The marathon is being held annually at the highest altitude in the world since May 29, 2003.
“I find it easy to run in the mountains but I can´t run in the plains,” said Sudip Kulung, the winner of the men´s category who grew up in the laps of the towering peaks of Solukhumbu district.
The 23-year-old from Gudel village fought his way through the rocky terrains of the Everest Base Camp all the way to Namche covering a distance of 42.19 km in 3 hours 45 minutes 49 seconds.
Ram Kumar Rajbhandari from Khotang finished second with a timing of 3 hours 49 minutes 6 seconds while three-time winner Deepak Raj Rai, after a two-year hiatus, claimed the third position in 3 hours 50 minutes 51 seconds.
The descent from the base camp, situated at a height of 5360 m above the sea level, to Namche at 3440 m was not easy for the runners as the route consists of lots of uphills and downhills with thin air exposing the runners to the threat of altitude sickness making the marathon even more daunting.
However, the Nepali athletes, familiar to the landscape made head-start over the foreign participants who were equally eager to compete but couldn´t keep up the pace.
The winner of the women´s category Ang Futi Sherpa says she doesn´t find the trail difficult at all because she has been walking along the route ever since her childhood days.
With the victory, 25-year-old Sherpa claimed her third consecutive title. She finished the marathon in 4 hours 46 minutes 14 seconds while second-placed Mingma Lohmu Sherpa clocked 5 hours 7 minutes 37 seconds. Cheechee Sherpa was third with a timing of 5 hours 20 minutes 20 seconds.
Earlier, Kulung said that continuity in the game helped him win the title in his fourth attempt. Kulung was the runner-up in the last edition. This time he won the title just two days after winning the Khumjung Goden Jubilee Race Competition.
“Regular training is also very important. But that´s not possible without sponsors because we need proper diet which we cannot afford on our own.”
He is one of the fortunate athletes who get sponsors to receive training abroad and participate in international competitions.
He will be traveling to Switzerland to compete in the 26th Swiss Alpine Marathon on July 30 and to Malaysia for the 25th Mount Kinabolu International Climbathon (21 km) on October 23, according to the chairman of Nepal Mountain Running Service Ramesh Bhattachan, who has been sponsoring for Kulung since 2010.
Before his foreign trip, he will be competing in the Annapurna Marathon on June 3. Earlier this month, Kulung had won a 260 km Annapurna Mandela Trail with a timing of 32 hours 52 minutes over a span of eight days. He had also clinched the title of Annapurna 100k on January 1 this year.
The young athlete however plans to retire after a few years and move abroad or start some business because he believes that the career of athletes is short-lived.
“I have to win races for my income as well as my career as an athlete and that cannot go on forever. I must look for a secured future,” he says.
Meanwhile, defending champion Phurba Tamang reportedly fell ill and finished the marathon in 5 hours 33 minutes 8 seconds.
The top three winners in the men´s category bagged a purse of Rs 80,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 25,000 while the prize for the women´s category was Rs 40,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 16,000 respectively.
Zaskowiee creates new record
In the foreign category, Sylvia Zaskowiee became the first woman to win the title and create a new record in the Everest Marathon. The cross-country skier from Poland finished the marathon in 5 hours 34 minutes 6 seconds.
“It´s the best day in my life. It´s incredible because I didn´t expect it. It´s a big surprise,” she said after winning the title.
A participant of the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010, Zaskowiee switched to marathon after she broke her left arm last summer.
“I decided to join marathon during my one-year break after the skiing accident. It was a big disappointment for me,” she said.
“Maybe I can start marathon now,” she said. “The atmosphere was amazing. There were lots of great runners and I would like to congratulate the Sherpa girls,” she added.
Meanwhile, Christopher Suggit finished second with a timing of 6 hours 13 minutes 42 seconds. Tomaz Kulinski clocked 6 hours 18 minutes 48 seconds to claim the third position.
Half Marathon
Raju Sindhu of the Indian Air Force claimed the title of the half-marathon with a timing of 2 hours 44 minutes 15 seconds. The serviceman who scaled Mount Everest on May 21 said it was his maiden half-marathon.
“I would like to give the total credit to my group captain Narender Kumar Dhuia for his inspiration,” he said.
Sekhar Gayathri finished second with a timing of 3 hours 17 minutes 7 seconds while Lynne Low claimed the third position clocking 3 hours 50 minutes 3 seconds.
The top three winners in both foreign and half-marathon´ categories bagged a purse of Rs 35,000, Rs 21,000 and 14,000.
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