Nawang Tsering is a young man from our project area in northern India. Growing up in an orphanage, he was inspired by a classmate to pick up running for the adventure and travel opportunities that racing can bring. Nawang loves to run and has started competing in international races. The Lingshed children follow him eagerly, as he is their local hero. In fact, the reason we have a running program in Lingshed is because local children asked for one – they wanted to emulate their hero.
Nawang’s first ultra was the Hoka Chiang Mai Ultra in Thailand in December of 2024. As it was his first race, he had no “points” so he had to start at the back of the pack of almost 800 racers. Over the next 100 kilometers, he gradually passed runner after runner on the narrow mountain trails. But disaster struck about two-thirds of the way through the race when the batteries in his GPS watch died – he could no longer determine the route of the race course. Not sure where to go, he got off route, losing time and energy. Nevertheless, he came in 10th place in the men’s division which earned him a spot in the prestigious UTMB-CCC ultra in France. My sister, Wendy, and I went to Chamonix to cheer him on in 2025 against some of the best racers in the world. With over 2,000 runners competing, he came in 53rd overall – an amazing result considering he had only been racing ultras for 8 months! This time, thanks to designated donations to Global Pearls, he was wearing high end racing shoes and had a watch designed to last the entire race!
On Thursday, 10th Sep 2026, Nawang competed for the first time in the Ultra Silk Route race at the Ladakh Marathon – 122km in distance. The race climbs over a pass with an elevation of 17,618’. It is the highest certified ultra in the world so it is a bucket list race for ultra runners from all over the world. 120 racers competed, but Nawang had the home field advantage.
We had fun following the race through Instagram updates:
Nawang set a new course record at 12 hrs:12 mins:18 secs.
The previous course record? 13 hrs:50 mins:1 sec.
Want to see his beautiful smile as he crosses the finish line? Click here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DdIRPhEpdTI/
Lingshed children are undoubtedly celebrating! And, yes, this is a proud Grandma!!
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