Running packFull required-kit capacity
RequiredRace
01
0km
Distance
Single loop · Paro → Thimphu
02
0m
Total Climb
D+ gain · D− 2,554 m descent
03
0m
Highest Point
Start 2,300 · Finish 2,700 m
04
0h
Time Limit
04:00 → 19:00 local
05
0
Runners
3D Course · loading
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Progress
0.0 km
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Sections
- 1 Circle of Life 0–14 km
- 2 Temptation 14–22 km
- 3 Karma 22–28 km
- 4 Nirvana 28–40 km
Download GPX
Official course track · waypoints for START, CP1–CP3 & FINISH
Fetching live conditions…
| Point | Distance | Altitude | Cut-off | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| START | 0 km | 2,300 m | 04:00 | Paro · under the stars |
| CP 1 | 14 km | 3,500 m | – | End of Circle of Life section |
| CP 2 | 22 km | 3,000 m | 10:00 | Into the high-altitude zone |
| CP 3 | 28 km | 3,600 m | 13:00 | Last check before the high point |
| MAX | 30 km | 4,000 m | – | The course high point |
| FINISH | 40 km | 2,700 m | 19:00 | Thimphu · Buddha Dordenma |
Time Gates
15-hour window · 04:00 → 19:00
04:00
Start
6h
10:00
CP 2
3h
13:00
CP 3
6h
19:00
Finish
Altitude Notice
Above 3,000 m the air is thin. Plan to run at 60–70% of your normal pace. If you feel headache or dizziness, walk and notify staff immediately.
Section 1 · Circle of Life, Start → CP1 (0–14 km)
Terrain. A dark pre-dawn start on flat, soft forest trail through Bhutan's silent old-growth woods, a gentle prologue that draws you deep into the wild.
Runner's guide. This is where the great cycle of the race, breath in, breath out, begins, like new life waking. Breathe the cold dawn air, settle your excitement, fall into step with the runners around you, and find your own breathing rhythm. Do not overpace.
Section 2 · Temptation, CP1 → CP2 (14–22 km)
Terrain. The flat ground ends. As you near CP2 the trail turns rough and rugged, with lung-bursting steep grades.
Runner's guide. With the first real grades come the first whispers, to slow down, to walk it in, to save yourself for later. Treat them as noise: hold your rhythm, spend nothing extra, and resist the temptation to ease off. The race's real question is still ahead.
Section 3 · Karma, CP2 → CP3 (22–28 km)
Terrain. The “Vertical Challenge”, climbing from 3,000 m to 4,000 m through extreme high-altitude terrain. It is the race's decisive stretch, and CP3 is the last point to step off.
Runner's guide. Thighs burning, breath at your throat, you meet the honest question: “why did I sign up for this?” This is where you answer for every skipped training day and settle your karma with your whole body, while thin-air fatigue peaks and CP3 waits as the last point to step off. Pay the debt one stubborn step at a time. This is the heart of the race.
Section 4 · Nirvana, CP3 → Finish (28–40 km)
Terrain. Past the high point (4,000 m), a long, steep, technical downhill and sweeping straightaways run down toward the capital, Thimphu.
Runner's guide. This road is reserved for those who beat every temptation. You may feel a runner's high that rises above the pain, and a deep calm with it. But the altitude drops fast, guard against knee injury and falls, and stride on toward the great Buddha Dordenma at the finish, your moment of release.
Bag Drop
Name-tagged luggage to the lobby. Transferred to your finish-line hotel.
Start
Shuttle from hotel to start line. Gun at 04:00 sharp.
Finish
Buddha Dordenma. Shuttle bus standing by to Yarkay Thimphu.
Awards & Dinner
Hotel ballroom · finisher's dinner with the full field.
This kit is not about helping you run the race faster; it is a minimum promise to protect your life out in the wild until the rescue team arrives.
No gear, no start
Random checks happen at any CP. Missing a critical item, jacket, headlamp, blanket, phone, is an immediate DSQ.
DSQ if missing
Time penalty
Required kit
01Pack & Hydration
Personal cup ≥ 15 clNo disposables at CPs
PenaltyHydration system1 L minimum
RequiredTwo headlamps+ spare batteries
DSQ02Clothing
Waterproof jacket10,000 Schmerber+, seam-sealed, fixed hood
DSQThermal base layer≥ 180 g, non-cotton
RequiredWaterproof pantsSeam-sealed
PenaltyBeanieWarm hat
RequiredWaterproof glovesInsulated
Penalty03Safety & Emergency
Survival blanket1.40 × 2.10 m or larger
DSQSelf-adhesive bandage100 × 6 cm
PenaltyWhistlePack-installed accepted
RequiredSmartphoneBhutan roaming, charged, race app / GPX
DSQEmergency foodMin 800 kcal
Penalty
Penalties
Immediate DSQ, missing or sub-spec headlamps (×2 + spares), waterproof jacket, smartphone, or survival blanket. Time penalty, 15 minutes to 1 hour per missing item for personal cup, gloves, waterproof pants, adhesive bandage, or emergency food. Full kit is inspected at the Day 1 reception (16:00); random checks follow at CPs.
Altitude
Acute mountain sickness possible above 3,000 m. Slow your pace. Hydrate at every CP.
Weather
Pre-dawn near freezing. Wind chill on the peak. Layer up before you feel cold.
Terrain
Steep singletrack and exposed ridgelines. Protect the downhill knees.
Self-sufficiency
Carry your own emergency food and fluid. CPs are spaced far apart.
KTR Bhutan 2026 respects your self-reliance, but in partnership with the Bhutanese government and military, it builds a thorough medical and safety net so no runner is ever isolated at altitude.
Military at Every CP
Bhutanese troops are stationed at every checkpoint to support safe passage across the high mountain terrain.
Altitude Doctors
Physicians trained in altitude sickness and mountain emergency medicine are posted at key points, monitoring the field in real time.
Oxygen at Every CP
Emergency oxygen cans and masks are stocked at all CPs through the thin-air 3,000–4,000 m zone for immediate first response.
Daily Medical Screening
From arrival on Day 1 to the end of the event, every participant undergoes a mandatory daily health check, temperature, blood pressure, and blood-oxygen (SpO₂). Consent is required. If staff judge your readings to be in the altitude-sickness risk range, your start or continuation may be restricted for safety.