DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced a 100-mile Himalayan Endurance Ultra Run to promote adventure tourism and create livelihood opportunities in border areas.
Scheduled for the first week of May next year, the race will start at Mana Pass, at an altitude of about 5,600 metres, pass through Badrinath and Joshimath, and finish in Auli.
Dhami made the announcement while participating in the Adi Kailash Parikrama Run 2.0 at Gunji, a high-altitude village in Pithoragarh district. Members of the local Rung community welcomed him in traditional attire.
Describing the run as more than a marathon, Dhami said it tested participants’ courage, resolve and endurance. Running on difficult Himalayan terrain amid harsh weather and low oxygen levels was “a significant achievement in itself”, he said.
“Our soldiers protect the country’s borders in difficult geographical conditions and also make an important contribution to events such as this,” CM Dhami said.
More than 700 runners took part in the inaugural Adi Kailash Parikrama Run in 2025, he said, adding that the event had highlighted the region’s potential for adventure tourism. The number of inner-line permits issued for the region had also risen significantly compared with last year, reflecting growing interest among tourists and pilgrims, he said.
Dhami said the Centre, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was working to develop border villages as “first villages” rather than “last villages”. Tourism, alongside infrastructure development, was being promoted to create employment and self-employment opportunities for local residents, he said.
Events such as the run could benefit homestay operators, guides, transport providers, hotels and food establishments, Dhami said. The government aimed to ensure that tourism benefits reached local communities and helped curb migration from border villages.
Citing Auli, Munsiyari, Rishikesh and Tehri, he said adventure activities were expanding across the state and Uttarakhand’s varied geography offered considerable scope for tourism.
The proposed ultra run would introduce runners from India and abroad to the state’s landscape and adventure-tourism opportunities while creating employment for local youth, Dhami said. He added that the government remained committed to developing border areas as centres of tourism and economic activity under the Centre’s Vibrant Villages Programme.