Darjeeling is set to host its inaugural Night Run 10K on August 14, with around 1,000 runners expected to participate. The event, organised by the VikRun Foundation, aims to promote fitness, community, and sports tourism in the region. However, it will also shine a spotlight on a lesser-known inhabitant of the Eastern Himalayas - the Himalayan salamander.
The salamander, which rarely features in the imagery used to promote Darjeeling, is an important part of the region’s biodiversity. Conservationist Dr Barkha Subba, a recipient of the prestigious Whitley Award, will showcase her conservation work and raise awareness about the salamander and its habitats at the Gundri Bazar community marketplace, which is being organised alongside the run.
The event’s organisers hope to establish Darjeeling as a year-round running destination, with its unique terrain and altitude offering runners an experience distinct from conventional city races. The Night Run is intended to become an annual festival from 2027, with the organisers eventually hoping to attract participants from across India and neighbouring countries.
However, the expansion of sports tourism in the region also raises questions about the impact on fragile ecosystems. Can tourism built around nature encourage visitors to better understand the ecosystems they come to experience? For conservationists, the distinction between viewing a mountain landscape as scenery or as habitat is crucial.
The organisers have also undertaken a practical intervention along the race route, promising to restore or replace non-functional streetlights. The initiative is intended to improve safety for runners while providing a longer-term benefit to residents and visitors. The event’s message is also centred on fitness and responsible citizenship, encouraging young people to embrace outdoor activities and reduce excessive screen time.
The Night Run’s conservation component could prove to be one of its more distinctive legacies. By bringing people into the mountains, can the event inspire them to protect the fragile ecosystems that make those mountains worth visiting? The answer remains to be seen, but as Himalayan destinations increasingly turn to adventure and sports tourism, Darjeeling’s Night Run raises an important question about the relationship between tourism and conservation.
