Rajan Rokaya of the Nepal Army and Sunmaya Budha from Jumla secured the championship titles in the open 36-kilometer category of the Changunarayan National Trail Run. Rajan completed the course in 2 hours 6 minutes and 23 seconds, while Sunmaya finished the race in 2 hours 27 minutes and 14 seconds.
Kathmandu, 19 Baisakh — Rajan Rokaya from the Nepal Army and Sunmaya Budha of Jumla emerged as champions in the 2083 Changunarayan National Trail Run. The event was organized by the Nepal Adventure Running Federation (NARF) and held on Saturday in Changunarayan, Bhaktapur. In the men’s open 36 km race, Rajan Rokaya claimed first place by completing the distance in 2:06:23.
Ramesh Limbu from Taplejung secured second place with a time of 2:07:30, while Golpal Tamang of the Nepal Army took third, finishing in 2:07:42. Other notable finishers included Gajendra Rai (4th), Prabal K.C. (5th), Rajendra Tamang (6th), Tilak Bahadur Sunar (7th), Birendra Pandey (8th), Vishal (9th), and Rikhulal Sinjali Magar (10th), all of whom represented the Nepal Army.
In the women’s category, Sunmaya Budha completed the course in 2:27:14 to claim first place. Rokaya from Sunsari finished second with a time of 2:44:53, followed by Nirmala Rai in third place who completed the race in 2:46:29. The women’s top ten also included Alice Biskef (4th), Ang Furba Sherpa (5th), Kabya Rawal (6th), Sapana Gurung (7th), Shasa Shrestha (8th), Muna Limbu (9th), and Sharda Rai (10th).
In the Junior Under-20 7-kilometer race for men, Uttam Tamang clinched first place with a time of 21 minutes and 9 seconds. Susan Lamichhane and Khakendra Sharma finished second and third, clocking in at 21:15 and 21:19 respectively. On the women’s side, Sharmila Gaire won the 7 km race, completing it in 27:19. Geeta Nepali and Manisha Tamang ranked second and third with times of 27:48 and 28:28, respectively. The federation noted that Geeta’s result was postponed due to technical reasons.
The prize money for the men’s and women’s open 36 km categories was NPR 100,000 for the winner, NPR 75,000 for the runner-up, and NPR 50,000 for third place. Fourth received NPR 25,000, fifth NPR 10,000, and athletes placing sixth through tenth were awarded NPR 3,000 each. In the Under-20 7 km race, the first-place winner earned NPR 30,000, second place NPR 20,000, and third NPR 10,000. Rankings from fourth to tenth received scaled amounts between NPR 1,000 and NPR 5,000. The organizers indicated that a 15% tax deduction will be applied to all prize money according to applicable laws.
The 36 km race commenced from Changunarayan Temple and passed through Trishul Danda, Telkot, Shri Panch Mahalaxmi Temple, Kartike View Point, Nagarkot View Tower, Muhan Pokhari, Pani Muhan, and Pipeline Road before concluding at Changunarayan Municipality. The 7 km run also started at Changunarayan Temple, followed the route through Trishul Danda, and ended at Changunarayan Municipality.
The event was inaugurated by Jeevan Khatri, Mayor of Changunarayan Municipality. The closing ceremony was attended by Suresh Shrestha, Minister of Tourism and Culture of Bagmati Province, who served as the chief guest. Other dignitaries included Secretary Dipendra Subedi, Executive Committee Member Bhanu Chand of the National Sports Council (Rakhap), Board Members Jagat Dhami and Sant Kumar Mahto of Rakhap, Surya Budhathoki, President of the Full Contact Karate Federation, Sandeep Karki representing the event sponsor KFC, Bikram Karki of 14 Peak Outdoor, District Sports Development Committee Chair Raju Thapa, and Raghu KC from Changunarayan Municipality Sports Section.
