Chasing Miles in Kalimpong

After running in Ladakh and enjoying a wonderful self-driving trip around Rajasthan, I needed a race on the calendar to keep me disciplined. I signed up for the Raipur Full Marathon, but without booking tickets or doing proper long runs, the motivation fizzled. Eventually, I rolled my entry to 2024.

With Aarush’s CBSE 10th board exams set for Jan–Mar, I had sworn off events during that time. But when the final dates came out in January, I saw an opening — exams ended on 13 March, and a week later was the Kalimpong Ultra. The moment a friend mentioned it, I registered and booked flights.

Training had been solid through December and January: 30–35 KM weekend runs, 350+ KM months, and strength work. Then mid-February hit like a wall — fatigue, zero gym, sluggish runs. Maybe FOMO watching friends race and bird, maybe just burnout. Either way, I decided to show up, no excuses.

Originally, I’d planned to hang around Siliguri after the race for some birding. In reality, the plan shrank to “run the ultra, rest at home.” Days before leaving, the forecast dropped a surprise — heavy rain and a temperature plunge. Bangalore was baking, so I figured two T-shirts would be fine.

We reached Siliguri Thursday, then Pedang on Friday. Landslides on NH10 slowed us, and by the time we got there it was 3:30 PM and we were starving. Bags dumped at Hidden Heaven Homestay, BIB collected, and we refueled on momos (the chapati-sabzi earlier didn’t count).

Only 26 runners were signed up for the 65KM. Friends joked, “Podium’s yours!” I laughed — survival in freezing rain was my real target. That evening I met Mr. & Mrs. Mateti (Border 100 Miler podium finishers) and Sharmistha from Kolkata. I also made sure they’d wake me up; I wasn’t risking another Auroville-style DNS.

Race Day
At 4 AM, rain pounded the roof. By 4:45, it eased into drizzle. Walking to the start, I stayed under a shade until we were called. Spotting Mr. & Mrs. Manmohan from Bangalore boosted morale — Shamla madam already had her podium locked.

I’d skipped breakfast prep entirely, so I just started running, step by step. First 4 KM uphill, then a steady climb to 21 KM, followed by a sharp 13 KM downhill to the turnaround. Around 12 KM in, I linked up with Anil from NTPC Farakka, and we paced each other — neither too fast nor too slow.

It rained most of the way back, drenching us to the bone.

The organization was excellent: aid stations every 3 KM, mostly manned by brave schoolchildren standing in 6–11℃ cold. With 4 KM left, I told Anil to push; he had more left in the tank. I finished in 08:32 — a win in my book after a rough February.

Then came my “3 Idiots” moment.

The next day, we returned to Siliguri via Lava Road — the same hills we’d battled on foot — since NH10 was shut for repairs.

Special thanks to Richard from Palm Paradise Travels for flawless logistics and personal check-ins that made the trip far smoother than the race itself.

Pictures: 2024 Kalimpong Ultra

Official race details: Kalimpong Ultra Marathon