Imagine living at 13,000 feet in a mountain village in the Zanskar Range of Northern INDIA and surviving on subsistence agriculture. And imagine the excitement if one of your friends returns home with prize money from an international race held in your state in Northern India! In 2022 and again in 2023, the winner of the Ladakh Marathon, Nawang, was a young man from one of our villages. In 2023, a female student in our program came in 2nd place in the 11K. Students in our program eagerly requested we offer running training so that they, too, could compete in this race. After they had trained through the school year, our partner Sonam organized a practice race for the children and youth of our mountain communities with an 11K, 5K, and a “fun run” for our youngest children. 105 runners participated from 8 mountain villages, and 18 children took home prize money ranging from $12 to $182. All female participants received sports bras, and the top six finishers in the 11K received good running shoes and sponsorship to the Ladakh Marathon. Nawang once again won the marathon and two of our girls, Padma and Stanzin, came in 2nd and 3rd in the 11K. Exciting times!!!
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