Khadak Singh Khadka wins eighth Nepalgunj Marathon. The eighth edition of the Nepalgunj Marathon, held on Saturday, was won by Khadak Singh Khadka of the Tribhuvan Army Club.
Khadka finished the 42.195-kilometer course in 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 28 seconds. Last year’s winner was Kiran Singh Bogati of the Armed Police Force.
Narendra Rawat of the Nepal Army, who finished first runner-up in the previous year’s event, won the race again this year. He ran the marathon in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 29 seconds.
Army’s Mohandev Joshi finished third in 2 hours 24 minutes and 36 seconds, while Kamal Raj Timalsena finished fourth in 2 hours 41 minutes and 57 seconds.
Khadka was awarded Rs150,000 in addition to a medal and a diploma.
Narendra, Mohandev, and Kamal Raj, who finished first, second, and third, got cash prizes of Rs60,000, Rs30,000, and Rs15,000.
Meanwhile, in the same tournament, Santoshi Shrestha of Bagmati Province won the women’s half marathon title.
Shrestha, a double gold medallist (5,000 and 10,000 meters) in the Ninth National Games, ran the race in one hour, sixteen minutes, and 41 seconds. She won the same title in the seventh edition, crossing the finish line in 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 48 seconds. Khadak Singh Khadka wins eighth Nepalgunj Marathon.
Anjali Chauhan of India finished first runner-up in one hour 25 minutes and 15 seconds, and Anju Khadka of Nepal finished second runner-up in one hour 36 minutes and 44 seconds.
Shrestha was presented with Rs60,000, a medal, and a certificate. The first runner-up, Chauhan, received Rs30,000, and the second runner-up, Anju Khadka, received Rs15,000.
The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh runners-up each received Rs10,000, Rs8,000, Rs7,000, Rs6,000, and Rs5,000.
Rajpura Pachai of Nepal Police won the five-kilometer open category (women), Ram Maya Budha came in second, and Bimala Karki came in third. They each received a cash prize of Rs15,000, Rs10,000, and Rs7,000.
The marathon followed the approved route established by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS). This is Nepal’s only marathon competition listed on AIMS’s annual calendar.
