The Kantipur Half Marathon will kick off in Kathmandu Saturday, with nearly fifteen hundred participants.

The 10th edition of the annual event, which could not be organised for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is being held under the theme ‘Run for a Green Nepal,’ in view of the impacts climate change is exerting on the country.

Participants will be running under three categories—half marathon race (21.1 kilometres), wheelchair race (3 kilometres) and corporate run (5 kilometres).

The half marathon will start from Central Business Park in Thapathali, the central office of Kantipur Publications Limited.

The runners will go through Maitighar Mandala, New Baneshwar, Tinkune, Koteshwar, Lokanthali, Thimi, Sallaghari and Katunje and return via the same route to the starting point, covering a total of 21.1 kilometres.

The short-distance events will also start at Thapathali.

Each runner will be handed a plant that will carry the message of “green city and green country.”

Bishwas Pathak, one of the participants of the men’s corporate race, says he is running for a cause—for the cause of a green Nepal.

“The pollution in the capital city has created several health hazards in the townspeople,” said Pathak from Baluwatar. “There is no fresh air to breathe. I hope this campaign will help raise awareness among people.”

The last edition of the half marathon was held in May 2019. Anish Thapa Magar and Bishworupa Budha had won the 21.1 km race under men’s and women’s category, respectively. Nepal APF Club’s Kanchhi Maya Koju and Hari Kumar Rimal remain the most successful athletes in the competition so far. Koju is the five-time women’s half marathon winner and Rimal has clinched the men’s title on four occasions.

Rimal will look to extend his winning record to five titles this season.

“I have not been able to train hard but preparations are quite good,” said Rimal. “I hope to win the race again.”

But for a non-athlete like Yugesh Ale Magar, the half-marathon is also a test of his health and running ability.

“I want to participate because I want to assess my stamina. I want to check whether I could complete the 21-kilometre distance,” said Magar.

The event will start early in the morning, with the men’s and women’s half marathon and corporate race scheduled for 7:10am flag-off and wheelchair race at 7:15 am.

Both men and women winners of the 21.1 km race will bag a purse of Rs100,000 each while the runners-up will be rewarded with Rs50,000. The athletes finishing in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth positions will receive Rs30,000, Rs20,000, Rs10,000 and Rs5,000, respectively.

The winners of the corporate event will get a Pokhara tour package, the runners-up a Nagarkot package and the third-placed finishers will win a mountain flight ticket.

The top three winners in the wheelchair event will be rewarded Rs30,000, Rs20,000 and Rs10,000 respectively.

The NIC Asia Bank is the main sponsor of the event.

The Kantipur Half Marathon was first held on February 19, 2011 to mark Kantipur Publications’ 18th anniversary, which coincides with Nepal’s Democracy Day. But with the event being established as one of the most successful marathon events, the concept has now evolved from an anniversary celebration to a city marathon.