Thunder Dragon Marathon & Half Marathon, Bhutan | 209 Events
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Thunder Dragon Marathon & Half Marathon, Bhutan

Date: 26 May, 2024

Bhutan, the land of the Thunder Dragon, is known for its stunning Himalayan landscapes, legendary ancient fortresses, spicy food, colourful festivals and most of all its cultural authenticity. Squeezed between Tibet and India, this beautiful mountain Kingdown is the high Himalaya in its natural state where some of the world's rarest species, like the Royal Bengal Tiger or Golden Langur, still roam freely untroubled by human interaction. If you are looking for a unique running and cultural exper…

Bhutan, the land of the Thunder Dragon, is known for its stunning Himalayan landscapes, legendary ancient fortresses, spicy food, colourful festivals and most of all its cultural authenticity. Squeezed between Tibet and India, this beautiful mountain Kingdown is the high Himalaya in its natural state where some of the world's rarest species, like the Royal Bengal Tiger or Golden Langur, still roam freely untroubled by human interaction.

If you are looking for a unique running and cultural experience, Bhutan is the place for you! The charms of this isolated Himalayan Kingdom are knitted strong within its cultural realms and you'll have a chance to sample much that the country has to offer on one of our Thunder Dragon Marathon packages. The race itself, which offers full and half-marathon options, is organised in conjunction with our Bhutanese partner, Blue Poppy Tours and it is a tough race but an achievable challenge. 

The Thunder Dragon Marathon highlights all of the aspects of Bhutan that make it so special. Running through the beautiful Paro Valley the route takes in fantastic scenery and passes many iconic landmarks, such as the Tigers Nest Monastery, Paro Dzong and many religious Chorten - a true mountain and cultural experience.

Run mostly on trails and mountain paths with some road sections, the route has three significant climbs but with an altitude variation that stays between 2,200m and 2,530m and a total ascent of close to 1500m. There are no tremendously difficult sections but at this altitude those long uphill drags can be quite challenging.

In 2023 the top Bhutanese runners completed the marathon in 3:16:34 a little outside the course record of 3:05:20. The top international runner completed the distance in under four hours, the slowest, who walked most of the way, finished in 8:47:14. In the half marathon the top local runner completed the course in 1:51:24 and the slowest finished in over five hours. There is an eight-hour cut off in the marathon but none for the half, although there is some flexibility on the marathon cut-off depending on your personal circumstances.

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