He keeps running. Not to win the competition. Not to strain his body either. Not alone, he runs with many friends. He reaches wherever marathons are organized in the world. So why is 42-year-old Bal Joshi running? The only reason he runs like this is for charity. He is constantly helping the helpless by earning something from such races.

Joshi is currently the Senior Vice President of the 125-year-old Hancock Whitney Bank in America. Although his profession is a banker, it is not limited to that. He is known as a philanthropist in America. Many know him as The Running Monk. He has participated in more than two dozen marathons around the world. This time, he is participating in the challenging 'The World Marathon Challenge'. This time, he is running wearing Nepali attire. Joshi will be the first Nepali to participate in a marathon in Daura-Suruwal. Along with him, 26 people from 18 countries are participating in 'The World Marathon Challenge'. This marathon is different from others. It is being conducted for seven days in seven continents in seven 'themes'. That is why it is named ‘777’.

‘The World Marathon Challenge’ is starting from Antarctica next Saturday, i.e. January 31, 2026. The final will be in Miami, USA. According to Joshi, the first day will be a 42.195-kilometer run in the freezing cold of Antarctica. ‘On the second day, the race will be held in Cape Town, South Africa. On the third day, the runners will reach Perth, Australia. On the fourth day, they will race in Dubai, on the fifth day, Madrid, Spain, and on the sixth day, Brazil, South America,’ Joshi said. ‘On the last day, we will run in Miami, USA.’

Joshi’s childhood was spent in poverty. After his father passed away at the age of 15, his mother raised and educated him with great difficulty. He completed his primary education from Kuine in Surkhet. Then he returned to Binayak in Achham and passed his SLC with first class. There was no campus in his village to study higher education. So he went to Nepalgunj in Banke. He enrolled in ISC there and started journalism along with his studies. During this period, he joined the Sahara Children's Home in Nepalgunj. He started working in the protection and education of conflict-affected children. I don’t want to outdo anyone in running, the purpose of running is to serve: Bal Joshi
He still remembers the financial hardship he faced while coming to Nepalgunj and studying ISC. 'I spent a month on five kilos of gram that I bought by selling a calculator that cost Rs. 300 for Rs. 80,' he said.

In 2005, while working for journalism and conflict-affected children, he got the opportunity to go to America. After that, Joshi moved there and made Maryland his base for three years. He worked at Subway for a few days. Then he continued his studies along with his work at a jewelry shop. He completed his bachelor's degree in 2008. After his wife Sunaina and daughter arrived in the US from Nepal, he moved to Texas that same year. After some time, he started working at Hancock Whitney. He says that he started his career as a personal banker and worked as a senior vice president within a few years. He said that he has been receiving the award for the best employee of the bank for the past five years. He has earned his name and respect as a philanthropist. In the five years since he started running for charity, he has participated in more than two dozen marathons around the world. He neither sets a record by running. Nor does he break anyone's record.

‘I started running with the inspiration of my colleague John Ferris,’ he said, ‘I started running to stay healthy, and later I connected it with charity.’ He has already donated more than two hundred thousand dollars to charitable organizations and children in various countries through the One Step Foundation, which he established two years ago. He collected this amount by running.

He uses the holidays like New Year, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Dashain, and Diwali to make the most of his vacation time by running. He also participates in the race with his family. This time, he said that 1,000 people ran in the Turkey Trot organized in Texas on Thanksgiving. He donated $5,000 from that to the Miracle League of Arlington.

Nearly 300 people participated in the ‘War for Autism’ organized by the One Step Foundation on January 3 to support and encourage autistic children. In which children with autism and their parents participated. He said that the money collected from that race helped an organization working for children with autism in Nepal. He spent four days of Tihar running in Red Canyon, Nevada. He ran 220 kilometers there and collected 25,000 dollars. The money was donated to the Sanduk Ruit Foundation for eye surgeries for 500 people in Nepal.

He ran the Everest Marathon, which will be held at the highest altitude in the world in 2024. He received 42,000 dollars from sponsors for running. Out of that, he gave 29,000 dollars to the Texas Nepalese Medical Association to run free health camps. The remaining amount was donated to Nepal's health, child welfare, and cultural preservation. In June 2025, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He said that the $19,000 collected in that process was given to 80 HIV-affected orphans in Tanzania. In April 2025, he donated $10,000 from the Boston Marathon to the American Liver Foundation.

He donated $4,200 from the September 2025 Berlin Marathon to Mills on the Wheels for senior citizens, $4,000 from the New York Marathon in November 2024 to cancer patients, and $10,000 from the 100-kilometer run in November 2023 to the Disabled Friendly Library in Chitwan.