A marathon race is to be held at Annapurna First Base Camp on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the Annapurna First Mountain (8091 meters) climb.
A 30-kilometer marathon race is to be held at the Diamond Jubilee, organized by Annapurna Rural Municipality of Myagdi on the occasion of the completion of 75 years since the first human footstep on Annapurna.
Rural Municipality Chairman Bharat Kumar Pun informed that the marathon race will be held from Annapurna Base Camp in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 to Narchyang Village on Jestha 20.
Around 60 people are to participate in the marathon race. Chairman Pun said that on the occasion of the Annapurna Diamond Jubilee, which is to be celebrated with various programs from Jestha 16 to 21, a marathon race will be held at a high altitude for the first time in the district.
Five people from all eight wards of Annapurna Rural Municipality, two from five other local levels of the district and additional youth from the Narchang area will participate in the marathon, said Chitra Tilija, a member of the marathon running competition subcommittee. According to her, cash prizes of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners in the competition, respectively.
Various programs have been scheduled for the Diamond Jubilee, including a traditional dance. The statues of the first climbers Maurice Herzog, Louis Lachenal and Nepali climber Sonam Wangchuk Sherpa will be unveiled at the base camp, as well as the open museum built at the base camp and the Maurice Herzog trekking route connecting Narchang to the base camp.
Tej Gurung, a member of the Annapurna Rural Municipality Tourism Development Committee and an engineer of the Annapurna First Base Camp Trek, said that preparations are also being made to keep a record of the climbers in an inscription at the base camp.
The Annapurna ascent is known as a historic day in the mountaineering history of Nepal. On June 3, 1950, four people, including French mountaineer Maurice Herzog, Louis Lachenal, and two Nepali Sherpas, successfully climbed the first Annapurna.