A 65 KM Journey To The Hell Disguised As Heaven On Earth
“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
And the ultimate dream is to run LAULTRA 111kms which is due in August 2021. Since I qualified for this run, I am hoping to hit the mountains as many times as I can before the big day. The aim is to cover as many miles as I can before I set myself on one of the biggest tasks I have set for myself this year. When I came across The Hell Race, it looked appealing and the name itself got me hooked enough that I knew I had to explore more.
Set in the forests of the Sandakphu region near Darjeeling, the Buddha trail has got its name from the sleeping Buddha which is what the Kanchenjunga range looks like. The route is a mix of treacherous and easy-ascent slopes that will expose you to the breathtaking views of the 8000er mountain peaks of the Himalayas. In addition to this, the timing of the race couldn’t be more perfect. Rhododendrons and Magnolia bloom at this time of the year and paint the forest with hues of pink and red. But all the beauty aside, your endurance will be put to test in this race.
Although a little bit different terrain, the 65km Buddha Trail Run (an equivalent to 100km road run) was something that could help me in my altitude training. So without thinking much, I signed up for it and got a confirmation email. The email was quite interesting and a bit scary at the same time. It made me think if I have dug my own grave.
But it was done so I knew there was no going back. One of the first challenges came in the form of times we are in. I had to travel from Bagdogra to Darjeeling to Rimbick in covid times with utmost care where I had to wait for the D-Day. I did a few runs in Darjeeling and tested my new Columbia Montetrail shoes to get myself accustomed to them as well as to keep shoe bites in check but none happened.
Finally, I reached Rimbick and the homestays were welcoming. You know what they say., “Amidst the chilling winds, it’s the warmth of people and their hospitality that helps you survive in mountains.” It was just an amazing experience for me. The post-race article I wrote described it all. You can give that one a read here:-
Oh, and I got lucky as they chose my picture to feature in the article. Yaay!
So the D-day was finally here and I was all set to hit the mountains. The 4 am start gave jitters to all the runners thanks to the pitch dark trail and chilly weather. The Sun rises here soon and by 5:30am, the warm sun came up to greet us good morning.
The daylight showed us the arrows marked on the route and the first 6kms from Rimbick Bazaar to Shrikola bridge was simply a paradise on Earth. But little did we know that this beautiful route is nothing but a breathing hell in disguise. It was simply to give us that positive push at the start of the run and I would like to give applause to the organizers here as they planned it smartly.
As soon as we crossed the bridge and took a left turn, our personal hell welcomed us in the form of an ascent towards Sandakhpu. After covering 12kms towards an elevation to Sandakhpu, I fooled myself that the worst is truly over but who was I kidding. This was a hell race. It’s all in the name itself. And so the ascent was just a trailer of how brutal the journey will get until the finish line.
Well! I would like to take a pause here and acknowledge the fact that this is not only my story. I had a companion, the Bamboo stick in my hand and it has its story to tell too.
Now I look back and remind myself of the great views of Kanchenjunga and how they took a back seat as I planned to refill my nourishments and proceed ahead at Sandakhpu aid station. I was definitely relieved when the steep climb was over as it made my heart pound heavy and this was just 20 percent of the distance completed so far.
Next in line were the 21kms easy descends and ascends to Phalut after Sandakhpu. But hell has always something or the other right. And here the road was filled with boulders and you had to be careful about when you land on your foot. Now imagine yourself being careful at the right spot while mother nature is playing all kinds of tricks with you. The sun and chilly wind are hitting your left-right center and at times, the wind decides to push you in odd directions.
I reached Phalut at 39th km and now had another 26kms to go. You can grab your drop bags here. And the next 10kms was a rundown and so you can capture the much-needed pace if you intend to finish the run well within time. But as I said, nothing was easy in the hell race. The entire 10kms was a narrow path and was covered with leaves giving it an absolute jungle-like feeling. With trees all over the range, this particular trail gave a feeling like it’s never going to end. It could be due to the tiredness you are suffering from or you simply want to finish the race as soon as possible.
At the 49th km mark at Samanden, the refills were done and I headed to the next stop at Ramam which was the 54 kms mark. Here we had another gruelling downhill of 5kms to go. The route to Srikhola bridge was dusty and filled with boulders. As soon as you start to hear the dogs barking, know that the bridge is close and after this, it would be just 6 kms before you get to touch the finish line.
Crossing the bridge indeed gave me a sense of accomplishment as the hard part was truly over and all that was left for me was to crawl on the tar road to the finish line. Here, every time in the day when you pushed yourself beyond the limit would pay off as you could manage to have the daylight. Tired from all the challenges, even though these last few kilometers were relatively easy but by now, the mind starts to play tricks with you and you feel tired. So be headstrong to cross the finish line.
And so when I was standing on the finish line at the 13th hour, my tears refused to roll down instead they got gulped down the throat. At this point after persevering for almost an entire day, all you want to do is take a moment and bow down to all the runners who were submissive to failure, and psychological scarring for life by merely signing up for this HELL run.
As a part of the RunMonks community, we wholeheartedly salute Yuvraj Patil for keeping the focus with all the grit and determination and completing the HELL Run. And being the catalyst in driving the idea of – “Nothing comes easy”
RunMonks a platform powered by 505 Circle created by Kushagra Sharma is proud to be associated with Yuvraj Patil for being the flag bearer of our philosophy of “accepting your authentic self, to mindfully live each moment of your life” and GETTING INTO THE #ZENMODE & TO BE THE #RUNMONKER
