Bhatti Lakes ultra run - 2013
85 runners, single-trail, dusty terrain, humid conditions - an Indian ultra run that tests the mettle
The gruelling 4 category ultra is held in Bhatti, a series of lakes formed around abandoned mines. Its close proximity to Delhi and the city of Faridabad and the the historic Tughlaqabad fort standing tall right around the race location have been the luring factor for the participants to take part in the categories that are spread over three days.
With changing terrain and rocky protrusions to encounter, the Bhatti ultra run, organized by Bangalore-based Globeracers has, in the years, turned out to be an event not for the lollygagger but the pure endurance runners.
At the 2013 challenge, several pacers from India including the likes of Krishan Kumar (a Bhatti regular) and Tanvir Kazmi will throw themselves to the off-roader challenge to earn valuable qualification points for the prestigious Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, a 168 km run in Chamonix- France.Runners like Aparna Choudhary have been coming here and punishing their shoe soles by taking to the dusty stretch under testing conditions. Arun Bharadwaj, a former participant, used his Bhatti experience to become the only Indian to run and finish the Badwater Marathon in the US in 2012. Probably the only race in India today that tests the inherent stamina and athletic ability of an ultra runner, the 2013 edition of the race is likely to see a rise in participation with 85 runners (nine female) hitting the trail this year as compared to 32 (two female) last year.Among the participants are seasoned Japanese runner Naoya Hayashi and Spaniard Alfredo Miranda, an amateur in the ultra running scene.With some of the trailers losing their way last year, the organizers are looking for a no-repeat and have turned tech savvy by assisting the runners with GPS coordinates. An aid station would be available to the participants at every 5km interval providing medical help and replenishments including energy drinks, water, snacks, candy. Keeping night time safety in mind the race authorities also have a night-time route safety and support dropbag.
Supporting Globeracers with state of the art technology are GPS-equipped Ambit 2 and Ambit 2S watches (it provides accurate pace, distance and heart-rate monitoring, route navigation, barometric information, altimeter with FusedAltiTM, 3D compass and other outdoor specific features) from Suunto and shoes from Salomon, custom-made for the trail running community.Read this space for daily updates and runners' interviews!
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Place: New Delhi
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