How a trail-running boom reached the hills
Races that began with a few dozen foreigners now draw hundreds of local runners. The hill villages are noticing.
A decade ago mountain races in the country were small affairs organised by trekking agencies. Several now sell out, and the majority of entries are Nepali. (Nepal Tourism Board 2025)
Runners from porter and guiding backgrounds have proved formidable, and a handful have gone on to compete abroad.
A new season for the villages
A race weekend fills lodges in a month that would otherwise be empty. The sport's global governing structures are still catching up with where its athletes come from. (World Athletics 2025)
References
Nepal Tourism Board. 2025. “Tourism statistics.”. https://ntb.gov.np/.
World Athletics. 2025. “World Rankings.”. https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings.
Cite this story
Dispatch Report (2026) ‘How a trail-running boom reached the hills’, 23 March. Available at: https://thedispatchreport.com/article/how-a-trail-running-boom-reached-the-hills (Accessed: 5 October 2026).
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