Tamang wins 70K ultra marathon race

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 30: Tirtha Bahadur Tamang of Nepal won the Extreme Ultra Marathon title at the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon held in Solukhumbu on Monday. 

For his fifth title in the Everest marathon, Tamang clocked 08:38:09 hrs to complete the 70K race in front. Tamang bagged a cash prize of Rs. 200,000. 

Defending champions of the open full marathon Tamang had won the 60K Ultra race during the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions. 

Tilak Bahadur Sunar claimed the second spot with a time of 09:02:31hrs and Kiran Kulung took 09:26:38hrs time to satisfy in the third spot. The 70K ultra race is organized to mark the 70th year anniversary of the ascent to the world's highest mountain. In the previous edition, the 60K ultra race was organized. 

Suman wins men's marathon

Suman Kulung won the men's title in the full marathon category.

Kulung took 3:48:54 hrs to finish the 42K race in front. He was the first runner-up in the last edition of the race. Kulung is the champion of the race held in the 2017 and 2019 editions. This is the seventh time he has been successful to finish at the podium of the world's highest altitude race. 

Dal Bahadur Kunwar clocked 3:57:53 hrs to finish behind Kulung in second place. Umesh Rai trailed in third position with a time of 4:02:03 hrs.

Similarly, Manju Rawat of Nepal won the women's full marathon with a time of 05:28:00 hrs. She won Rs. 150,000 in cash prize. Lakpa Ngima Sherpa finished in second place with 05:28:36 hrs and Dil Kala Kulung claimed third place by completing the race in 05:31: 54 hrs. 

Rai clinches Half Marathon

The half-marathon title went to India's Samjhana Rai. She timed 3:19:48hrs to complete the 21K race in first place and got richer by Rs.75,000. Emma Williams of Australia finished second with a time of 3:21:41 hrs. Alexander Burtsev of Russia remained in third place after covering the race in 3:23:54 hrs. 

A total of 204 runners from 28 nations competed in the event. Among them, 69 Nepali racers competed in the event this year.

The Tenzing Hilary Everest Marathon is organized annually to mark the anniversary of the ascent to the world's highest mountain.

With the New Mount Everest Height of 8848.86m, the 2023 edition is run as the 'New Higher Mount Everest Marathon" to celebrate the new increase in Mount Everest Height after the 2015 Earthquake in Nepal.