KATHMANDU: First Chhayanath Ultra Race, organized by Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality in collaboration with All Nepal Sports Foundation, concluded with Dhir Bahadur Budha winning the men’s category and Sunmaya Budha claiming the women’s title.

The 33-kilometer race began from Kimri and passed through Chhayanath and Chitaikuna before concluding at Pulu. A total of 58 runners, including 46 men and 12 women, participated in the competition.

In the men’s race, Dhir Bahadur Budha completed the course in 3 hours, 57 minutes and 25 seconds to secure first place. Dal Bahadur Kunwar finished second with a time of 4 hours, 2 minutes and 10 seconds, while Chandra Bahadur Rawat came third, completing the race in 4 hours and 5 minutes.

Arjun Kulung Rai finished fourth with a time of 4 hours and 24 minutes, while Ramesh Limbu secured fifth place by completing the race in 4 hours, 30 minutes and 10 seconds.

In the women’s category, Sunmaya Budha finished first with a time of 5 hours, 25 minutes and 50 seconds. Rammaya Budha came second in 5 hours, 26 minutes and 40 seconds, while Kalpana Budha secured third place with a time of 5 hours, 35 minutes and 20 seconds.

Similarly, Samjeda Budha and Nirmala Rai finished fourth and fifth respectively.

According to the organizers, 23 international-standard athletes participated in the event, including elite, intermediate, advanced and explorer-category runners.

Sanjay Adhikari said the participation of renowned runners who have performed well in major races such as the Everest, Manjushree, Changunarayan, Jumla-Rara and Rara Trail Run made the competition more exciting. The event received technical support from the Nepal Adventure Running Federation.

The organizers stated that winners in both the men’s and women’s categories received cash prizes of Rs 200,000 for first place, Rs 150,000 for second, Rs 100,000 for third, Rs 75,000 for fourth and Rs 50,000 for fifth place. A separate five-kilometer local fun run also featured prize awards for the top finishers.

Chhiring Kyapne Lama said the competition was organized to promote the Chhayanath region as an international destination for religious and adventure tourism. He expressed confidence that such events would help showcase local culture, natural heritage and Himalayan lifestyle to the world.