Running Through the Land of Happiness

Condé Nast Traveler

15-05-2025

On a foggy, wet Thursday afternoon in April, I tightened the laces of my trail running shoes, hoping that this would somehow save me from slipping on the spongy terrain. My first run in the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan would be in the rain on a pine-scented dirt trail leading to Wangditse Lhakhang, a 300-year-old temple at the top of a ridge overlooking the breathtaking Thimphu valley.
Just hours earlier, I sat with my eyes closed while listening to the humming engine as my plane descended through dense clouds that enveloped 18,000-foot granite peaks. The approach into Paro International Airport—the sole international gateway to this remote nation sandwiched between China and India in the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalayas—is considered to be one of the most perilous and technically difficult in the world. Perhaps the notoriously dangerous landing is by divine design—a cleansing ritual of sorts before entering Bhutan, a spiritual cocoon where approximately 80 percent of the country's 800,000 citizens identify as Buddhist.
I came with a group of six women in their late 40s and early 50s for a 10-day mindful running trip organized by Run Wild Retreats—a US-based company that specializes in upscale all-women running and wellness travel. As part of the itinerary, we'd cross verdant valleys and rice paddies, venture to sacred cliffside monasteries, and indulge in traditional cuisine. We'd also learn and practice techniques for cultivating awareness, and hopefully in the process get a sense for what it means to live mindfully.