Ladakh: Ladakh Marathon produced another incredible edition in 2026, with its various races drawing participants from across the country and captivating audiences in Ladakh and beyond. The event featured several high-octane races, including the 122 km Silk Route Ultra, 72 km Khardung La Challenge, a full marathon and many more. However, whenever an event of this scale takes place, one issue inevitably comes under the scanner: the use of plastic. At the Ladakh Marathon, though, despite multiple races being held over four days, organisers ensured that the environment remained a priority, while also sending a strong message against single-use plastics and raising awareness among participants.
The event attracted a large number of participants and also boosted tourism, leading to a surge in the use of plastic water and soft-drink bottles. But Chewang Motup Goba, the man behind the Ladakh Marathon, found a way to tackle the problem by announcing an innovative initiative: students who submitted 20 PET bottles would get free entry, including a bib, to the 5 km Race for Fun. The message was taken to schools across Ladakh, drawing an enthusiastic response from students.
With a focus on engaging the younger generation in its efforts to reduce plastic waste, Chewang explained to Hindustan Times Digital how the initiative worked, encouraging students to collect PET bottles in exchange for a race bib.
“We have this scheme where all these students who run this race have to contribute 20 PET bottles. They have to collect, and it’s like that’s their entry fee. Yeah. They get the bib if they contribute 20 PET bottles. So, they realise it’s going around the streets and the market and anywhere collecting bottles to get a bib for this race,” Chewang told Hindustan Times Digital in an exclusive interview.
Getting the younger audience involved
Chewang had a dedicated place thought out to collect plastic bottles, with loads of them arriving in bunches from different schools. An entire pit was filled with them. He believes awareness about keeping the environment clean needs to start at a young age, with children playing an important role in building the habit from the very beginning. He feels the Ladakh Marathon has been able to convey that message to the younger generation, but much more still needs to be done.
“So, right from childhood, I mean, young people, we really need to build that. If really our country needs to come out of that as a big garbage, you know, with the kind of litter we do all across, I think we need to start right from the young people in school, right at the foundation, to make our country clean, litter, you know, very sensitive to the environment. And the Ladakh Marathon, I think we were, we are pretty successful in creating that awareness, and we are very happy, but as I said, we need to do more in the near future,” he added.
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The 60-year-old said the initiative does not end with the collection of plastic bottles, as organisers are now looking at ways to recycle the waste and give it a new purpose.
“The bottles collected through this exercise will be sent to a recycling plant, where they will be processed into recycled material and turned into products such as T-shirts. We want children to see that collecting a bottle is not the end of the exercise. It is the beginning of a cycle where waste can be recovered, reused and given a new purpose, carrying that understanding forward into the future.”
Besides, Chewang acknowledged the growing impact of climate change on Ladakh, particularly on its glaciers and the wider Trans-Himalayan region. But rather than looking only at the threat it poses, he believes the Ladakh Marathon can also be used to raise greater awareness about the environment and the changes taking place around the world.
“Well, I think all across the world, especially the regions which are really getting affected, are the cold deserts like Ladakh. Because we have some of the longest glaciers in the world in our backyards. But due to global warming and because of the cold desert, the reflection during the radiation the sun has during the summer months is affecting the big glaciers. And it’s receding faster than anywhere in the world. These regions, I will say, are the Trans-Himalayan region.
“So, I think this event is one of the best ways of creating awareness about that instead of looking at the negative side. I think it’s the way that now we have managed to, why we are banning all these things. I think it has created a huge awareness on the climate, global warming, and environmental front. So, we can use the Ladakh Marathon as a tool to create awareness about these issues the whole world is facing. And I think we have been successful in a big way, but we have many miles to go, and I’m sure we’ll be able to, especially the young people who are coming on board,” he concluded.