Pakistani athletes grab podium finishes at Khunjerab marathon

KARACHI: Pakistani athletes on Saturday swept all positions in Khunjerab highest altitude road marathon, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesman said on Saturday.

It was a momentous occasion in the history of Pakistan as 154 long-distance runners from across the world ran on the Karakoram Highway which started from the magnificent Khunjerab top to Sust, a small town in the majestic pass.

“This highest-ever marathon took place at an elevation of 4693 metre above sea level and featured a unique blend of young and old, local and foreign, male and female long distance runners, sweating out on the eighth wonder of the world,” he added.

In 50km race, Muhammad Siyar from Army clinched first position, Aslam Khan from Gilgit Baltistan’s scouts remained as runner-up, while Muhammad Iqbal finished third. In 42km race, Army dominated, bagging the first three positions. Umair Haider secured first position, Muhammad Faheem and Sohail Tanveer ended at second and third positions respectively.

In 21km race, Mirza Aslam Baig got gold, followed by Abdul Muheet and Musawwar-Ur-Rehman with second and third positions, respectively.

PAF joined hands with international marathon Travel Company, Z Adventures and Serena Hotels to showcase the real beauty of Pakistan to the world. A total of 154 athletes including 39 international runners from 17 countries participated in the race, which was held in three categories including ultra marathon (50 km), marathon (42 km) and half-marathon (21km). Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan and Air Marshal Aasim Zaheer, President Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan, were also present on the occasion.