Bir Running Festival Training Plan: Half Marathon and Hanumangarh Epic Prep

The Bir Running Festival is The Hell Race's late-May weekend in the paragliding capital of India. A Bir Running Festival training plan has to do two very different jobs at once. It has to build a road half marathoner who can hold pace through Bir's oak-lined lanes at 1,400 metres, and it has to build a trail runner who can climb 2,000-plus metres of vertical to the Hanumangarh fort ruins at 3,080 metres and come back down on legs that still work. STRIDD gives you the 12-week build, the methodology fit, the altitude protocols and the kit list so you arrive in Bir prepared rather than improvising.

What the Bir Running Festival is and why it matters

The Bir Running Festival, or BRF, is organised by The Hell Race, the Gurugram-based outfit behind some of India's hardest endurance events. It sits in Bir, a small Himalayan village in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh at roughly 1,400 metres, sharing a postal code with Billing 14 kilometres uphill. Together they form Bir-Billing, the paragliding launch-and-landing pair that hosted the 2015 Paragliding World Cup. When you stand at the BRF start line you are looking up at the same ridge that flyers ride thermals from.

The 2026 edition runs 23-24 May. The race menu is unusually varied. The Hanumangarh Epic, a 19 km mountain trail to the Hanumangarh fort ruins and back, runs on the Saturday. The Bir Billing Half Marathon, with an 11 km option, runs on the Sunday on roads that rise through the Tibetan colony, the monasteries, and the deodar plantations toward Billing. The Dhauladhar Ultra, a 60 km road run climbing 1,981 metres to a high of 2,759 metres, also runs on the Sunday.

The Hell Race motto is #NOTFORTHEWEAKOFWILL. The festival sits closer to a mountain endurance gathering than a city carnival. Bib pickup and briefing happen the day before. Aid is competent rather than lavish. The crowd is small, the terrain is honest. For most Indian runners the useful framing is this: BRF is the easiest way in the country to do a real altitude race weekend without flying to Leh.

BRF race formats: Bir Billing Half Marathon and Hanumangarh Epic 19K

The BRF Bir Billing Half Marathon is a 21.1 km road race with around 670 metres of elevation gain, topping out at roughly 1,575 metres. The 11 km option strips that to about 210 metres of gain at a high point of 1,475 metres. Both share the same character. You start in Bir at around 1,400 metres, run through the Tibetan colony past the gold-roofed Chokling monastery and the meadows that double as paraglider landing zones, and climb through pine and oak toward Billing on tarmac that never goes flat for long. Cutoffs are 3 hours for the half and 1.5 hours for the 11 km, generous on paper but tight once altitude and the climb are factored in.

The Hanumangarh Epic is a different animal. 19 km, between 2,027 and 2,180 metres of elevation gain, a maximum altitude of 3,080 metres at the Hanumangarh fort, a six-hour cutoff with an intermediary 3-hour cap at 7 km. The race begins at the paragliding landing site in Bir, climbs roughly 9 km to the Hanumangarh ruins gaining about 1,800 metres of vertical, drops 3 km steeply to Chaina Pass, and runs out 6 km of jeep track to the finish. Average grade on the ascent is roughly 20%, which is hike-running terrain for everyone except mountain locals.

Read this menu as two events that demand two different builds inside a single 12-week plan. STRIDD's plan generator stacks a half marathon road build with a trail-specific vertical block so you arrive in Bir trained for the format you actually entered, not a compromise of both.

Hanumangarh Peak elevation and terrain: what 2,000 m of vert in 9 km feels like

The Hanumangarh climb is the defining feature of BRF. Numbers first. The race start at the Bir paragliding landing site sits at 1,403 metres. The high point at the Hanumangarh fort is 3,080 metres, reached at roughly the 9 km mark. That is 1,677 metres of net climb in 9 kilometres of horizontal distance, closer to 1,800 metres of actual gain with undulations. There is no road. The trail rises through rhododendron-lined ridges, past shepherd huts, across exposed shoulders that funnel wind, and into thinning oak before opening out to the high alpine meadow where the fort ruins sit.

The Hanumangarh fort is a heritage site, originally built over the mountain top at roughly 3,100 metres in the upper Barot valley. Locals associate it with the deity Hanuman; a small temple is still in use. The view from the top on a clear May morning takes in the entire Dhauladhar range across the valley.

The descent matters as much as the climb. The first 3 km off the fort drop steeply to Chaina Pass on technical, rooty, often loose footing. This is where most runners trash quadriceps that held up fine on the way up. The final 6 km from Chaina to the finish is 'runnable jeep track' in organiser language, which means rough enough underfoot to need attention. Daytime temperatures range from 25 degrees Celsius down to 10, and the high ridge can be 10 degrees colder than the start. You start in a base layer, finish in a singlet, and carry a shell because Himalayan May weather changes its mind in 20 minutes.

STRIDD methodology fit: Lydiard for the half, vertical-trail block for Hanumangarh

STRIDD lets you train under three coaching philosophies: Lydiard, Daniels, and Maffetone. For the Bir Running Festival the right answer depends on which race you entered, and most BRF entrants benefit from a hybrid.

For the Bir Billing Half Marathon, lean Lydiard. Arthur Lydiard's classic philosophy of high-volume aerobic base, hill resistance work, and a long progression of easy-to-steady distance is the cleanest fit for a half marathon that climbs 670 metres on tarmac at moderate altitude. Twelve weeks of Lydiard base gives you the diesel engine that copes with a course where there is no flat km to recover on. Add a small Daniels-style threshold block in weeks 8-10 to sharpen race pace, then back off into the taper.

For the Hanumangarh Epic, the answer is different. Lydiard base still forms the foundation, but the specificity work shifts hard toward vertical and time on feet. You are training to climb 1,800 metres in 9 km without blowing up and to descend safely on tired legs. That means hill-repeat sessions of 8-12 minutes at uphill effort, weekly back-to-back long days where Saturday is a climb-focused effort and Sunday is a slower long run on tired legs, and at least one weekly stair or treadmill-incline session for plains-dwellers. Maffetone's MAF heart-rate cap is the right governor on every easy run; on the climb itself, hike-run by perceived effort rather than pace.

If you are doing both races on the same weekend, STRIDD's plan generator handles load distribution so you do not race the half on Hanumangarh-trashed legs.

12-week BRF training plan: half marathon and trail prep with altitude in mind

A Bir Running Festival training plan splits into three blocks across 12 weeks. STRIDD will generate a personalised version that respects your starting fitness; the structure below is the template.

Weeks 1-4, base block. Five to six runs per week, all easy-aerobic. Build weekly volume from 30 km to 45 km. One long run per week, starting at 10 km and progressing to 18 km. Add one hill session of 6-8 short climbs of 90 seconds at strong uphill effort. Strength work twice weekly: posterior chain, single-leg squats, calf raises, core. If you live on flat land and you are racing the Hanumangarh Epic, start adding stair climbing in 30-minute blocks twice a week from week one. A 20-floor stairwell repeated for 30 minutes is the cheapest vertical training in India.

Weeks 5-8, specificity block. Volume reaches 50-60 km per week. Long runs progress to 22-26 km for the half marathon track and to 4-5 hour back-to-back days for the Hanumangarh track. Add one weekly tempo session of 25-35 minutes for half marathoners; replace it with a 60-90 minute hill-repeat or stair workout for trail runners. This is also where you book a long weekend in the closest hills you can drive to. For Delhi and NCR runners that is a weekend in Mukteshwar or Lansdowne; for Bangalore runners, Nandi Hills or Coorg; for Mumbai runners, Matheran or Lonavala. You need at least two weekends on real elevation before BRF.

Weeks 9-11, race-specific sharpening. Hold volume around 55-65 km. Half marathoners run a 26 km dress-rehearsal long run with 12 km at projected race pace plus 15 seconds per km to account for altitude. Trail runners run a 5-6 hour mountain effort with at least 1,200 metres of vertical, ideally at altitude if you can manage one acclimatisation trip. Tempo sessions taper. Hill workouts continue at lower volume.

Week 12, taper and travel. Volume drops to 50% of peak. Two short race-pace primer runs midweek. Travel to Bir at least 48 hours before your race; ideally arrive on the Wednesday for a Saturday-Sunday race weekend so you have three nights at 1,400 metres before you race. Keep hydration above 3 litres a day from the moment you land. Sleep, walk, eat, do not run hard.

Training for Bir from the Indian plains: hill repeats, stairs, and altitude tents

Most BRF entrants live in cities that sit between sea level and 250 metres. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune. None of these cities have terrain that matches what Bir asks of your legs and lungs. The training fix is to manufacture vertical and hypoxia inside a flatland routine.

Vertical, manufactured. Find the tallest stairwell you can legally use. Twenty floors is good. Thirty is excellent. Run up at hike-run pace, walk down for recovery, repeat for 30-45 minutes twice a week. A standard floor of 3 metres rise gives you 60-90 metres of vertical per ascent; a 30-minute session can deliver 600-900 metres of vertical, more than most runners get in a weekend of road running. If you have access to an inclined treadmill, set it to 12-15% gradient and walk-run at uphill effort for the same duration. If you have access to a flyover or a steep urban gradient, use it; eight repeats of a 90-second hill at 8-10% will translate directly to BRF specificity. Once a fortnight, take a flight or a long drive to the closest hill station and run 4-6 hours on real terrain. The body learns descents only by descending.

Altitude, simulated. For the Hanumangarh Epic in particular, the high point of 3,080 metres is enough to noticeably reduce VO2max in unacclimatised runners. Three options exist for sea-level dwellers. First, an altitude tent, also called a hypoxic sleep system, that you sleep in for 8-10 hours a night for the final 4-6 weeks of the build. Brands like Hypoxico are available for rental in India through specialist suppliers and through some sports medicine clinics in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Plan for roughly 30,000-50,000 rupees per month of rental. Second, an intermittent hypoxic training mask used during easy bike or treadmill sessions; effects are weaker than tent sleep but the equipment is cheaper. Third, the unfunded version: arrive in Bir three full days before race day, walk the village in the afternoons, sleep early, and accept that you will lose a small percentage of your fitness to altitude. The third option is what most Indian runners actually use, and with good pacing it works.

BRF gear list: trail shoes, layering, and the small stuff that decides race day

BRF kit splits into half marathon kit and Hanumangarh Epic kit. Both are mountain weekends, so both pack heavier than a city race.

For the Bir Billing Half Marathon: cushioned road shoes with at least 28 mm stack and outsole rubber that handles wet tarmac, because May mornings in Bir often start damp. A breathable singlet under a thin long-sleeve base layer for the start, removable at 5 km. Compression-style shorts or split shorts with a back pocket for two gels. A peaked cap and SPF 50 sunscreen. UV intensity at 1,400 metres is meaningfully higher than at sea level. A handheld soft flask if you doubt the aid station spacing. Anti-chafe balm on inner thighs and nipples. Lubricant in the pre-race bag for any seams that already worry you.

For the Hanumangarh Epic: a true trail shoe with 4-6 mm lugs and a rock plate. Salomon Sense Ride, Hoka Speedgoat, Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed, La Sportiva Bushido, Saucony Peregrine, or Asics Trabuco are all defensible choices. Avoid road shoes; the descent will eat them alive. A 5-litre running vest with two front soft flasks; the organisers stock aid but the climb is dry enough that you will run between aid stations. A lightweight wind shell, packable, mandatory regardless of the morning forecast. A buff or thin beanie. Trail gaiters if your shoes accept them. Hiking poles are permitted and useful for the steep ascent if you have trained with them; do not turn up with poles you have never used. A whistle, a basic first-aid sachet, anti-chafe, electrolyte tabs, two real-food gels or bars, sunscreen, sunglasses, a basic headlamp in case the descent runs long, and a phone with a fully charged battery. Pack heavier than feels necessary. The mountain decides.

BRF pace targets: half marathon splits and Hanumangarh finish projections

Pace targets at Bir need an altitude adjustment that most runners forget. The half marathon course is moderate altitude rather than extreme, but it climbs 670 metres on a course that never lets you rest. Add 10-20 seconds per kilometre to your sea-level half marathon pace. A 1:45 sea-level half marathoner running 5:00 per km should plan for 5:10-5:20 per km in Bir, finishing somewhere around 1:50-1:54. A 2:00 sea-level runner at 5:42 per km should plan for 5:55-6:05 per km. A 2:15 finisher at 6:24 per km should plan for 6:35-6:45. Walk every aid station fully. Drink at every aid station. Take an electrolyte tab every 40-50 minutes. The pacing sin to avoid is going hard in the first 5 km because the course feels gentler than you expected; the final 8 km will collect that debt with interest.

For the Hanumangarh Epic, forget pace and think time on feet. The 6-hour cutoff with an intermediary 3-hour cap at 7 km is the only number that matters for finishing. Strong recreational mountain runners finish in 4 to 5 hours. Mid-pack hike-runners finish in 5 to 5:30. Anyone who is not comfortable hike-running 4 hours uphill at strong effort should pick the half marathon instead and come back for Hanumangarh next year. The climb portion typically takes 2:30 to 3:30 for finishers; the descent takes 1:30 to 2:30 depending on how much your quadriceps survive the steep first 3 km off the fort. Pack 300-400 calories of real food, drink 1.5-2 litres on the climb, and walk anything steeper than a slight gradient on the way up. Run the runnable. Hike the rest. Do not race the climb. Race the descent if you have anything left.

For a personalised pace target that respects your fitness, your altitude exposure, and the specific BRF distance you have entered, run your numbers through STRIDD's plan generator and follow the heart-rate-anchored guidance.

Race dates, routes, and cut-offs change year to year — always verify details on the official event site before registering. STRIDD is not affiliated with the event organisers.