Rara Marathon set to be organised on April 24 has appointed legendary ultra runner Mira Rai as its goodwill ambassador.

The event is set to take place on Loktantra Day with a view to promoting sports, women runners and Rara area as a tourist destination, said the organisers Antaral at a press conference on Tuesday.

The 42.195km race will begin from Rara Lake in Mugu and go through Chuchchemara mountain and Danphe Lake and finish at Jumla Bazar. The Chuchchemara mountain (4017m) and Jumla situated at an altitude of 2,305m are the highest and lowest points of the track. The organisers have expected participation of around 100 runners.

"The players of Karnali region will benefit the most from the event. The local players of Karnali are excited to compete in the event organised in their locality. We are hopeful that the marathon will also attract oversea runners in future," said Jaya Narayan Shah, the president of Rara Marathon.

He also thanked runner Rai for accepting their proposal to be goodwill ambassador. "Many players have idealised Rai and her presence itself will motivate players of the Karnali region," said Shah.

Rai, the winner of the National Geographic Adventurer of 2017 and one of the globally renowned faces in ultra race and trail running, announced that she herself would compete in the event. "It is a big platform for new athletes to run at high altitude. While it is tough to run in the high altitude event, it is equally challenging to organise an event in such geography. I thank the organisers for providing the opportunity for me to work together in the Rara Marathon."

Rai, a former Maoist combatant, also informed that she has been providing nine-month long training scholarships to women runners since 2017 through Mira Rai Initiative. "Since 2017 I have been providing training scholarships each year to six talented girl players from rural areas. I have been providing training, gears and other required materials to them," said Rai.

"Many of them have great potential to become best trail runners. Athletes like Sunmaya Budha, who came through initiatives, have already made their names at international level. Events like this could be a good platform for talent hunt with possibilities of finding numerous athletes like me," she said.