“Nepal, you do not want to lose these athletes.”

This warning comes from Andy DuBois, one of the world’s premier ultra-trail running coaches.

DuBois hails from Australia and is a former elite trail runner himself. He won the gruelling Hardmoors 110-mile (177-kilometre) ultramarathon in 2010, completing the distance in 22:38:00.

DuBois, however, isn’t just an elite endurance coach. He is the world’s go-to expert on using technology to measure a runner’s true effort. Just as cyclists use power metres on their bikes, trail runners now use sensors to measure “power”, or the exact amount of energy their muscles pump out in real time. When Stryd, the world’s leading maker of these running devices, needs expert advice on how energy works on steep mountain trails, they reach out to DuBois. After all, DuBois is the pioneer who turned raw data into a winning strategy on the dirt.

Alongside helping runners from all around the world, DuBois, of late, has also been a major mastermind behind the accolades of Nepali trail runners—including Sunmaya Budha, who broke an 11-year-old record when she won the Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120K in Italy on June 27.

“Coaching Nepali runners has been fascinating because they break stereotypes and push past what we consider normal human capacity,” DuBois told the Post recently over a call from Australia. “Sunmaya is, by far, the best athlete I have ever trained. She takes into account every basic detail required while running for hours.”

DuBois was amazed by Budha’s comeback in the Dolomites. Budha was eight minutes behind Australia’s Lucy Bartholomew with 18 kilometres remaining. But Budha reached the finish line first, and that too, a minute and 41 seconds ahead of Bartholomew.

In a blog, DuBois has explained how Budha went on to win the race in Italy by going past human limits.

“She looks so quiet and calm off the trails,” DuBois added. “But once she puts on a race bib and starts a race, she is an absolute monster—a beast.”

DuBois is convinced that the same fierce beast resides inside scores of Nepali runners.

Currently, the Australian coaches three Nepalis—Sunmaya, her sister Ram Maya, and Man Kumar Roka Magar—while closely tracking the performances and development of others on the domestic circuit.

“There are trails everywhere in Nepal,” DuBois said. “Nepali runners are born and raised in unforgiving terrain and at high altitudes—the exact environment runners around the world spend thousands of dollars seeking out, but rarely get. You have got all the raw ingredients right there.”

He added, “There are many big fish in this small pond.”

Having coached the national trail-running team of the Philippines, the Australian coach suggests Nepal could draw valuable lessons from the island nation’s recent sporting push.

“The Philippines is producing many exceptional trail runners recently because the state is actively investing in the sport,” DuBois explained. “But if you compare the natural conditions of the Philippines with Nepal, this mountainous country has the capacity to do far better.”

At the same time, DuBois offers a pragmatic perspective. He acknowledges that at a time when even far wealthier nations have yet to fully prioritise this gruelling and adventurous sport, expecting massive state intervention from Nepal right away might be unrealistic.

“Trail running is still a niche sport globally,” he noted. “So it is understandable that a developing nation like Nepal hasn’t poured its resources into trail running yet.”

However, DuBois suggests that Nepal can get a fascinating return if it invests in trail running.

“As I said before, Nepal is a perfect breeding ground for trail runners. Nepal could also become a major hub for the world’s premier races,” DuBois said. “Trail runners globally would jump at the chance to train in the ultimate high-altitude environment at a fraction of the cost of visiting the European Alps or the American Rockies.”

DuBois praised the organisation of some of the toughest races in Nepal, such as the Everest Marathon and Manaslu Trail Race. “I have been to Nepal twice till now—in 2001 and 2025,” he said. “And the mountains and the trails there have left me awestruck.”

What amazed DuBois—who has trekked to Annapurna, Pikey Peak and Gokyo Lake in Nepal—more during his time trekking in the mountains of Nepal was the potters.

“They carry kilograms of weight and walk faster than normal individuals,” he said. “They do not earn much every day by carrying those weights and taking such huge risks. If they start running, which will not be a hard change in job for them, they can earn good money at once alongside fame and recognition.

“Yes, that makes total sense,” DuBois responded when shown the story of Arjun Kulung Rai, an Everest porter-turned-trail runner. Rai had recalled feeling as if he was flying when he ran for the first time without a heavy load on his back during the 2013 Everest Marathon—where he finished sixth. Today, Rai is recognised as one of Nepal’s premier ultra-trail athletes, winning races all around the world.

But DuBois clarifies that the advantage of having been brought up in the difficult terrain and high altitudes of Nepal cannot ensure that Nepali runners excel in the world.

“Yes, Nepali runners have it in their genes—to run at high altitudes without any problems,” he continued. “Yet, it is not sufficient to defeat better-trained and well-prepared runners around the world. It is because they need to run continuously for hours and hundreds of kilometres.”

And what does DuBois suggest? That Nepal should produce not only runners but coaches too.

“There are no proper and well-trained coaches in Nepal while the number of runners is increasing,” he said. “Who is going to help these athletes understand the technicalities and become the best in the world?”

Sunmaya Budha was scouted by Ryan Scott Blair of Asia Pacific Adventure-Athletes and helped get sponsorship from Kailas FUGA, a leading trail running brand, in 2024. It was only after this sponsorship that Budha was able to afford the coaching of DuBois.

DuBois recalled his initial coaching days with Sunmaya as troublesome. “She did not have the necessary equipment that could track her training results because those were expensive. But after the sponsorship, she had a watch and other equipment through which I could analyse her results and assign different training regimens.”

Budha widely praises DuBois, who joined her around four months before her race at the 99.1-km UTMB Mont Blanc 2022-CCC [Courmayeur–Champex–Chamonix]. Budha was then recovering from an Achilles injury. And Budha finished second at the race in August 2022.

“Andy has been a prolific coach. He is the best in the world,” Budha told the Post at the Tribhuvan International Airport after arriving from the win in Italy on June 30. “I am getting better and better through his training. It is not easy to get a coach like Andy. We are lucky.”

DuBois, however, argued that Budha has not been able to unlock her full potential yet.

“Sunmaya trains at her hometown in Jumla. Environment-wise it is a great place to train,” DuBois said. “But from what I have heard, there are not even basic services there. How will she manage her diet? Where will she seek treatment in cases of injury? Does she have access to a physiotherapist there?”

But Jumla has its benefits, DuBois said. “Nepali runners love their village and family. That is how they keep up with the pressure of not having sufficient support from the authorities. Imagine them with proper support.”

This is specifically why DuBois stresses that while Nepali trail runners already possess all the “raw ingredients,” what they desperately need now is structured, long-term support.

“I can see Nepal becoming both the ultimate destination for the world’s top races and a producer of elite trail runners capable of dominating the sport globally,” DuBois said. “But it cannot happen overnight. The state needs to have a long-term plan that spans at least over a decade. You start finding talents now, nurture them and then bring them to the world stage and dominate it.”

For now, DuBois plans to see his runners reach the pinnacle of trail running.

“Once Sunmaya wins the UTMB’s biggest races, I will be glad,” DuBois added. “I can see Ram Maya and Man Kumar in the same queue. There is also a plan to include a couple of more emerging Nepali runners in my coaching. Nepal could always win team competitions in trail running and break course records all around the world. It is rare to find such athletes who push that hard, and that too without proper financial and motivational support from the state.”

According to DuBois, the peak age for trail runners is 35 to 45. “While Nepal is amazed with Sunmaya now, she still has a lot to give. And I hope the country will be ready when she and other Nepali runners become the best in the world in the next few years.”

DuBois also shared that he plans to visit Nepal in the next few months. “I would be more than happy to meet Nepali authorities then and make them understand how great athletes the country has and how beneficial it will be for Nepal to invest in trail running.”