NEW DELHI, Sep 21: Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday flagged-off a unique expedition Kargil to Kohima (K2K) Ultra-Marathon- “Glory Run” from Kargil War Memorial at Drass in Jammu and Kashmir to Kohima War Cemetery in Nagaland.
IAF’s Jammu and Kashmir AOC Air Vice Marshal PM Sinha flagged off the expedition.
The expedition is being undertaken to commemorate 20th year of Kargil Victory and to live up to the true tradition and motto of IAF — “Touch the Sky with Glory”.
Kohima and Kargil are the two forward most outposts of India in the East and in the North where two of the fiercest battles were fought in 1944 and 1999 respectively, an IAF spokesperson said.
K2K Glory Run will culminate on November 6.
A team of 25 Air Warriors will cover a distance of more than 4500 Km in 45 days by running an average of 100 Km per day. The aim of the expedition is to promote awareness for Pedestrian Safety and recently launched Fit India Movement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also to pay tribute to the brave hearts who have made the supreme sacrifice for our motherland, the spokesperson added.
On September 6 IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa handed over the ‘Glory Torch’ to the team leader Squadron Leader Suresh Razdan at Air Headquarters (VayuBhavan), New Delhi.
The team has been selected after rigorous selection trials and has undergone strenuous training at Air Force Station Leh to undertake the Ultra-Marathon.
The composite team consisting of officers and airmen including one female officer Flight Lieutenant Rishab Jeet Kaur and Warrant Officer Indra Pal Singh, whose age is 51 year.
The expedition is led by Squadron Leader Suresh Razdan who is a Su-30 aircraft pilot.
The team will be following Drass – Leh- Manali Highway where average elevation is 13,000 feet with its highest elevation being 17480 ft at Tanglang-La mountain pass.
The team will be crossing many small streams of ice cold water from snow capped mountains which demands audacious attitude to negotiate the treacherous mountainous terrain.
Some of the passes in Ladakh region are Namiki La (12198 ft), Fout La (13510 ft), Tanglang La (17480 ft), Lachung La (16613 ft), Baralancha La (16040 ft) and Rohtang (13129 ft).
The team will undertake this adventurous expedition involving camping and living outdoors, managing and surviving in snow, rain and extreme climate through varied terrain of Ladakh, HP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Nagaland. (UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel