Fish Tail 100 Ultra in Nepal: the tough mountain trail event near Pokhara in the breathtaking Annapurna region saw Pancha Ram Budha and Anita Rai take the race victories on the 100km in the men's and women's respectively. This is a highly challenging 100km, as the race saw only five official finishers. Pancha Ram Budha crossed the finish line in 20h45, Anita was about two hours later and second overall. Also Surya Raj Rai, Julien Pieters and Edgar Gourdin made it within the tight cut-off time.

The 50km had more finishers, just over half of the participation field. Bishal Rai was clearly the fastest in 8h40. He was flanked on the podium by Buddhi Ram Gurung and Roland Hunter. The women's race went to Anne Mai Baan in 10h57. Elise Witkopf and Jodi Baerg joined the Dutch woman on the podium.

The Fishtail 100 Ultra is more than a race — it is a catalyst for establishing Nepal as a premier destination for trail and ultra running. While Nepal has long been celebrated for mountaineering and trekking, events like the Fishtail 100 Ultra are redefining the country's adventure landscape by introducing a new discipline that combines athletic endurance with Himalayan exploration.

Anita Rai

The 7th edition of Jumla Rara Ultra in remote western Nepal was held in sunny conditions and saw Kalpana Budha take her second consecutive victory at the age of barely 18. In the men’s 54km race, Dhira Bahadur Budha was quickest also for the second time after 2024. Both trail runners are locals, but given the strength of the competition it remains a strong acccomplishment underlying their natural talent. Dhira Bahadur Budha and Kalpana Budha were already leading the race at the highest mountain pass of the day, Chuchhemara, before the descent to Rara Lake.

The winning time was 6h09’08” . Homlal Sheshtra came second just two minutes later. Sheshtra was also second in The Manjushree Trail Race 50km last month. In third place on the men’s podium was the winner of MTR 50, Gopal Tamang in 6h13, showing how tight it was at the front. Chandra Rawat was fourth in 6h24 and Milan Rai fifth in 6h27.

Kalpana’s winning time was 7h07’12”, eleven minutes ahead of MTR 50 race winner Sunsari Rokaya. Quite a turnaround from a month ago, when Rokaya was far ahead and Budha suffered from muscle cramps. Sandeva Budha once again managed to get on the podium as well in third place with 7h38. Showing progress, as she ended the race ahead of Rajya Laxmi Rawal, who was second in MTR 50. Puspa Sherma was fifth, and 100 miles specialist Nirmala Rai sixth. Incidentally, the MTR 100 Miles race winner Ang Furba Sherpa came eighth.

The ATM Qualifier with the highest altitude and in the most remote location of the season: Jumla Rara Ultra in the far west of Nepal is on again this weekend with a strong start list featuring many of the country’s biggest names in trail running. Those who ran Manjushree Trail Race last month can at least already fulfill the minimum requirement of two ATM race finishes during the season to qualify for our Championship Finals in October. And indeed, even the MTR 100 Miles winners Arjun Rai Kulung and Ang Furba Sherpa are scheduled to race between Jumla and Rara this weekend, alongside other favourites such as Gopal Tamang, Dhira Bahadur Budha, Homlal Shehstra, Chandra Rawat, Nirmala Rai, Kalpana Budha, Rajya Laxmi Rawal and MTR 50 sensation Sunsari Rokaya.

The race takes runners from Jumla to Rara across high mountain passes that lead to over 4000 metres above sea level. The finish after 54 tough kilometres is at the majestic Rara lake.

Last year, the race was won by Dhal Bahadur Budha and Kalpana Budha.

We are delighted to announce that Fishtail 100 Ultra in Pokhara, Nepal, has joined the ATM Championship cand Grandmaster Quest calendar on the weekend of 16/17 May. The event is organised by the experienced Himalayan Trail Running company and already had several editions over the years. Fishtail 100 features a 100km and 50km that serve as ATM Championship Qualifiers, with the 100km of course also offering a Grandmaster point for finishers. It’s the third Nepalese event after Manjushree Trail Race and Jumla Rara Ultra. This year’s edition aims to place the spotlight on the event with a view to next year.

The 100km starts in Ghachowk and ends in Dhampus in Pokhara. As the race in Jumla, Fishtail reaches very high altitudes during the race, going well over 3500m above sea level. It’s a mountain trail, often technical, so the 100km here cannot be your first 100k race. Total elevation for the 100km is approx 7600 hm.

The 50km may be among the toughest of the entire ATM season. Elevation gain is estimated at over 5000 hm!

Both the 100k and 50k races start on Saturday morning at 5:30 am and 5:40 am respectively.

The organising team can assist with any queries on how to get to Pokhara and on accommodation requirements. All details can be found on their website page and facebook page linked below.

The 5th edition of the Manjushree Trail Race around Kathmandu in Nepal witnessed an amazing fourth consecutive victory for Arjun Rai Kulung in the men’s 100 miles race. Ang Furba Sherpa was the strongest female on the famous Kathmandu Valley Rim, her first win. The 50km - the second ATM Qualfiier race at the event - saw fantastic runs by Gopal Tamang to win in the men’s, and by Sunsari Rokaya in the women’s.

Arjun seemed always in control of the race, running together with Milan Kulung Rai for most of the long and tough race. Milan made a great effort, but in the end had to let Arjun get away towards the end. The now four-time race winner did miss his own course record, albeit only just. Milan finished just half an hour later in second. The podium was completed by another regular 100 miler, Bijay Rana Magar.

The women’s 100 miler saw Anita Rai taking the fastest start in the absence of Nirmala Rai, who won the pas two editions of MTR. Perhaps too keen, Anita twisted her ankle badly after just a few hours resulting in a very painful day. Still, she managed to finish and even on the podium in third place still. For the victory it was between Netherlands’ Anne Mai Baan and Ang Furba Sherpa, another local runner with strong results already in the past. Just like in the men’s race, the gap between the leading duo would only be some 40 minutes at the end. Ang Furba Sherpa turned out to be strongest and claimed her first win under ATM.

The 50km of MTR is always a real competition classic with so many young, talented Nepalis facing off against each other - trying to leave a mark on the scene. Last year’s race winner Man Kumar was the one to beat, but already soon he found himself behind Gopal Tamang and the surprising Hom Lal Shrestha. Lokendra Rai was in fourth early on, but gradually lost terrain and would finish outside the top six. Dhira Bahadur Budha ran more or less the same pace as a year ago, but instead of third ended fourth in the finish this year. Gopal Tamang won it in a faster time than Man Kumar last year, with Hom Lal Shresta just two minutes behind in second. A remarkable improvement by Shrestha compared to a year ago, nearly 1,5 hours faster! Man Kumar settled for third on the podium.

The women’s race saw Sunsari Rokaya run away from everyone else. It was her first appearance in an ATM Qualifier and a highly impressive one. Teenage sensation Kalpana Budha ran second most of the race, but suffered from bad muscle cramps later on dropped behind Rayja Laxmi Rawal. The latter had a more comfortable race compared to last year and will be pleased with second, although her finish time was 9 minutes slower than a year ago. Rokaya won in 7h53, 55 minutes ahead of the rest. Stunning, and yet Priya Rai was 7 minutes faster last year. Most of the races it is unfair to compare finisher times between years, but for MTR 50 it’s nevertheless interesting as many runners keep returning to the race and the course basically hasn’t changed.

The next Nepali ATM Championship Qualifier is Jumla Rara Ultra 50km in the far West of Nepal on 9 May.

100 Miles - Top 6 Male

1. Arjun Rai Kulung 26:37:49

2. Milan Kulung Rai 27:05:18

3. Bijay Rana Magar 28:25:17

4. Shaktiram Roka 28:28:14

5. Pancharam Budha 32:06:30

6. Yoshihisa Yasuda 33:52:10

   
   100 Miles - Female Top 5

   1. Ang Furba Sherpa 33:13:06

   2. Anne Mai Baan 33:51:41

   3. Anita Rai 38:18:23

   4. Sally Moulds 39:49:25

   5. Stine Heiselberg 42:45:36

   50km - Top 6 Men

   1. Gopal Tamang 6:30:17

   2. Hom Lal Shrestha 6:32:21

   3. Man Kumar 6:57:23

   4. Dhira Bahadur Budha 7:03:19

   5. Som Bahadur Rawat 7:25:51

   6. Chandra Rawat 7:38:43

   50km - Top 6 Women

   1. Sunsari Rokaya 7:53:46

   2. Rayja Laxmi Rawal 8:49:10

   3. Kalpana Budha 8:58:09

   4. Puspa Serma 9:09:28

   5. Vanja Cnops 9:31:32

   6. Nga Sze Wong 9:32:18

One month later than usual, but it is very much on: The Manjushree Trail Race 2026 in Kathmandu sports a large and very international start list across the distance categories of the event, of which the 100 Miles and the 50km are the traditional qualifiers for the ATM Championship points ranking. Many of Nepal’s top elite runners will aim to score their points, but indeed may face some solid opposition. On the 100 Miles, Arjun Rai Kulung is the favourite to take the crown for the fourth consecutive year, while on the 50km we have rising star Man Kumar going for his second consecutive win at MTR. The women’s 50km features Singapore-based Belgian Vanja Cnops versus the exciting new Nepali star on the horizon Kalpana Budha.

The Manjushree Trail Race 100 Miles is one of those few natural 100 milers. Going all around the city’s ‘valley rim’, it’s a fantastic course full of meaning. Obviously, it’s also a very tough one. Arjun Rai Kulung has been unbeatable the past years. Let’s see if previous podium placers Milan Rai and Sher Tharu can stay closer to him this weekend. Also Bijaya Rana Magar, Ranjit Rai and Indian runners Pritam Rai and Soumyadip Mondal may fancy their chances for a top result.

The women’s 100 Miles is without Nirmala Rai, elder sister of Priya, as the duo will be running in Philippines this weekend at the ATM Grandmaster Quest event Danao City Ultra Trail. That leaves a great opportunity for Anita Rai and Ang Furba Sherpa to take the glory. However, Japan’s Yasuyo Hotta and Denmark’s Stine Heiselberg may also say a word about that.

The 50km has a huge field and we might as well get to discover some new raw talent. But Man Kumar must be the top favourite. Winner last year and winner of the 9 Dragons 50 miles race two months ago. Man Kumar can already put one leg into Team Nepal for the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam later this year. He will be up against fast Jumla runners Dhira Bahadur Budha and Chandra Rawat on Saturday, as well as Lokendra Rai, Homlal Sheshtra and many others.

The women’s 50km sees Vanja Cnops as the one to beat. In-form and a big fan of Nepal trail running, Vanja has spent most of April in the country. However, the now 18-year-old sensation Kalpana Budha won’t give up easily, having finished second behind Priya Rai a year ago. It will be interesting to see if the teenager continues to develop as a competitive athlete.

Jumla Rara Ultra in the far and remote west of Nepal has been officially announced for 9 May 2026 and will again have a 51km long ATM Championship Qualifier on its event programme. ‘Jumla’ is a high-altitude region where many of the best-known Nepalese trail runners come from, making it pretty much their home race organised by the local Karnali Sports Club. This year will already be the 7th edition of Jumla Rara Ultra.

Certainly, this event is arguably the most remote of all under the ATM umbrella, but those with enough time at their disposal to make the long journey from Kathmandu to the west of the country will be highly rewarded. In fact, runners better arrive several days early to acclimatise as the race takes place at serious altitude from 2300m up to 4017m! The race is from A to B and starts from Jumla bazaar (2305m), and finishes at the Rara lake (2990m). It is a pure mountain trail with hardly and flat sections. The trail undulates and there are three distinct and steep peaks to conquer in the 51km course: Danphe (3500m), Kavra cave, Bhulbhule (2950m), and Chuchemara (4017m). Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon aims to develop adventure sports tourism in Karnali as well as providing national and international athletes a challenging and extraordinary race.

Via the Karnali Sports website, linked below, you can find out all details - including on logistics from Kathmandu.

Last year’s female podium with Kalpana Budha on the top step

The 6th edition of the high altitude mountain trail race between Jumla and Rara in remote Western Nepal saw the absolute confirmation of Kolpana Budha’s trail running talent. The local teenager, just 17, won the women’s 50k race with a remarkable advantage over another young talent, Rayja Laxmi Rawal, and is set for this year’s ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Previously this season, Kolpana Budha had already finished second behind reigning champion and compatriot Priya Rai at the MTR 50k race in March, and last November in India, she also took the victory in Malnad 30km (not an ATM points race, but still). Rawal took second place, and after winning Malnad 50 and third in MTR 50 she is the points leader in the Nepalese ATM ranking. At this stage of the season, she can also look forward to the ATM Final. Most likely so can Sandipa Budha, because after a fourth place in mTR 50, she now took the third spot on the podium in JRU. All three runners are coached by Karnali Sports in Jumla. Quite an astonishing group of runners they have there, and that also includes many men.

Dal Bdr Kunwar was the clear winner of the men’s race in 5h53. He was followed by Hom Lai Shrestha, already fourth in MTR two months ago. Chandra Rawat was third on the podium.

Jumla and Rara is the area where many of the country’s finest mountain runners come from and it once again showed during the race, held in good conditions this spring. It is a very remote area and mobile connectivity is very limited, hence the delay in the race report.

Men:

1. Dal Bdr Kunwar (5124) 05:53:57 Karnali Sports Club

2. Hom Lal Shrestha (5122) 06:07:55 Nepal Army

3. Chandra Rawat (5127) 06:19:28 Karnali Sports Club

4. Sher Bdr Budha (5128) 06:3:42 Karnali Sports Club

5. Dhira Bdr Rawat (5123) 06:42:08 Karnali Sports Club

Women:

1. Kalpana Budha (5125) 07:51:25 Karnali Sports Club

2. Rajya Laxmi Rawal (5126) 08:28:41 Karnali Sports Club

3. Sandipa Budha (5130) 08:46:03 Karnali Sports Club

4. Ummakali Budha (5108) 10:04:18 Karnali Sports Club

5 Anisha Gurung (5135) 11:07:08 Kathmandu

The 5th edition of the Manjushree Trail Race along the Kathmandu Valley Rim saw the same race winners as last year in the main distance categories, each essentially conforming their status among the elite crop of trail runners in Nepal. Reigning female ATM Champion Priya Rai ran her first race since winning the ATM title in September last year and once more showed her ever growing competitive form by going more than half an hour faster compared to herself a year ago on the 50km. Arjun Rai Kulung and Nirmala Rai both took second consecutive wins on the longest ultra, the 100 Miles, and Man Kumar confirmed his potential as a 2025 ATM title contender by taking the men’s 50km victory. 2023 female ATM Champion Rashila Tamang also showed good firm in winning the 100km as her first of two mandatory steps towards a wild card for this year’s ATM Championship Final in Vietnam in October. The men’s 100km, a distance that only provided a Grandmaster point to finishers and no championship points, saw Bishal Rai finishing first.

The Manjushree Trail Race 2025 enjoyed a much higher international participation rate than ever and established itself further as the leading trail event in the Himalayan country. The relatively easy event access of course helps with that, and the technical organisation, support and enthusiasm of the Nepalese trail communities - including those from Jumla in the far west of Nepal provides the extra boost that makes many runners want to return every year. MTR is far from an easy race, however. Elevation gain and technicality is serious, even for the 50km - as Priya Rai herself confirmed : “MTR for me is harder than the even higher altitude run at Jumla Rara Ultra”- (the second ATM points race event in Nepal this coming 10/11 May). Despite that, the DNF rate of the 100 Miles this year remained well below 50% , showing that runners have become aware and are better prepared than in previous years. The 100 Miles is a test of physical and mental strength and endurance, coping with significant temperature swings to boot. On the other hand, there is the exciting 50km that often leaves on-lookers speechless when witnessing the incredible speed at which the top runners negotiate the challenging single trails.

Arjun Rai Kulung won the 100 Miles for the second consecutive year, and did it 23 minutes faster! 525 ATM Championship points in the pocket for the Nepali long ultra star, who was 10th in last season’s ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT. Arjun should be able to do better this season. After a short nap at night, following which Ramesh Limbu came back to him, Arjun simply had too much pace for Limbu and the others. He finished in 26h29. Milan Kulun Rai was second in 28h15. Also Milan was an ATM Finalist last season. Third on the podium is Sher Tahur. A new name and one who ran a cleverly paced race. In fourth was Bijay Rana Magar, followed by Pritam Rai. India’s Shashwat Rao came sixth , Homraj Tamang seventh and early race leader Ramesh Limbu eventually finished in eight place.

In the women’s 100 miles, Nirmala Rai took control from the very beginning. Whereas a year ago, she ran together most of the day with Anita Rai, the latter this time was unable to match the pace of Nirmala. The winner’s finishing time was 33h29’50”, one-and-a-half hour quicker than in 2024! Incidentally, Nirmala Rai is the elder sister of Priya Rai. Kathmandu-based American Zoe Skoric claimed second place and Anita Rai settled for third place on the podium. For a long time, Ang Furba Sherpa looked like she was going to finish first runner-up to Nirmala, but she DNFd close to the end with what appeared like a knee injury. Fourth place went to Denmark's Stine Heiselberg, who has done. the MTR race since the first edition.

In the women’s 50km, it was victory time for Asia Trail Master champion Priya Rai. Despite her fever and flu earlier in the week, a still coughing Priya took the bull by the horns from the start and kept a small gap over 17-year-old Kalpana Budha from Jumla. Budha lost ground towards the end but still ran an astonishing race given her age, and held onto second place 30 minutes behind Priya. Raja Laxmi Rawal, winner of Malnad Ultra 50 in India, could never threaten for victory , reportedly suffering from a knee issue. Still, she gets another good 425 points haul with third place today and looks already set for a place in Team Nepal at this season’s Final in Vietnam. In fourth place there was another strong runner from Jumla, Sandipa Budha.

In the men’s 50km , Man Kumar took an impressive victory in approx 6h25! After a group of nine runners glued together for the first 10-15km, Kumar took the lead by himself just before half way the race. Afterwards , it turned out he had dropped some mandatory gear at the last water station 5km before the finish. The RD gave him 15 minutes time penalty, but that still was enough to keep victory over Lokendra Rai, ATM Finalist last year, finished 19 minutes behind Man Kumar and ran a great final 10km . Third on the podium was Jumla’s Dhir Badur Buddha, followed by Sher Bahaddur Buddha. Prabin Tamling was actually second across the line, but got penalised for lack of mandatory gear and dropped down to fifth place in the race result.

The next Nepalese event with points for the ATM Championship ranking on offer is Jumla Rara Ultra 50km on 10/11 May.

Arjun Rai Kulung took his second win in the 100 Miles category at MTR

Also for Nirmala Rai it was the second win in a row at MTR 100 Miles

ATM Champion Priya Rai took control of the women’s 50km race early on despite illness early in the week

Up-and-coming talent Man Kumar scored an impressive win in the men’s 50km

2023 ATM Champion Rashila Tamang looked at ease in winning the 100km of her own event

17-year-old Kalpana Buddha stunned everyone by finishing a wonderful second in the women’s 50km

Malnad Ultra 50 race winner Raja Laxmi Rawal, with knee issues, grabbed 3rd: her ATM Final ticket beckons

The fifth edition of the Manjushree Trail Race in Kathmandu, Nepal, shows an extensive and highly international start list for the various distance categories this coming weekend. It is the second year the event is part of the Asia Trail Master Championship and Grandmaster Quest calendar and following last year’s great runners’ feedback, ‘MTR’ is now a proper highlight of the Nepalese trail scene. Runners will hit the Kathmandu Valley Rim for a challenging race at altitude and with considerable elevation gain. Nearly all Nepalese trail stars will take part in either the 100 miles, 100km or 50km, of which the 100 Miles and the 50km are the two distances that offer points for the ATM Championship Ranking, which determines the qualifiers for the ATM Championship Final in Vietnam on 4 October. Given it’s still not so straightfoward for Nepalese runners to travel abroad, MTR and Jumla Rara Ultra in May are their two great opportunities to score as many points as possible.

While the 100 Milers already start their competition on Friday, a lot of attention will go to Saturday’s 50km race featuring reigning ATM women’s champion Priya Rai. After winning the title in impressive style at Borneo TMBT Ultra in September, it will be her first appearance on the ATM circuit since. Priya won the MTR 50 last year already, ahead of then-champion Rashila Tamang and Chhoki Sherpa, in what was - with hindsight - a first milestone in her development as a competitive trail runner in Asia and future ATM Champion. Now part of the T8 Team, Priya aims to qualify again for the Championship and defend her title in October. For this, she only needs to finish two ATM races this season, just like Rashila Tamang. Contrary to last year, there won’t be a dual between the two on Saturday, as Rashila has opted to run the 100km race. Nevertheless, several Nepalese and other runners will be trying to make a statement. Jumla’s Rajya Laxmi Rawal, for example. At 20 Rajya is even younger than Priya, and one of the next upcoming talents. In her home race Jumla Rara last year, she raised eyebrows by forcing Priya to dig very deep and scoring a superb second place in her debut. This season, Rajya has already scored her first ATM victory and she even did it abroad: she won the Malnad Ultra in Karnatika, India, last November - finishing third overall and proving she is not only skilled on mountain trails, but also fast on runable trails. Chhoki Sherpa is also in the 50k once again, and so is another very young talent, Mimu Budha.

The men’s 50km has Man Kumar on the start list. This exciting hopeful won the 100k last year, and is also working on his development as a competitive international runner. Very keen to get into Team Nepal at the ATM Championship Final, Man Kumar is likely the man to beat on Saturday. However, there’s also Lokendra Rai, who showed great speed at Borneo TMBT last September, before fading in the last 30km towards the finish. 50k could be more his thing , also he is still very young for a trail runner. Observers are also curious for the performance of Philippines’ John Mahinay in his ATM points race debut. Mahinay, from Davao, eyes the podium on Saturday and hopes for a breakthrough-performance on foreign soil.

The 100 Miles starts on Friday morning already and of course does the entire Valley Rim. Last year’s winners are back in action: Arjun Rai Kulung in the men’s and Nirmala Rai in the womens’s. They are the race favourites once again, but victory is anything but a done deal. Shashwat Rao leads an interesting contingent from India, and from Japan we have the experienced Yuta Matsuyama, a triple race winner in ATM and double ATM Finalist for Team Japan over the past few years. Nirmala Rai will probably meet up with Anita Rai again, like last year. A lot can happen in a 100 Miles race in the high mountains, and so the many ATM Grandmasters from Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Philippines on the start list may also have a chance for a podium spot.

ATM will be reporting live from Kathmandu as of Thursday, with pre-race photography by Adventure III, and video from the start and the races as of Friday morning local time.

Anita and Nirmala Rai will again face off on the 100 Miles this weekend

Arjun Rai Kulung will be aiming to score another win at MTR this weekend

India’s only ATM Grandmaster so far: Shashwat Rao

Priya Rai won the 50k last year ahead of Rashila Tamang and Chhoki Sherpa

After the success of last year’s edition, we are happy to announce that The Manjushree Trail Race in Kathmandu is keeping its place on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar in 2025. Next year, the 4th edition of the event will take place a little earlier, from 14 to 16 March, and will again feature two categories offering championship points, the 100 Miles and the 50km. Runners focusing on the Grandmaster Quest can of course consider the 100km category along with the 100 Miles.

The longest distance of the event takes runners on the Kathmandu Valley Rim, which is named after the god Manjushree. As the official website says: ‘The race route takes runners along the famous Kathmandu valley rim ridge line and across the seven peaks that surround the valley. As part of this, the racecourse also crosses the two national park (Nagarjun and Shivapuri) that border the valley. Over 85% of the route is single track, where it sometimes takes hours before runners come across a little settlement. Even though you are technically still within the Kathmandu valley, you will feel like you are far away from urbanization many times during the race.’ Looking at the course map, you see one big natural loop that measures 175 kilometres (so it’s actually longer than 100 miles). The names of the seven peaks are Jamacho, Shivapuri, Nagarkot, Pulchowki, Champadevi, Basmandur and Chandragiri. It’s a clean oval loop, but with a total elevation gain of over 12000hm, this is a race runners need to be physically and mentally prepared for. The race starts on Friday early morning and the cut-off time at the finish will be reached after 52 hours.

The 50 km race will start from Badikhel, above Godavari, and join the trail of the 100 miles and 100km. Participants will go to the start venue by shuttle bus from Kathmandu city in the morning to take flag off at 7am.

In the 2024 edition we discovered several of the talented local Nepali who later managed to qualify for the ATM Championship Final at Borneo TMBT last September. Our now ATM Female Champion Priya Rai won the 50km race ahead of Rashila Tamang and Chhoki Sherpa. Arjun Rai Kulung won the 100 miles for men, Nirmala Rai for women.

International runners can stay in Kathmandu City, as the event venue is not far away and reachable by shuttle.

Registration for The Manjushree Trail Race is already open via the official website linked below.

Already then on the 50km, Priya Rai was faster than then-champion Rashila Tamang

The 5th edition of Jumla Rara Ultra in the west of Nepal once again showed how much raw trail running talent is hiding in some remote parts of the world. Local runners set the 50k alight with spirited runs across three stunning mountain passes on the way to the beautiful finish area at Rara Lake. Dhir Bahadur Budha grabbed victory in the men’s race, reversing positions with last year’s winner Dal Bahadur Kunwar, in a time of 4h57. Considering the elevation gain and high altitude - Chuhemara Pass is over 4000m above sea level - that is astonishing. In the women’s race, another local runner, Rajya Laxmi Rawal , reached out to victory and reached the last summit first, but she was overtaken in the last kilometers of the descent to the finish by Priya Rai - the more experienced winner of Manjushree Trail 50k just a week ago. Rai finished in 6h07, a good seven minutes ahead of Rawal.

No fewer than 14 finishers of the Manjushree Trail in Kathmandu made the very long journey to Jumla by bus. For Nepalese runners, the doubleheader was the best opportunity to score two race finishes as a minimum requirement for potential selection for the ATM Championship Final in Malaysia on 14 September (Borneo TMBT Ultra). Obviously, having completed the 100 miles or 100km at MTR was no advantage going into a 50k with highly motivated locals. Arjun Rai Kulung, Dipesh Tamang, Furpa Singi Tamang, Bijay Rana Magar, Abinas Devkota and others all focused on finishing the race. Arjun, the great 100 miles winner a week ago, suffered from stomach problems to boot and crossed the line in 29th place - no extra championship points but at least a second finish. Milan Kulung Rai had the best recovery after MTR. Fourth on the 100k in Kathmandu, eighth in JRU. Lokendra Rai was 4th on the MTR 50k, and 12th in JRU. Important points for both of them!

The Karnali Sports Club has been doing great work in the Jumla and Rara region for some years already, and with 9 out of 10 male runners in the top 10, and 5 in the female top 10 they had big reasons to celebrate. Priya Rai had to dig deep to get her second victory in a week, using her racing craft and experience to make that happen. Rajya Laxmi Rawal finishing just seven minutes later was proof her incredible talent. Also third -placed Anita Budha raised eyebrows finishing some 25 minutes behind Priya. That was 25 minutes ahead of Chhoki Sherpa, for example. Priya Rai and Chhoki Sherpa also scored their qualification for the ATM Finals. And so did Padam Kumari Sunawar, winner of the 100k at MTR, and Ang Furba Sherpa, third on the 100 Miles at MTR!

Apart from the individual chances, Team Nepal could be a favourite for this season’s ATM Team Championship. Of course, getting everyone to actually run in Malaysia is a first major hurdle to overcome next.