Dehradun Marathon: The Sarmang Race Dates, Distances, Cut-offs and a Monsoon-Proof Training Plan

The Dehradun marathon: one big race, right after the monsoon

When people search for a marathon in Dehradun, they almost always mean the Sarmang Dehradun Marathon, organised by the non-profit Sarmang Society with Sarmang Adventure Tours. Its first edition was in 2022, and it has run every year since, at the end of September or the start of October, as the monsoon ends. The course is measured and certified by World Athletics and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), and the race counts as an age-group qualifier in the Abbott World Marathon Majors rankings. The table shows the 2026 edition, the fifth, as the organiser published it (checked October 2026).

Every race starts and finishes at the International Cricket Stadium on Thano Road, Raipur, on the eastern edge of the city. Recent editions fell on 29 September 2024, 5 October 2025 and 4 October 2026, so expect the 2027 race on a Sunday around the same time. For the 2025 edition, registration opened in April on the organiser’s site, sarmangdehradunmarathon.sarmang.com; entries are non-refundable and non-transferable, and there is no race-day registration.

The Dehradun marathon course: Thano forest, Maldevta and the Sahastradhara bypass

The Dehradun marathon course is described as hilly, an out-and-back road route through countryside, forest and along a river, with the Himalayan foothills behind. The organiser hasn’t published an elevation figure. What it has published is a set of checkpoint cut-offs for the full marathon, which double as the best description of the route.

So the first half heads out into the forest on the Thano road and back, and the second takes in Maldevta and the Sahastradhara bypass. The half marathon runs a single loop: from the stadium to Maharana Pratap Chowk, along Maldevta Road to Kesarwala, onto the Maldevta–Sahastradhara bypass, to the Marautha–Reniwala road junction and back to the stadium. A pacing note from the cut-offs: the overall limit of 6 hours 30 minutes works out to about 9 minutes 15 seconds per kilometre, a brisk walk mixed with jogging, and the first checkpoint, 11 km in 1 hour 40 minutes, asks for about 9 minutes 5 seconds. Back-of-the-pack runners can’t afford a slow start.

Results and winning times from the 2025 Dehradun marathon

AIMS published the 2025 results, which give a sense of the field. Het Ram won the men’s marathon in 2:41:02 and Phurba Tamang the women’s in 3:41:15. In the half marathon, Sagar Malik won the men’s race in 1:16:16 and Anjali the women’s in 1:51:46; in the 10K, Akhil Yadav ran 33:39 and Soniya 36:02. Most runners, of course, are there to finish: medals went to everyone inside the cut-off, with an e-certificate of their time.

Dehradun marathon fees and prize money

The half-marathon page on the organiser’s site lists an entry fee of ₹2,200 for Indian runners and US$50 for foreign runners, covering the timing chip and bib, T-shirt, finisher medal, e-certificate, hydration and post-race refreshments. The same page also carries dates from 2021, so treat that fee as a guide and confirm the current one when registration opens.

Prize money is the other common search. The organiser’s half-marathon page lists trophies for the top three men and women in each age group (18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70+) and says there is no cash prize, while the AIMS announcement for the 2024 edition said the overall winners of the full marathon, half marathon and 10K would receive cash prizes. Check the rules for the edition you enter.

Which Dehradun race distance should you enter?

The cut-offs tell you how fast each race expects you to move. Divide each limit by its distance and the Sarmang races fall into two groups: the 5K and 10K are open to walkers, while the half, the full and the ultra all ask for about 9 minutes 15–25 seconds per kilometre, a mix of jogging and brisk walking on a hilly road.

Race morning itself needs planning. Reporting for the half is at 4:30 AM at the stadium in Raipur, so arrange transport the night before. IMD normals put Dehradun’s average October low at 16.3 °C and the high at 29.0 °C, which means a cool start that warms quickly once the sun is up; carry an old layer to discard at the start.

Other running events in Dehradun

• Dehradun Half Marathon (Thrill Zone): listed on a race calendar for 25 October 2026 with a half marathon, a 10K and a 5K fun run, and fees of ₹699–1,399. It is a new listing, so check with the organiser for future dates.
• BSF Doon Marathon: 21K and 10K road races, according to Sarmang’s list of local events.
• MADATHON: a run, recently a 10K, raising support for Dehradun’s rivers and streams.
• DHARAK: Dehradun Trails: a Sarmang trail race of 33K, 12K and 5K in the foothills, listed with ITRA, for runners who prefer dirt to tarmac.

How to train for the Dehradun marathon through the monsoon

The Dehradun marathon’s date creates one big problem: a 12-week build-up for an early-October race starts in July, right in the wettest part of the year. IMD normals for 1991–2020 give Dehradun 622 mm of rain in July and 715 mm in August, with more than 20 rainy days in each, and afternoon humidity near 80%. Most weeks will have at least one run washed out. The plan below keeps the long run as the priority, moves speed sessions indoors when it pours, and adds strength for a hilly course. Our national half marathon training plan for beginners explains the principles in full.

1. 1

   Run the course before race day

   Do at least two long runs on the half-marathon loop via Maldevta and the Sahastradhara bypass, so the rises are familiar.

2. 2

   Practise the early start

   The half starts at 5:30 AM with reporting at 4:30 AM. In September, do two long runs at that hour, with the breakfast you plan to eat on the day.

3. 3

   Train the downhills

   Hilly courses punish the thighs on the way down. Slow step-downs and split squats twice a week protect them.

4. 4

   Respect the humidity

   Even in early October, the end of the monsoon can leave the morning air humid. Drink at every hydration point and start slower than you think.

For where to do your weekday runs, including the Raipur track and the climb towards Mussoorie, see our guide to running tracks in Dehradun. For strength work that suits runners, read strength training for runners.

On monsoon days when you can’t get to the gym, Personal Home Training in Dehradun keeps your strength sessions going with a mat and a coach on video. If an old injury flares up and your physio has cleared you to train, Rehab & Recovery in Dehradun rebuilds it carefully. Use the TDEE calculator to fuel the long runs, see treks near Dehradun for the hills after race season, and find everything else on online personal training in Dehradun.