Marathoners around the world dream of winning the Tenzing-Hilary Everest Marathon, the highest and toughest marathon. Meet Suman Kulung, Samjhanna Rai, Tirtha Bahadur Tamang, and Manju Rawat, the winners of the 2023 Everest Marathon, in their respective categories.

Nepal holds the annual Everest Marathon on International Everest Day each year to commemorate the first ascent of Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953. The event is a true dedication from athletes to Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary for their rare fear of climbing Mount Everest.

The participant in the Everest Marathon has to run along the Everest Base Camp Trekking Trail, starting from Everest Base Camp (5364 m). Mostly downhill, the racetrack is part of what people refer to as one of the hardest trekking trails in the world. The athletes camp at Everest Base Camp before running the 42-kilometer race to Namche.

In 2023, Suman Kulung (Nepalese) bagged the gold medal in the open 42 km open category. He completed the race in 3 hours, 48 minutes, and 54 seconds. Dal Bahadur Kunwar and Umesh Rai finished second and third, respectively, in 3 hours, 57 minutes, 53 seconds, and 4 hours, 2 minutes, 3 seconds.

In the women’s category, Manju Rawat won the title of “18th open 42 km Everest Marathon,” running on the racetrack for 5 hours and 28 minutes. Likewise, Lakpa Ngima Sherpa and Dilkala Gurung bagged second and third prizes, respectively.

There are three categories of the Everest Marathon: the full marathon (42.195 km), the half marathon (21 km), and the extreme ultra marathon (70 km). The full and ultramarathons are open to everyone, but the half marathon can only have participants outside of Nepal.

In the half marathon category, Samjhanna Rai (India) won the title, completing the 21-kilometer race in 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 48 seconds. Emma Williams (Australia) and Alexander Burtsev (Russia) followed Samjhanna, completing the race at 3 hours, 21 minutes, 41 seconds, and 3 hours, 23 minutes, 54 seconds, respectively.

Under the Ultra (70 km) Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon 2023, Tirtha Bahadur Tamang (Nepalese) stood first. He completed the race in 8 hours, 38 minutes, and 9 seconds.

Tilak Bahadur Sunuwar and Kiran Kulung followed the record holder, coming in second and third. They took 9 hours, 2 minutes, 31 seconds, and 9 hours, 26 minutes, and 38 seconds.

Everest Marathon 2022: Results and Winners

Running at high altitudes, Nepal’s Tirtha Bahadur Tamang won the 17^th Full Everest Marathon on May 29th, 2022. He completed the 42.19 km race from Everest Base Camp to Namche Bazaar in 3 hours, 51 minutes, and 9 seconds.

Following him, Rajkumar Rajbhandari stood second, completing the marathon in 3 hours, 51 minutes, and 59 seconds. Likewise, Everest resident Suman Kunlung bagged the third prize, completing the marathon in 3 hours, 53 minutes, and 10 seconds. They are the winners of the open marathon.

In the women’s category, Purnamaya Rai won the title. She completed the marathon in 5 hours, 19 minutes, and 15 seconds. And so, Amaldhani Rai and Sebika Rai became second and third, respectively.

Check other race results here.

Article by

sanjib adhikari

Sanjib is a seasoned adventurer and a tourism expert who has spent the past 6 years immersed in Nepal's vibrant travel industry. He has trekked through Nepal's iconic landscapes in the Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Langtang regions. He now spends his time writing about different places in Nepal and helping others travel effortlessly.