Mira Rai

About

Mira Rai is one of trail running's most inspirational figures, a Nepali athlete whose journey from extreme poverty and adolescence as a Maoist guerrilla fighter to international trail running champion has made her an icon far beyond the sport. Born on May 5, 1988, in the remote Khotang district of eastern Nepal, she grew up in subsistence-farming poverty and joined the People's Liberation Army as a teenager during Nepal's decade-long civil war. After the 2006 peace accords brought her to Kathmandu, she discovered running almost by accident, winning a spontaneous local hill race in 2014 with no formal competitive background — a performance that attracted international attention and launched her career. Within a year she was competing in Europe, and by 2015 she had won the Salomon SkyRunner World Series ultra category against the world's best. She won the prestigious Vibram Hong Kong 100 in 2017 and accumulated victories across Asia and Europe. A Salomon-sponsored athlete and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year honoree, Rai founded the Mira Rai Initiative to create running opportunities for underprivileged Nepali youth, using her story to give others the chance she was given.

Notable Wins

• — Salomon SkyRunner World Series Ultra category 2015; Vibram Hong Kong 100 2017; multiple Asian trail race victories; National Geographic Adventurer of the Year

Race History