India, March 6 -- A 59-year-old city-based doctor completed a full marathon at Pangong Lake in Leh, running 42km at an altitude of 14,272 feet in temperatures that dipped to minus 23degC.

Dr Utkrant Kurlekar, a senior surgeon at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, described the race as one of the most physically demanding events of his marathon career. The high-altitude run marked his 24th full marathon.

"At that altitude, every breath requires effort. The extreme cold and running on icy stretches made it very challenging," Kurlekar said. "I have run the Everest Base Camp Marathon and also in the Arctic Circle in Greenland, but this was the coldest temperature I have experienced during a race."

Pangong Lake, located in Ladakh, sits at over ...