Feb 13, Kathmandu- 150 athletes from 21 countries are set to participate in the Safal Pokhara International Marathon. The organizer, Nepal Former Athletes Forum, has informed that for the first time, 8 women will also participate in the 19th edition of the marathon to be held in Pokhara on Saturday, Falgun 3.

According to the information given by the forum in a press conference on Thursday, the preparations for the marathon have reached the final stage. Forum chairman Dil Bahadur Gurung informed that 80 foreign runners will participate in the 142.195 km race. According to him, athletes from 21 countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Bangladesh, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Britain, and America will participate.

Gurung said that 40 people from 10 countries will participate in the women's half marathon, 110 people including 10 foreigners in the men's half marathon, 211 people from 11 countries in the 10 km men's race, and 119 people including 11 foreigners in the 10 km women's race. 60 people, including men and women, have registered for the 5 km veterans (50 years), 1,470 for the 5 km boys' race, and 1,250 for the girls' race, according to the forum's general secretary Keshav Pathak.

The organizers estimate that about 7,000 people will participate in the Run for Fun. The forum has estimated that about 10,000 people will participate in the race in 14 different categories. The first place winner in the marathon will be awarded Rs. 500,000, the second place winner Rs. 300,000, and the third place winner Rs. 200,000. The fourth to eighth place winners will be awarded Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 10,000, said Chairman Gurung.

He said that a separate prize has been arranged to encourage athletes from Gandaki Province in the open marathon and a category has been added to the men's half marathon this year. The organizers estimate that Rs. 2.134 million will be spent on the prize money alone, while Rs. 1.89 million will be spent on the Pokhara International Marathon.

Pokhara International Marathon has been monitored through digital technology for the past two years. In the open marathon and women's half marathon, chips are used to determine the running time of the athletes, and the platform claims that the use of technology will also encourage Nepali and foreign runners. Last year's winner Stephen from Kenya was present at the press conference on Thursday. On Magh 26, a women-men wheelchair race and a visually impaired women-men race have already been held under the Pokhara Marathon.