My name is Robert Pollhammer and I am the Race Director of this new and exciting race. I have been organising ultras for more than 20 years and I still love it. My longest standing event is the Yukon Arctic Ultra. I also love the mountains. So, it’s been very exciting when I was asked to present my ideas for an ultra race in Bhutan in 2020! Initial planning was going really well but then Covid-19 happened and the project came to a halt. I was able to keep the dream alive and we finally kicked things off again earlier this year. Good things take time!
So, thanks to the Bhutan Ultra, from 2027 onwards, I will be able share my passion for mountain trails with ultra runners from all over the world.
I could not have planned the Bhutan Ultra without Discover TBT, the Bhutanese agency in charge of anything to do with the Trans Bhutan Trail (TBT). It has been a real pleasure working with Discover TBT and it will be amazing to host our athletes with their support.
Bhutan is special and so is the TBT. There is the concept of Gross National Happiness and the fact that it’s one of the world’s few carbon negative countries. There probably is no place on earth where the environment is protected as well as it is in Bhutan. Add to that an incredible cultural heritage and stunning landscapes. The more you find out about Bhutan, the more you will want to see it with your own eyes. The TBT is one way to do it. It is an historic trail that connects the West with the East of the country and it was only recently re-established. The Bhutan Ultra will take place on the second part of the TBT, i.e. it will take us through the East. The great thing is that our participants will also discover some of the highlights of the West while travelling to the start line. They will get to see a lot of Bhutan and experience its nature, culture and people in a very unique way.