Kathmandu, December 18, 2019: The 13th edition of Kathmandu Marathon is all set to be held on December 21, 2019.
Kathmandu Marathon has started in 2007 which has been established as the biggest city Marathon of Nepal.
Kathmandu Marathon has been successfully organized annually with the record number of participation from the people of different walks of life including Sportsmen, General Public, Business Community, Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Nepal Armed Police, Journalists, different NGO`s, INGO`s and Political Parties, Schools and Educational Institutes, celebrities and foreigners from around 20 different Countries.
This year 2019, Kathmandu Marathon is celebrating its 13th year expecting the record number of participants and the organizers are committed to making this year event a mega sporting event that people have ever seen in the city. Marathons are gradually evolving as one of Nepal’s fastest-growing group events with the number of participants increasing every year.
A fitness expert, Mr. Alok Khatri says -“If you want to enjoy race day and if running a marathon is your goal, you need to plan weeks in advance. It is an endurance test, so take appropriate precautions because the risk of injury is high and training is tough.” He added that there is no need to change your food routine because it all depends on your daily activity. However, it is recommended to avoid intense training a week before the marathon.
“Running longer distance without proper gear may result in injury because of limited movement and can lead to plantar fasciitis, a tissue inflammation at the bottom of one’s foot that runs from the heel to toes,” Khatri concluded.
Kiran Singh won the gold medal in men’s marathon by completing the race in 2:21:07 in the recently concluded 13th South Asian Games (SAG) held in Nepal. Similarly, Pushpa Bhandari became the first Nepali female athlete to win a marathon medal, a silver, by finishing the race in 2:50:11.
“Over the years, the number of participants has been increasing,” said Bagmati Rai, executive director of Pro Sports, the company which organizes the event. She shared that without the support of Nepal Government it is impossible to organize a Marathon event. She had even requested the government to take ownership of the event.
Rai added that marathons are also becoming more popular among non-Nepali runners. 150 foreign nationals are expected to register for the upcoming run.
Kazuaki Naganuma, a veteran runner from Japan is participating for the fourth time in this marathon event. She said -“I love Nepal and have many friends here.”
Legendary marathoner, Baikuntha Manandhar is the national record-holder for Nepal. Manandhar had broken the South Asian Games marathon record in 1987. His record of 2:15:03 still remains unbeaten.
“When you complete a marathon, there is a sense of achievement, and the race becomes beautiful where you compete with yourself”- said Siddharth Rawat, an Indian merchant navy officer and longtime distance runner who has participated in marathons in different parts of the world. He added- “You are your own judge, so know your limitations as running gets you more disciplined and focused. I run with no fear. I feel like if I make it here, I can make it anywhere.”
Mr. Nilendra Raj Shrestha, General Secretary of Nepal Olympic Committee and a Chief organizer of Kathmandu Marathon expressed concern that he worries traffic management might be a challenge and is requesting the concerned authorities that traffic is brought to a halt for two to three hours during the event. There have already been 6,000 registrations and organizers are expecting a minimum of 10,000 participants.
On December 21 will see various kinds of races: Full-Marathon (42.195 km), Half- Marathon (21.098 km), 5K Open, 5K School, Wheelchair Marathon (3km), Corporate Marathon (42 km), and Family-run (3km). The family-run category was added to the marathon bandwagon this year with an aim to bring families together in a sports event.
The Marathon starts from Tripureshwar and ends at Dashrath Stadium, passing all three districts – ‘Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur.‘
