Gruelling Bhutan race draws attention to impact of climate change on vulnerable mountain countries

The Snowman Race is regarded as the world’s toughest race and is also said to be the highest ultra-marathon.

The route started from the northwestern district of Gasa and ended in the central district of Bumthang, running through 203 kilometres of Himalayan wilderness, with an average elevation of over 4,267 metres and multiple peaks summiting 5,470 metres.

The race follows a historic high-altitude trekking route of Snowman Trek, which normally takes up to 20 days to complete.

The toughness of the race is not the only aspect that makes the Snowman Race historic. Its goal is to draw the world’s attention to the dangers of climate change visible in the Himalayas.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, says the Third Pole or High Mountain Asia will continue to warm by at least 1.8 to 2.2 degrees Celsius even if the global average temperatures stable at 1.5 degrees over pre-industrial levels and is projected to lose a third of the glacier volume by the end of the century.

“Seeing the glacial retreat at Narithang was very impactful,” said Byron Powell, a Snowman Race athlete from the United States. “A kilometre of glacier is missing with thousands of Olympic swimming pools worth of volume gone.”

Bhutanese national Gawa Zangpo took overall first place with a race time of 31hrs 53mins 26secs.

Zangpo was followed by Sanjay Wangchuk, who sprinted past ecstatic flag-waving students, to take second place in 34:18:02.

The first international athletes past the post following the final stage were Luke Nelson (USA), Gabe Joyes (USA) and Wataru Lino (Japan), all three crossing the line together in a stage time of 6:20:56.

An emotional Luke Nelson ran into the arms of his fellow countrymen on completing the final leg and quickly underscored the severity of the challenge, saying, “If this last stage was the only stage we ran, it would still make the race incredibly difficult, the unrelenting 9,000 feet descent from the mountains was punishing, but incredible, it’s an unforgettable experience.”

The final stage of the race saw the remaining runners complete the stage by early afternoon with the final athlete, Canadian Nicki Rehn, crossing the line at 2.30pm to rapturous applause from the crowd.

To complement the objectives of the Snowman Race, a climate conclave followed the race on October 18.

“Both Snowman Race and the climate conclave drew inspiration from the prescient wisdom of His Majesty The King on the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. It aspires to bring the world’s attention to climate change, one of the defining issues of our time, and its impacts, particularly on the lives of people living in fragile mountain ecosystems,” said Ambassador Kesang Wangdi, the Snowman Race Secretariat.

It brought together national, regional, and global climate experts and leaders to spotlight the vulnerabilities and challenges faced by Bhutan and other mountain countries in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region living on the frontlines of climate change.

The conclave drew attention to the urgency of a society-wide action, particularly the important role of non-state actors, including businesses and the private sector. Complementing the race, the conclave seeks to make Bhutan a voice of the vulnerable mountain ecosystem reeling from climate change.