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The whole course of Golden Peak half marathon is through the reserved forest area of Ponmudi Mountain range. The run starts from Anappara and finish at Upper sanitarium, Ponmudi. The initial 5km to Kallar from the start point is flat road terrain. As you crosses Kallar, the base check post, the course becomes tough with steady gradient. From Kallar till the finish point 16.1km is pure uphill and be alert to the altitude changes, as you can raise your strides & cadence without running out of steam. The course runs through the public road to Ponmudi, cutting through the rain forest, rapids near the roads, clove gardens, tea plantations and scenic views of mystic mountains and many more. As you crosses upper check post at 19km mark, the final 2.1km's  which takes you through the breath taking scenery and from there you will start getting the glimpses of the Golden Peak shining bright in the sun as the name resembles.
 

We offer only one category in this first edition of Golden Peak Half marathon. Our runners of varying experiences and abilities found this route very challenging. Do remember that the terrain is rough tarmac road and hilly. The route will be well marked with mile markers. We mildly suggest that you do not worry about recording personal bests on this course as this course has 1000m elevation gain in 16km.  

This ecologically fragile land is really a runners paradise, it takes you though the hills with forest land and plantations. Ponmudi is having an extensive importance of biodiversity, this land is host to 283 species f birds, many of which are endangered and threatened. The grasslands of Ponmudi are the breeding grounds of the broad-tailed grass bird, a threatened species. Fifty-nine per cent of the 483 bird species in Kerala are found at Ponmudi. Of the 16 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats, 15 are at Ponmudi. Of the 332 species of butterflies in the Western Ghats, 195 are found here. Of the 37 butterfly species endemic to the Ghats, 24 are found at Ponmudi. Ponmudi is also host to many species of reptiles and amphibians, including the highly endangered Travancore tortoise, the Malabar Gliding Frog and the Malabar tree toad. Nilgiri tahr is also found in Ponmudi hill top. Leeches also very normal in this route as its a misty place. Ponmudi got a pleasant weather round the year.   

Our run starts from Anappara and with fully packed hydration stations at every 3km distance and Aid stations at 6km. Check the below route map and elevation profile for more details.

WhatsApp Image 2019-01-25 at 1.06.24 AM.
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