The International Red Panda Trail Marathon was organized along the scenic trail of red panda habitat covering 48 KM from Phungling Municipality, Taplejung to Pathibhara temple and back to Phungling. The trail marathon was organized on 21 September 2024 which is also International Red Panda Day. The marathon was organized to gather people and impart red panda conservation awareness messages ..read more

Dear friends, I am delighted to share that I will be participating in the first-ever International Red Panda Trail Race on September 21, 2024! Will you join me? I am partnering with Red Panda Network (RPN) on this unique high-elevation trail run through the breathtaking Himalayan landscapes of Nepal in celebration of International Red Panda ..read more

Sometimes this happens, but it doesn’t have to. Poor Kim & great shot Dan. Copyright Dan Patitucci – Alps Insight. This photo is taken from Dan and Kim’s 2018 trail running adventure in Nepal. You can read about their return to run in Nepal in 2023 here. They did not get sick on their 2023 adventure! Their 2018 story recounts a trail running adventure in Nepal’s Khumbu Valley, attempting the 3 Passes Tour, a challenging 60-kilometer route connecting Namche Bazaar to Chukhung. The runners, despite facing various health challenges like respiratory infections and altitude-related issues, emba ..read more

November is a long way off, but as an ultra runner you have to plan your year. So consider including this race in your race calendar. Pokhara is a great destination to start a trek, and to relax after a trek with good food and accommodation by famous Fewa Lake. See photos of previous races here. Visit the website to enter here: https://pokharatrailraceseries.org ..read more

Here is the race director’s report for the Capital to Country Multi Day Ultra. We did it!  Our first international event, an incredible time with some great runners and an amazing team to work with.  We are back next year, limited to 20 places, on the 24th November. There aren’t many events which come with the description of being a cross between the Marathon des Sables and the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. But that’s what one of the runners called this incredible five day slog through the beautiful foothills of Nepal. The combination of rolling hills and gruelling climbs with a m ..read more

Originally from Solukhumbu, Pokhara-based Anita Rai is one of Nepal’s strongest up-and-coming trail runners. Her most recent success was a first place finish at the challenging Guerrilla Ultra, a 52 km race in Rukum. And just a month or so before that, she finished second at the Fishtail 50 km, a monster of a race with 6000 feet of climbing. I spoke to Anita recently by the side of Pokhara’s Phewa Lake to learn more about her story and her hopes for the future.  A graduate of the Mira Rai Initiative, she started running in school. In 2019, an athletics coach put on a flat 4 km race which ..read more

By Tayte Pollmann for the American Trail Running Association Original article posted on August 3, 2023. Reported for posterity! From April 19 to June 6, 2023 Tayte Pollmann, American Trail Running Association, “Trail Trotter” traveled to the highest mountains in the world, the Himalayas, to discover Nepal’s trail running scene. He had traveled to the country five years prior, and was impressed by the talents of Nepali runners who moved with ease on some of the world’s highest and most technically difficult running trails. In this most recent forty-eight day Nepal trip, he ..read more

By Tayte Pollmann for the American Trail Running Association Original article posted on November 7, 2018. Reported for posterity! In this interview, I speak with Jimi Oostrum, Dutch expatriate trail runner, race organizer, and UNICEF education expert, who shares his insights into the Nepalese trail running culture from living in Nepal for the past 10 years. TAYTE: Hi Jimi! Tell us about your running background. JIMI: About 8 years ago, I had a football injury and needed quite a bit of reconstruction on my left knee. I tore my ACL, PCL, meniscus and even something called a PLC, which ..read more

By Tayte Pollmann for the American Trail Running Association Original article posted on November 7, 2018. Reported for posterity! On October 27, 2018 I witnessed the 13th edition of the Annapurna 100 trail race, organized by Trail Running Nepal offering 50 km and 100 km distances with over 3,000 and 6,000 meters of elevation gain respectively. The Course The races started and finished in the small Nepalese village of Dhampus in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. (link on map) and I hiked and ran over 25 kilometers of the course with the film and photography crew during the r ..read more

By Tayte Pollmann for the American Trail Running Association, reposted for posterity! Original article posted on October 4, 2019 Trail runners from around the world are turning their attention to Nepal this Friday, October 25, for the final of the 2019 Salomon Golden Trail Series. The series consists of six iconic races: the Pikes Peak Marathon, Colorado, USA, Zegama-Aizkorri, Spain, Sierre-Zinal, Switzerland, Marathon du Mont-Blanc, France, Dolomyths Run Skyrace, Italy, and the Ring of Steall Skyrace, UK. The top 10 female and male runners from the ser ..read more