Leh: At 55, it is his willingness to test his limits and break the barriers that drives Bengaluru’s Vinod Krishna to take up challenges that even make the fittest tremble with fear. A seasoned marathon runner, Vinod stands as an inspiration to many as he returns to Ladakh for a fourth time to attempt what may arguably be his most challenging run yet.

Having completed the Khardungla Challenge and the full race at the Ladakh Marathon last year, Vinod is back in the rugged terrain to go one step further, aiming to ace the Silk Route Ultra – the toughest of them all.

A total distance of 164.195km in just 4 days. As audacious as it might sound, for Vinod, it is an opportunity to test himself physically and mentally, and to gain a sense of achievement that helps him tackle other life problems more effectively.

For the uninitiated, the 12th edition of the Ladakh Marathon, which got underway on Thursday, offers six different courses catering to all types of runners, from amateurs to professional athletes. The easiest is a Run for Fun event with a distance of 5km, and the toughest is the Silk Route Ultra – a 122km run at altitudes ranging from 10,700 to 17,618 feet above sea level, making it the highest and one of the most difficult long-distance foot races in the world.

“I think exploring your own abilities is the most important thing in life. And what are your limits? You set them, and those are the limits. Can you break those barriers, or can you move out of your comfort zone and test your limits a little bit more?,” shared Vinod on the motivation behind taking up challenging runs like the Silk Route Ultra at his age.

Vinod Krishna completed the full marathon and the Khardungla Challenge last year.

A former corporate professional, who runs his own venture in Bengaluru now, Vinod was never into running while growing up. It was in college that he first took up running and started with 1500 and 3000 meters. But as life happened, running took a backseat with his professional ambitions taking over. It was not until a trek during a company offsite in Maharashtra’s Lonavala that he rediscovered his love for running.

One trek led to another, and Vinod soon found himself footslogging in the Himalayas. To prepare for his treks, he started running and........

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