Team gathering at the start of the annual Pokhara Marathon, at Pokhara stadium. We are looking forward to join the 5km Run for Fun with the Mayor, as well as meeting many of our friends we have made the past few days and the past few years of participation in Pokhara Marathon.
Start of the marathon...followed by the half-marathon, 10km, 5km and the 5km Run for Fun with the Mayor.
Olympian National Athlete, First international Gold medalist woman athlete of Nepal, Ms. Santoshi Shrestha ran the Half-Marathon distance... Santoshi in pink among the fastest group of women runners right after the start.
Getting ready for the 5km Run for Fun with the Mayor...!
Mayor of Pokhara, Dhana Raj Acharyac welcomes his running community. He kindly accepted the Peace Torch and ran with the team. To his left is the city's Minister of Finance Mr. Bishnu Prasad Paudel, accompanying the mayor.
Along the route, women representing different cultural groups of Pokhara came out in support of the runners.
Mr. Surendra Man Singh Bhandari, principal of the Alpha Boarding School, participated in the race with fifty of his students. We just visited his school the day before, and it was so nice to meet him and his enthusiastic students once again.
Dipson (left front) once again joined the Team for the entire day. Enthusiastically he passed on the torch to many fellow runners.
Santoshi navigates her way on this busy, challenging route.
A smiling finish!!
Santoshi is being interviewed by a local TV station live. She is not only a champion athlete, a professional in public health and nutrition, but also an advocate. Her aim is to encourage Nepali women to pursue athletics while pursuing any profession they wish to. Ms. Santoshi Shreshta is the only Nepali professional athlete who is not a part of the Nepalese police or army force, two fields traditionally linked to becoming competitive athletes. She is a pioneer in multiple ways to broaden possibilities for people of Nepal, especially women.
Santoshi won the half marathon with the time of 1:20:03!
Victory photo with the Peace Run international team...
Happy finishers holding the Peace Torch...
Sweta, our local coordinator, and Harashita from Japan had the honor of presenting two of the awards.
Ulugbek from Uzbekistan also presented one of the awards.
A group of pre-school children came out to the finish line to greet the runners...and shared a sweet moment of peace.
Harashita Sunaoshi, Asia-Pacific Director of the Peace Run, shares the message of the Oneness-Home Peace Run with a local TV station.
Our very dear friend of Peace Run Mr. Khadga Ranabhat proudly holds the Peace Torch and Nepali National Flag.
Our Peace Run team met with Mr. Indra Bahadur Gurung, Master Consciousness Coach and CEO at Visionary International at the finish line of Pokhara Marathon event.
Manju Gurung cheerfully holding the Peace Torch. She is a former volleyball athlete and a coach and member of Pokhara club UK. Also a cancer survivor, she comes from UK to participate in the race every year to share inspiration and her love of sport.
We proudly offered the Torch Bearer Award to Mr. George John, Educator and Founder of Prithivi Narayan Campus. He has paved the way for thousands of students to access the opportunities they deserve. He has made profound impact on the educational landscape of Pokhara City.
We also offered the Torch Bearer Arwared with our hearts' pride to Sarubhakta (Mr. Bhakta Raj Shrestha; left), Playwright, Novelist and Poet. His contribution to Nepali language, literature and culture are quite significant and remarkable. His works have captivated readers and audiences alike, creating an enduring legacy that reflects the depth, beauty, and complexity of our shared experiences.
Our day ended at the Peace Statue of Sri Chinmoy, Founder of the Oneness-Home Peace Run.
Dipson lives with his family close by, and they so kindly take care of the statue.
We are invited to Dipson's family home over the traditional masala chai, our favorite especially on a chilly day like this! To our surprise, we are also treated with special gifts for everyone in the team. Our Gratitude goes to all the family members of Dipson.
In the evening we had the honor and joy of celebrating Santoshi's victory over dinner.
