Pithoragarh, Oct 25 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced that the state government will organise a 100-mile Himalayan endurance ultra run in the first week of May next year, with the race starting at Mana Pass, at an altitude of around 5,600 metres, and passing through Badrinath and Joshimath before finishing at Auli.
Dhami made the announcement while participating in the ‘Adi Kailash Parikrama Run 2.0’ at Gunji in Pithoragarh district, where he awarded the winners of the 70-km and 42-km races and encouraged runners who had arrived from various states across the country.
The proposed ‘100 Miles Himalayan Endurance Ultra Run’ will offer runners from India and abroad an opportunity to experience Uttarakhand’s natural beauty, Himalayan geography and adventure tourism potential, Dhami said.
Promoting tourism in these border regions will create new employment and self-employment opportunities for local youth, he added.
The state government’s objective is to ensure that the benefits of tourism development reach local communities directly while helping curb migration from border villages, Dhami said.
He emphasised that the government was committed to developing border areas into major hubs of tourism and economic activity.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’, efforts are being made to expand tourism, self-employment opportunities and infrastructure in these regions, he said.
Dhami said the ‘Adi Kailash Parikrama Run’ was not merely a marathon but also a test of courage, determination, self-confidence and willpower.
“Participating in such a competition amid the challenging terrain, harsh weather conditions and limited oxygen levels of the high Himalayan region is, in itself, a significant achievement,” he said.
The chief minister acknowledged the support extended by the Indian Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in ensuring the success of the event. He also honoured their officers and personnel.
More than 700 runners had participated in the previous edition of the ‘Adi Kailash Parikrama Run’, Dhami said, adding that the event’s success had brought “fresh recognition to the potential for adventure tourism in the Adi Kailash region”.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, continuous efforts are being made to develop the nation’s border villages as ‘first villages’ rather than ‘last villages’. Alongside the development of basic infrastructure in these border regions, tourism activities are being encouraged to create new employment and self-employment opportunities for the local population,” he added. PTI COR SPY NB
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