She Ran Through Thin Air and Freezing Nights: How Sufiya Sufi Beat One of the World’s Deadliest Routes
Ankita Shukla | Feb 06, 2026, 23:41 IST
Indian ultra-runner Sufiya Sufi has just added another wild milestone to her already jaw-dropping journey. The Guinness World Records has officially recognised her for pulling off one of the toughest high-altitude runs out there - the Manali to Leh route, and doing it faster than the benchmark time.
Indian ultra-runner Sufiya Sufi has just added another wild milestone to her already jaw-dropping journey. The Guinness World Records has officially recognised her for pulling off one of the toughest high-altitude runs out there - the Manali to Leh route, and doing it faster than the benchmark time.
The confirmation came after some delay (the certificate took its own sweet time making its way through delivery and Customs), but when it finally arrived, it sealed a brutal, once-in-a-lifetime effort. Sufi completed the stretch in 98 hours and 27 minutes, beating the 100-hour mark that very few runners even dare to aim for.
This isn’t your average long-distance run. The Manali–Leh highway is nearly 480 km of pure endurance testing. It cuts through five towering Himalayan passes, climbs over 8,500 metres in total elevation, and throws every possible challenge at your body. Thin air. Sudden weather flips. Bone-chilling nights. Long, empty stretches with nothing but mountains and silence around you.
Even people who drive this route talk about how exhausting it feels. Cyclists call it brutal. Now imagine doing it on foot, without stopping, while your lungs fight for oxygen and your legs keep climbing into thinner and thinner air. That’s the level of madness this record sits at.
When Sufi shared the news online, she kept it light, joking about how the certificate reached her slower than her actual run. But behind that humour was a lot of pride and relief. She thanked her support team, sponsors, and everyone who believed she could finish what most people can’t even picture attempting.
What makes her achievement special isn’t just the time she clocked. It’s the control she showed over her body and mind in a place where things can go wrong in minutes. The altitude messes with your breathing. The cold creeps into your bones. The terrain never really lets you settle into a rhythm. Every step is a negotiation between pain, fatigue, and stubborn will.
This record also sits neatly alongside her earlier feats. Sufiya Sufi had already stunned the endurance world by running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, earning a Guinness record for being the fastest woman to cover the length of India on foot. Then came her Golden Quadrilateral run - over 6,000 km across the country’s major highways, a journey that tested patience, heat tolerance, loneliness, and sheer mental grit.
What’s wild is that she didn’t come from a hardcore sports background. She used to work as cabin crew and started running just to stay fit. Over time, that simple habit turned into something much bigger. In 2018, she even set a record for completing the most marathons by a woman in a single year. Since then, she’s built a reputation for choosing routes that push people to their breaking point.
With the Manali–Leh run now officially stamped by Guinness, Sufi’s story hits differently. It’s not about chasing medals or showing off speed. It’s about showing what the human body, and more importantly, the human mind - can survive when someone refuses to quit. For a lot of runners watching from the sidelines, her journey isn’t just impressive. It’s proof that limits are often more flexible than they look.
Image courtesy: Sufiya Sufi Instagram
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The confirmation came after some delay (the certificate took its own sweet time making its way through delivery and Customs), but when it finally arrived, it sealed a brutal, once-in-a-lifetime effort. Sufi completed the stretch in 98 hours and 27 minutes, beating the 100-hour mark that very few runners even dare to aim for.
This isn’t your average long-distance run. The Manali–Leh highway is nearly 480 km of pure endurance testing. It cuts through five towering Himalayan passes, climbs over 8,500 metres in total elevation, and throws every possible challenge at your body. Thin air. Sudden weather flips. Bone-chilling nights. Long, empty stretches with nothing but mountains and silence around you.
Even people who drive this route talk about how exhausting it feels. Cyclists call it brutal. Now imagine doing it on foot, without stopping, while your lungs fight for oxygen and your legs keep climbing into thinner and thinner air. That’s the level of madness this record sits at.
When Sufi shared the news online, she kept it light, joking about how the certificate reached her slower than her actual run. But behind that humour was a lot of pride and relief. She thanked her support team, sponsors, and everyone who believed she could finish what most people can’t even picture attempting.
What makes her achievement special isn’t just the time she clocked. It’s the control she showed over her body and mind in a place where things can go wrong in minutes. The altitude messes with your breathing. The cold creeps into your bones. The terrain never really lets you settle into a rhythm. Every step is a negotiation between pain, fatigue, and stubborn will.
The journey
This record also sits neatly alongside her earlier feats. Sufiya Sufi had already stunned the endurance world by running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, earning a Guinness record for being the fastest woman to cover the length of India on foot. Then came her Golden Quadrilateral run - over 6,000 km across the country’s major highways, a journey that tested patience, heat tolerance, loneliness, and sheer mental grit.
What’s wild is that she didn’t come from a hardcore sports background. She used to work as cabin crew and started running just to stay fit. Over time, that simple habit turned into something much bigger. In 2018, she even set a record for completing the most marathons by a woman in a single year. Since then, she’s built a reputation for choosing routes that push people to their breaking point.
Stamped by Guinness
With the Manali–Leh run now officially stamped by Guinness, Sufi’s story hits differently. It’s not about chasing medals or showing off speed. It’s about showing what the human body, and more importantly, the human mind - can survive when someone refuses to quit. For a lot of runners watching from the sidelines, her journey isn’t just impressive. It’s proof that limits are often more flexible than they look.
Image courtesy: Sufiya Sufi Instagram
Timeslife:
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Spiritual, Travel, Life Hacks, Trending, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!