Srinagar, Mar 04: Muzamil Hussain Mir, 28, a resident of Alamgiri Bazar of Downtown area of Srinagar recently made headlines for his remarkable feat of running a marathon on the frozen lake of Pangong. The 28-year-old athlete braved sub-zero temperatures and ran 42.2 kilometers in just under four hours, creating a record for the first-ever marathon on the frozen lake and registering in the Guinness book of world records.
The frozen lake of Pangong is located in the Himalayan region and is known for its serene beauty and stunning views. The lake freezes over in the winter months, creating a surreal landscape that is both mesmerizing and dangerous. Despite the risks involved, Muzamil was determined to push his limits and achieve something extraordinary.
The marathon itself got registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Highest Frozen Lake Half Marathon.
Muzamil, who is a trained athlete and has participated in several marathons, started his journey to Pangong from Srinagar, which is approximately 500 kilometers away. He made the journey by road, which took him over 12 hours, and finally arrived at the frozen lake.
“I saw this ad for a marathon on the frozen lake of Pangong on social media networking site Facebook. I got registered there as a participant from Decathlon Sports India,” Mir said. Mir is currently working as Omni Sports Leader at Decathlon Sports India.
“Decathlon Sports India supported and provided me with every possible help that I needed there,” he added.
As he started running, Muzamil quickly fell into a rhythm, focusing on his breath and stride. The scenery around him with the snow-covered mountains and the vast expanse of the frozen lake stretching out before him. But he didn’t let anything distract him from his goal, keeping his eyes on the finish line ahead.
He finished 11th in just 2 hours and 11 mins. There were around 100 participants participating. There were people from ITBP, Police and athletes from all around India.
“I also had an experience of running at high altitudes.” Earlier he participated in trail running on Mahadev Peak that has an altitude of 3990 mts and he finished that in 5 hours and 28 mins. So, this training and hard work paid off and helped Mir on the frozen Lake of Pangong.
What basically prompted Mir to get into running sports goes to his friend, Azan. He got inspired from him. Azan won a motorbike in a marathon even in 2016 at SP college.
It triggered the passion of running in Mir and got into running so much that he always wanted to be a professional. He surfed every bit about athletics, about coaches and about the marathons. He met various coaches around including coach Hugo of Kenya on Twitter. Hugo trains world’s biggest names in Marathon and got virtual training from him.
The marathon was not an easy feat to accomplish, as the icy terrain and cold weather presented a significant challenge. Mir had to wear several layers of warm clothing to protect himself from the extreme cold, and he had to be careful while running on the slippery ice. He also had to be mindful of the altitude, as the lake is located at an elevation of over 4,000 meters above sea level.
Despite these challenges, Mir persevered and completed the marathon in just under four hours. His achievement has been widely applauded by the sports community, and he has become an inspiration for many young athletes in the region.
He has shown that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible, no matter how daunting the challenge may seem. His story is a shining example of how athletes can push themselves beyond their limits and achieve greatness.
Mir has also other feats to his credit. In 2020, he has also won Broze medal in Snow Shoeing in Japan where he represented India. In Khelo India Winter Games, he has won silver in 5km run, a gold medal in 400-meter run, and a bronze in long distance run.
He has also participated in inter college run in Islamia College in the year in 2019 and got first position.
Also, he along with another friend founded JK Adventure Sports Club in 2020 with the sole motive of uplifting athletics in Kashmir. He also held an event ‘Kashmir Grand Prix’ where all athletics meet took place for the first time.
Mir’s urge to do more is unending as he now eyes at triathlon. “I want to be known as Iron Man,” Mir said.
