Preparations for the 13th edition of the Kantipur Half Marathon, an event organised annually by Kantipur Media Group, are almost complete, the organisers informed. Presented by Global IME Bank, this year’s event, scheduled for Saturday, is themed ‘Let’s Run for a Greener Tomorrow.’

Recognised as one of Nepal’s most prestigious road races, the marathon follows the popular ‘city marathon’ concept popular around the world. It will be broadcast live on Kantipur Max Television, eKantipur.com, and Kantipur Events’ YouTube channel.

The event features four race categories for both men and women: the main 21.1 km half marathon, a 7 km college run, a 5 km corporate and celebrity run, and a 3 km wheelchair race. Over 2,500 participants are expected to take part in the event, organisers said.

The prize pool has been increased this year, with Rs800,000 in cash prizes and an additional Rs400,000 worth of gift hampers. The men’s and women’s half-marathon winners will each receive Rs150,000, while those finishing second to sixth will earn between Rs75,000 and Rs10,000. Wheelchair race winners will also be awarded, with Rs35,000 for first place.

Runners breaking the current course records—1:06:41 by Hari Kumar Rimal (men) and 1:19:22 by Kanchhi Maya Koju (women), both set in the 7th edition—will earn an extra Rs25,000. Koju has won the race five times and Rimal four.

Top national athletes, including Olympian Santoshi Shrestha, Pushpa Bhandari, Rajan Rokaya, Khadak Bahadur Khadka and Gopi Chandra Parki, will join the race. The route begins and ends at the Central Business Park in Thapathali, looping through Maitighar, Baneshwar, Koteshwar, Lokanthali, Sallaghari, and back.

Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Chief Senior Superintendent of Police Binod Ghimire assured that road management would allow runners to complete the race without disruption. Registration is open until May 27 at the Kantipur office in Thapathali or online at kantipurevents.com.

Started in 2011, the event saw its highest turnout in 2019 with 2,560 participants. “Equal prize money for male and female athletes continues to be a major draw of the event,” Kantipur Media Group CEO Mahesh Swar said.