The Thunder Dragon Marathon and Half-Marathon
RACE DATE: May 26, 2024
RACE TIME: 9:00 AM
COURSE: The race route starts at Udumwara, underneath the cliff that the Tiger’s Nest is built on. The route is approx. half road surface and half farm trails, on the full marathon there is a 4K section of single track.
The first 8K are on road surfaces and slightly downhill alongside the Paro Chu (river). At 8km the half marathon splits off to the right and makes its way up and behind Paro Dzong (Fort). The full marathon carries straight on with a long and gradual climb alongside the Wang Chu (river) on farm tracks above rice fields.
At 18K the marathon route crosses the river and returns towards Paro on the other side on a gentle downhill gradient to 25K. Here, the route has the toughest climb, for about 4km on road, rising above the Paro National Museum, then on single track for 1km to the highest point of the race at 2.560m.
Dropping back down to the Paro Chu the marathon and half marathon re-join beneath Paro Dzong to cross the famous wooden bridge. The last 10K for both distances are on a gradual but long uphill climb on a mix of road and wide farm track, rising above Paro Chu, with views of the river and rice fields, before dropping into the finish back at Udumwara.
The total height gain on the marathon is 995m and for the half 450m. The altitude at the start is 2.400m and the lowest point, in Paro Town, is 2,200.
TEMPERATURE: Expected temperatures range from 60F to 70F degrees. Humidity is comfortable in May and light rain is a possibility.
ENTRY FEE: All tour packages include the race entry fee, race t-shirt, pre-race pasta dinner, finisher medal and post-race celebration dinner. Your entry is guaranteed after receipt of a completed tour application form and deposit.
TIME LIMIT: The Marathon course time limit is eight (8) hours. There is no time limit for the Half-Marathon.
DIFFICULTY: Difficult, if you do not have experience running at altitude and / or on hilly course that include some single track trail. More information here.
