Khadak and Purnalakshmi win 11th Dhara Nepalgunj Marathon titles

Khadka bagged a cash prize of NPR 200,000 (1200 EUR), while Purnalakshmi received NPR 75,000 (450 EUR) along with a trophy and medal.

In the 42.195 km men’s open marathon, Khadka completed the distance in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 6 seconds, breaking last year’s record on what is considered the country’s easiest marathon course. This win marks his second consecutive and third overall Nepalgunj Marathon title, completing a historic hat-trick.

Nepal Army’s Sushil Kumar Shahi secured second place, finishing in 2:16:40 and winning Rs 100,000 and a medal. APF Club’s Gopichandra Parki secured third position with a time of 2:19:15, earning Rs 50,000 and a medal.

Kumar Prasad Adhikari completed the race in 3:26:17 to take the top spot in the veterans’ category, followed by Ramesh Shakya (3:47:05), Umesh Manandhar (3:52:30), Bharat Shrestha (4:06:29), and Mangle Tamang (4:38:44).

In the women’s half marathon, Nepal Army’s Purna Rajyalaxmi won the title with a time of 1:21:27. APF Club’s Phulmoti Rana followed with 1:27:22, while Jumla’s Sundewa Budha finished third in 1:27:39. Pushpa Acharya (1:35:01) and Amita Rai (1:47:29) completed the top five. The athletes received prizes ranging from NPR 75,000 to NPR 10,000. This marks Purnalakshmi’s second title, having previously won the fifth edition.

Parsaram Badhai, Rajesh Harijan, and Man Kumari Pariyar finished in the top three in the wheelchair race.

For the first time, the Nepalgunj Marathon Organizing Committee introduced the Nepalgunj Trophy to encourage participation in school-level athletics. Angels School won the trophy for having the highest number of participants, with 110 students registered. The trophy was handed over to the school’s director, Vivechana Malla, by superstar Rajesh Hamal, the chief guest of the event.

In the Kids Run, Namasu Thapa Magar (Brightland School), Sujan Shahi (Sagarmatha Gyankunj), and Nikes Fadara (Brightland) secured the top positions.

A special issue, Nepal Running – Issue 3, was unveiled during the event by Rajesh Hamal, Luna Luintel, Srichchha Pradhan, Olympian Deepak Bista, and SAG double-gold medallist Deepak Shrestha. The magazine includes articles from AIMS Ambassador and Nepalgunj Marathon founder TS Thakuri, Berlin Marathon Founder Horst Milde, Bangsaen Running Series (Thailand), Tata Mumbai Marathon, Kosice Marathon, and Chicago Marathon COO Mike Nishi.

Earlier, Nepalgunj Conclave was successfully held in collaboration with FinePrint Publications. Organizing Committee President TS Thakuri announced that both the Conclave and the Marathon will continue to be upgraded every year.