Dhir Bahadur Budha of Kavra village, Kanakasundari rural municipality-1, Jumla, for the first time, gave up plowing and participated in the Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon. Excited by the news that he would be able to run in the marathon for the first time in 2071 BS, he secured second place in the 49-kilometer race from Jumla to Rara.

‘I was plowing. I got the news that I would be running from Jumla to Rara,’ he said, ‘I gave up plowing and came to Khalanga and ran in the first Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon. I was very happy to bring second place.’ The villagers were surprised when he won the silver medal in the marathon for the first time without any training. He said, ‘There is a custom in the village to tease runners.’ But I got into sports by running.'

He is currently working as a forest guard at the Division Forest Office in Gamgadi, Mugu. He does not even get time to practice running. He is always busy serving the service recipients and practicing running. He said that he won the gold medal in the Jumla Rara Marathon this time with one month of practice.

Dhir Bahadur, who has participated in the Jumla Rara Marathon for the fifth time, has won the gold medal three times so far. He was satisfied with the silver medal twice. According to him, in 2076, he covered the 49-kilometer distance from Jumla to Rara in 5 hours and 12 minutes. In 2081, he won the gold medal by covering the distance in 4 hours and 57 minutes. On 26 Baisakh 2083, he won the gold medal by covering the distance in 6 hours, 9 minutes and 8 seconds. Dhir Bahadur says that the time is different this time because he had to run 5 kilometers more than last year.

‘If he had won continuously, it would have been a hat-trick,’ he said, ‘It is not considered a hat-trick because he won in different years.’ But so far, no one has been able to break his record.

This time, he won the gold medal, beating Homlal Shrestha and Gopal Tamang. He came second in the Jumla Rara Ultra Marathon in 2071 and 2082. People from remote villages used to think that running also has a future, but now he is not only seeing his future in running, he is also inspiring unemployed youth in the village to run and make the district and country famous.

He became a soldier in the Nepal Police in 2072. Because, when society was constantly teasing him for having no future in sports, there was pressure from his family to become a worker. Dhir Bahadur, who worked as a police constable for about 31 months, decided to become a forest ranger. Since there was no free time in the police, it was difficult to participate in the sports field. But after becoming a forest ranger, he has participated in more than a dozen marathons and half marathons. In most of them, he has become the winner.

He came first in the 41-kilometer Annapurna Marathon in 2023. He covered the distance in 4 hours and 10 minutes. He participated again in the 2024 Annapurna Marathon. But he finished third due to a leg injury. In 2024, he came second in the Panchase 55-kilometer race in Pokhara. In the same year, he came second in the 60-kilometer Sindhupalchowk International Trail Race. He came fourth in the 170-kilometer Everest Marathon in 2025. He won first place in the Panchpokhari Half Marathon in 2076 BS, fifth place in the Kantipur Half Marathon in 2074 BS, and fifth place in the 41-kilometer Pathibhara Marathon. 

He won first place in the Haritgruh 13-kilometer mini marathon held in Surkhet in the month of Baisakh.  He has neither taken training from any coach nor has he run with the help of any donor. He says that sometimes when he goes to the district headquarters, Khalanga, he runs with world record-holder runner Hari Bahadur Rokaya. 

Dhir Bahadur, who was previously known as a plowman and unemployed youth in the village, is now known as a good runner who has found employment.  But he complains that the sports sector is not a priority for the local, provincial and central governments. ‘Karnali is a region full of natural beauty, and there is more potential for adventure sports tourism,’ said Dhir Bahadur, ‘If the government wants, there is enough basis for Karnali to become a place for athletes from home and abroad to practice.’