Local runners impress at Jumla Rara while Priya collects 2nd race win
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.
