The annual running festival

Parish Shrestha, one of the organizers of the event and the co-founder of Base Camp: Outdoor Lifestyle, says that this annual series of running festival is organized with the main objective of promoting tourism of Godavari in particular and Nepal as a whole.

In the recent years, Nepal has seen a surge in people’s interest in sports and even the number of sportsmen and sportswomen. And the good thing is that sports no longer just means cricket and football but a variety of other athletic events as well. Keeping this rising popularity in mind, there are many organizations planning events that focus on these different genres of sports time and again. One such event that is taking place very soon is the Godavari Running Festival.

The festival that is all set to kick off on September 8, 2018 (Saturday) is being organized by Base Camp: Outdoor Lifestyle with the help of a number of sponsors including The North Face, La Sportiva, and Suunto. The Godavari Football Ground has been selected as the venue for the festival.

This is the fifth installment of the running festival and the event will have participants from over 20 countries including France, USA, Serbia, Columbia, and Germany. Parish Shrestha, one of the organizers of the event and the co-founder of Base Camp: Outdoor Lifestyle, says that this annual series of running festival is organized with the main objective of promoting tourism of Godavari in particular and Nepal as a whole.

“Nepal is the only country that organizes a running festival and we have come to realize that a lot of people around the world are quite interested in this,” says Shrestha further adding that over 300 athletes from around the world are participating in the festival. He believes this to be a good sign of all the potential Nepal has for the sporting event and thinks its promotion can be a boon for the tourism industry.

Besides that, Shrestha also believes that the event will go a long way in promoting healthy lifestyle as people will be motivated to take up an activity as strenuous as running. However, the organizers aim to make running a fun activity as well so that even those who think they aren’t fit enough to participate can take it up.

Keeping that in mind, the Godavari Running Festival has a bunch of activities lined up for the participants. There are three activities under Trail Running and three under Obstacle Team Race. The North Face 50 k, Salomon 30 k, and Suunto 15 k all fall under the Trail Running segment. The North Face Yeti Run 5k, Four Members in One Team, and Children’s TNF Yeti Run 2k fall under the Obstacle Team Race. Shrestha says that the events will be as fun as their names, if not more.

Shrestha reveals that the trails and obstacles set up for this festival aren’t really that hard and anyone with a little stamina and an interest in physical activity can easily compete in the events. Besides these competitive activities, the festival will also have live music and food that both participants and viewers can enjoy.

The previous four installments of the running festival were always organized on World Tourism Day but this year the organizing committee decided to hold it early in order to avoid clashing with other major events that take place on that particular day.

About the organizers

Base Camp: Outdoor Lifestyle was launched in 2013 by founders Parish Shrestha and Amanda Manandhar Gurung. Shrestha calls Base Camp: Outdoor Lifestyle a small club that promotes recreational sports and hosts live events for a number of local and international artists. Currently, some prominent Nepali musicians (including Bipul Chhetri) are under their hosting. Shrestha also mentions that, starting next year, they will manage the band Albatross as well.

“Besides that we also have a bar and a coffee shop (One Ugly Mug) within our premise at Arun Thapa Chowk in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur. And we are also a Mountain Bike Servicing Center. A compact introduction for us would be a base for many different activities under one roof,” claims Shrestha.