While Tamang, who won the last two editions of the marathon, will be looking forward to defend his title, Rai is back from his self-proclaimed retirement to compete in the “the most difficult race” because competing in extreme races is all that he knows.[break]
Thirty one year-old Rai has been maintaining his livelihood by participating in extreme adventures sports since 2006. He won the Everest Marathon for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008 and also secured the third position in the Himal Race 2010 covering 1000km from Mt Kailash of Tibet to Poon Hill of Myagdi district in 26 days.
Rai says he took retirement from the Everest Marathon after winning the title the third time, but he is back representing Friendship Youth Club of Salleri, Solu.
“I had already made a hat-trick and there was no need for me to come back. I don’t have much hope of winning the title again but I’m here just for my club,” he said.
Such races are very tough but the lucrative awards on offer are too good to ignore, said Rai.
Other extreme races that he has won are the Extreme World Challenge Dualathon 2009 -- a 190 km ultra marathon and cycling from Gorakshep to Jiri -- and a cycling race around the Annapurna mountain range during the Yak Attack Series 2009 which he finished second.
Rai has his personal best record of 3 hours 28 minutes in the Everest Marathon in 2006 but he says he has not been up to the mark in recent days due to his growing age. He will have to face a tough challenge from Tamang who won the marathon last year with a timing of 3 hours 41 minutes.
“I hope my experience will count. I’m not as good as I was before but you can’t predict what will happen in a game,” Rai said.
Besides Rai and Tamang, 39 other Nepalis, including four women, have registered their names for the Everest Marathon.
Meanwhile, 63 foreigners will be competing in the event to mark the ascent of the world’s highest peak by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgey Sherpa on May 29, 1953. A few foreigners have withdrawn from the marathon after falling sick on their way to the Everest Base Camp from where the race will begin.
The runners will take the route to Gorakshep and then descend to Lobuche, Thugla and Dingboche. They will then run towards the north-east to Bibre and return back to Dingboche and then move towards the finishing point Namche via Pangboche, Tengboche and Sanasa.
Quite a number of foreigners have experiences of running ultra marathons and are hoping to add another feather to their hat. But the Everest Marathon has always been dominated by Nepali runners, mostly from the Solukhumbu region, ever since the inception of the marathon in 2003.
The marathon will be held in four different categories -- open, foreign, women and half-marathon.
The winner of the open category will bag a purse of $1000 while the runner-up and the second runner-up will receive $500 and $300 respectively.
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