KATHMANDU: Okhaldhunga Tourism Development Committee has announced that it will organise an half ultra-marathon covering the distance of 21 kilometres on the lap of Pikey Peak in the Mt Everest region next month.

According to the organiser, the trail race will kick off from the altitude of 4,200 m on Pikey Peak and will go through the scenic Tholedemba ridge before culminating in Khijiphalate Bazaar at an altitude of 2,500 m at Khijidemba Rural Municipality in Okhaldhunga district on April 6.

Ngawa Ngima Sherpa, chairman of Okhaldhunga Tourism Development Committee, said that the half-marathon would be organised in coordination with the Nepal Tourism Board. The race promoted by the NTB will have co-organisers including Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agents Association of Nepal and Khijidemba Rural Municipality among others, he added.

“The Pikey-Demba half-marathon aims to promote adventure tourism along the Pikey region that adjoins Solukhumbu and Okhaldhunga districts,” Sherpa said. The route of the race follows the beautiful pastures between Pikey Peak (4,200 m) and Demba (3,150 m) then runs down to Chuplung Banjhyang (2,600 m), with the finishing point in Khijipalathe (2,500 m).

The trail race is not just a running event, but it is truly a once in a lifetime experience where the OTDC will support the local community by organising various kinds of programmes such as a health camp, education, awareness programmes for the public, and home-stay programme, he shared.

More than 50 national and international athletes are expected to take part in the half-marathon. The top three athletes in both men and women categories will receive Rs 50,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively, according to Sherpa. It will certainly be a pleasant race along the open narrow strip of pasture land sandwiched between forest of rhododendrons and coniferous plants.

Pikey region has great adventure tourism potential and numerous mountains including Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Gaurishankar and Makalu can also be viewed from the Pikey peak, he said, adding that the marathon would be helpful to promote the lower belt of Mt Everest region nationally and internationally.

“The race will also support the government’s Visit Nepal Year plan to have over two million foreign tourists by 2020,” Yagya Raj Sunuwar, a member of the federal parliament from Okhaldhunga district, reacted.