Yes, of course you can take a friend or family member along. Bhutan is such a special destination, it will be very nice if you can share it with someone who like to come along for your running/hiking adventures.

We will prepare a detailed itinerary but basically, friends & family will join us for the acclimatization and during the race they will do more sightseeing. Also, on race days we will include some visits along the trail – where that is easily possible – so that they can cheer you on.

Please keep in mind that friends & family members you bring along should also be fit. They don’t have to be “ultra running fit” but, like you, they will be active at relatively high altitude. Of course, the itinerary can be adjusted if a non-competitor has a bad day, i.e. less activity for them.

If you have more questions about bringing along friends & family members, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask.

Several factors play a role here. For one, there is a basic difficulty because of the altitude we are at, i.e. it will feel like you are working harder going uphill than what you are used to. That’s of course unless you live at that kind of an altitude, too.

Overall, the roughly 11,000 m of positive and negative elevation in the 200km distance are a challenge not to underestimate. The same still goes for the 150 km race.

Then there is the temperatures which are in our favour. It’s fall an thus the weather is pretty stable. Cold in the mornings and then warming up but only to a certain level. So, you are not running and hiking in the heat. It can be a bit challenging to adapt. On uphills you often may feel a bit cold but sweat at the same time. Obviously, when you stop or go downhill it will feel cooler. Therefore, it’s important to adjust layers and have spare layers.

Last but not least, there is the technicality of the trails. There are sections with wide and easy paths and no or only few obstacles on the ground. However, there are also many narrow trails that may be covered with vegetation, rocks, or rocks hidden under vegetation. There are wet and slippery areas, steep sections and trails that have a dangerous slope right next to them. Again, the fact that it should be dry helps but, overall, there are many challenging trails. You should be used to exposed alpine trails, steep and slippery trails and not be afraid of heights. If we are unlucky and there is substantial rainfall, many sections will become more difficult.

We set out to make this an ultra that can also be done hiking. During our recce we hiked all uphills. On some downhills, we did do speeds that came close to trotting.

To give the participants the maximum amount of time will start the long stages very early, at 6 am and the stages will end at 5.30 pm. On a couple of occasions we should be able to offer guide escorting on the final stretch, i.e. athletes who do not arrive by a certain cut-off can opt to continue to the finish with the help of guides and so will not be forced to continue unranked the next day.

Still, it is challenging to “just” hike, especially if you struggle with making up time on the downhills. The latter is easier said than done because there are trails with rocks, thousands of steps, roots, and watery stretches.

So, if you are an experience hiker, used to long days in the mountains, who loves challenging trails, can keep a steady pace on an uphill and speed up on a technical downhill, you can hike the Bhutan Ultra.

Needless to say that in the 150 km race you can cover the daily stages at slightly lower average speeds.

Temperatures will change quite a bit depending on where we will be. While in Domkhar, the finish line of our 1st stage, at night it may go down to -10° C, our finish line in Trashigang should only have lows around 11°C. Obviously, climate is less predictable these days …

For the nights we stay in a camp, all tents will have insulated cots and a winter sleeping bag will be provided.

Preservation of the environment in Bhutan is part of the overall Gross National Happiness policy. About 72% of the country is under forest cover and Bhutan has pledged to maintain a minimum of 60% at all times. As of now, 51% falls under protected areas comprising of wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and ecological corridors.

Almost 5000 species of plants, 770 species of birds, and over 200 mammal species are recorded to be found in Bhutan.

Among the most prominent animals are tiger, one-horned rhino, golden langur, leopard, snow leopard and red panda. There are also bears and snakes.

Almost all of the trails we use are potential tiger and bear territory. That’s also the reason why the Bhutan Ultra is not a non-stop race. If guides and locals enter areas that are known for bears and tigers, they make noise – by singing, whistling or talking loudly. During our recce we did see bear and tiger tracks and heard about recent tiger sightings but we did not see the animals themselves. If our making noise made them go away or there simply were none when we were on the trail, is hard to say.

We will give updates and advise during the race briefings (end of each day) about the stage ahead, e.g. on recent animal sightings and areas that require more caution (i.e. making noise).

Before and after the race, we all stay in hotels. During the race, two nights will be in a hotel, too. All other nights our accommodation will be a tent camp. Each tent is shared by two athletes. Insulated cots and winter sleeping bags will be provided. There are separate toilets (outhouses or toilet tents with chemical toilets) and a solution for basic washing.

In our hotel in Mongar (finish day 4) and the hotel in Trashigang (finish day) laundry can be done. However, as you can imagine, they may be overwhelmed if all of us give them all our laundry. So, we will look into “booking” that service, i.e. we will ask you ahead of time if you intend to make use of it. That way the hotels will be prepared. It also needs to be said that laundry can be expensive in Bhutan as it is charged by piece and little pieces cost as much as big ones …

If you can’t continue in the race and do not require medical attention in Thimphu, you can stay with the race. Depending on what your problem is, you can either rest in the accommodation/camp or do the same sightseeing we do for the friends & family program.

There is no extra cost for this unless we have so many DNF athletes that we require extra vehicles and drivers to get everyone from A to B. However, this cost would be fairly low.

If your condition/problem is only temporary, it’s also possible for you to re-join the race unranked.