet above sea level.

The run organised by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, took place from October 24 to 26 in Uttarakhand’s Vyas Valley. (HT Photos)

Recalling the marathon, Sameer Nehra, a businessman from Sector 105, said staying hydrated and pushing through physical exhaustion were among the toughest aspects of the run.

The run organised by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, took place from October 24 to 26 in Uttarakhand’s Vyas Valley. It began at Jyolingkong and concluded at Gunji in the remote Himalayan valley of Dharchula tehsil in Pithoragarh district.

Nehra told HT that he had to contend with temperatures as low as -18°C and low oxygen levels during the run.

“We had to arrive a day or two early to acclimatise, and we stayed at a military camp. Even though I had prepared for the run, nothing can really prepare you for how cold it gets,” Nehra said.

“It’s the hydration, and then there is a point when your body becomes completely exhausted and your legs stop functioning. That’s the really tough part. At that stage, it becomes a mental game. You are running using your mind because your legs have stopped responding,” he said.

“It’s not that you don’t feel like giving up. The thought that ‘let’s just quit, I can’t do this anymore’ definitely crosses your mind. But you have to push yourself and say, ‘No, I have to finish this. I’ve already committed to it’,” he said.

Nehra said he runs for two hours every evening and has been participating in marathons for several years. He has already signed up for his next endurance challenge: a 160-km marathon.

Divya Krishnatrey, president of the Sector 105 RWA, said Nehra’s achievement had inspired residents.

“Sameer’s historic achievement serves as a vibrant inspiration for our entire locality, the district of Gautam Budh Nagar, and every young person across the country who dares to dream big. He has proven that with unwavering faith and firm determination, no obstacle, no matter how formidable, can ever shake one’s resolve,” Krishnatrey said.