Pokhara. Narendra Singh Raut from Sudurpaschim has claimed the title of the Second Pumdi-Bhumdi Mountain Race. Raut completed the designated 8 km distance in 35 minutes and 44 seconds, securing a cash prize of Rs. 50,000, along with a medal and certificate.
Another Sudurpaschim runner, Karan Rawal, finished second with a time of 36:33, while Dalbahadur Kunwar from Karnali secured third place in 37:16, according to chief judge Om Bahadur Gurung. The runner-up received Rs. 30,000, and the third-place finisher earned Rs. 15,000, each with a medal and certificate.
In the men’s category, Gautam Shrestha came fourth and won Rs. 7,000, while Saphal Lama placed fifth with Rs. 3,000. From sixth to tenth place, Pancharam Budha, Buddhi Ram Gurung, Jogendra Budha, Tenjon Roka Magar, and Imon Gurung each received Rs. 1,000, along with medals and certificates.
Among foreign participants, Theo Donnet from France completed the distance in 49:51 minutes, while in the veterans’ category, Kishor Thapa from Gandaki secured first place with a time of 51:01 minutes. Both were awarded Rs. 15,000 each.
In the Ward-22 category, Kushal Pariyar claimed first place, finishing in 49:15 minutes, followed by Sujjal Pariyar with 51:03 minutes. In the women’s category, Padamkumari Sunuwar from Koshi won first place with a timing of 53:39 minutes, while Nitu Tamang from Bagmati finished second in 57:46 minutes. First-place winners in both Ward and Women’s categories received Rs. 15,000, while second-place winners received Rs. 7,000, along with medals and certificates.
In the U-16 category, Prakash Thing (42:58) took first place, Tilbahadur Pariyar (38:00) came second, and Kamal Poudel (49:56) secured third. All three were from Gandaki. They were awarded Rs. 15,000, Rs. 7,000, and Rs. 3,000 respectively, along with medals and certificates.
Special recognition was given to 82-year-old Lil Bahadur Gurung of Pumdibhumdi in the senior category and 11-year-old Aaron Nepal of Gandaki Boarding School in the junior category.
The race was jointly organized by the Pokhara Promotion Centre and Pokhara Click, with the objective of promoting sports tourism. A total of 167 athletes from eight countries registered online for six different events. According to Centre Vice-President Asaphal Gautam, participants included runners from all seven provinces of Nepal, along with athletes from the UK, Norway, Israel, France, the USA, Spain, and Canada, totaling 117 international runners.
Since the event coincided with World Tourism Day, foreign athletes completing the race were welcomed with garlands by senior tourism entrepreneur Ganesh Bahadur Bhattarai. The race route stretched from World Peace Stupa (Pokhara-22), circled the giant Mahadev statue at Pumdikot, and concluded at Kalabang Gharedi Buddha Park, where local residents warmly welcomed the runners along the way.
