Four Nepali trail runners will compete in the third unified edition of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships taking place in Canfranc-Pirineos in Spain from September 25 to 28.

Of the four participants, three are male runners—Suman Kulung, Sangge Sherpa and Man Kumar Roka. Sunmaya Budha will represent Nepal in the women’s category.

The four runners were selected based on international standards, with ITRA rankings serving as the primary criteria. Kulung, Sherpa and Roka are ranked first, second and fourth in Nepal based on the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) rankings. They have ITRA scores of 861, 835 and 824, respectively.

Budha is ranked first among Nepali women runners with an ITRA score of 792. She also ranks third in Asia and 19th in the world.

The WMTRC2025 has five different race categories—Uphill 6K, Short Trail 45K, Long Trail 82K, Under20 8K and Classic 14K. The four Nepali runners are participating in the Long Trail 82K category.

The Long Trail 82K is said to be the ‘mother of all races’, the hardest and most demanding of all those to be held in the WMTRC2025. The 81.2-kilometre race will take place on September 27.

“The runners will have to climb La Moleta; go down to the Izas Valley and climb the homonymous pass afterwards; pass through the Royo Peak, Formigal and Canal Roya, cross into France and the Pyrenees National Park,” the race detail states. “They will enjoy one of the most breathtaking Pyrenean areas: the Ibones de Ayous, and will return downhill at full speed towards Canfranc Station from the Collado de Estiviellas.”

According to the organisers, the event will bring together 1,700 athletes from 80 countries—the highest participation in its history.

Visa issues restrict two runners

The team faced significant obstacles due to stringent visa requirements, with two qualified athletes unable to participate. This situation highlights ongoing challenges for Nepali athletes in accessing international competitions despite their world-class capabilities.

“Nepali athletes are among the world’s best in trail running, but we continue to face barriers due to passport limitations,” noted team officials in a statement. “This underscores the importance of diplomatic efforts and reputation management to support our athletes’ international participation.”

Preeti Khatri, team lead coordinating logistics, branding, and national representation for the tournament, informed that trail runners Arjun Kulung Rai and Rammaya Budha did not get the visas and could not participate in the championship.

“The other four are in Europe, training, under the guarantee of their respective sponsors,” Khatri told the Post. “Arjun and Rammaya, who are in Nepal, were not granted visas alongside me and a media personnel.”