Trail Running
Nepal’s Roka Magar finishes fifth in tough 80km APTRC field
Man Bahadur Roka Magar shines among the elite as Rashila Tamang takes 13th, with China’s Qi Min and Xiang Fuzhao stealing the spotlight in Ulju.

Man Bahadur Roka Magar shines among the elite as Rashila Tamang takes 13th, with China’s Qi Min and Xiang Fuzhao stealing the spotlight in Ulju.
Nepali ultra-runner Man Kumar Roka Magar completed a fiercely contested 80km race inside top-five, as China’s elite athletes swept both men’s and women’s titles at the Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships (APTRC) in Ulju, South Korea, on Saturday.”
Rashila Tamang took 13th place among female runners, with all four Nepali athletes completing the flagship long trail on the final day of the competition.
In a show of exemplifying athletic prowess, Qi Min claimed the top spot among 37 starters, while Xiang Fuzhao finished first among 33 women. Their standout performances contributed to an exciting event for spectators and participants alike.
In a highly competitive men’s race, Qi Min overcame close challenges to finish in an impressive 7 hours, 37 minutes, and 1 second. Japan’s Kai Hiroki followed just three minutes behind at 7:40:07, with Australia’s Michael Dimuantes completing the podium with a time of 7:44:49. All three maintained consistent pacing, resulting in an intense battle.
Japan’s Yuya Kawasaki and Nepal’s Man Kumar Roka Magar rounded out the top five. All five runners finished within 32 minutes of each other, underscoring the tight competition among the leaders. Official event records show that 34 male runners completed the race, with minimal ranking shifts between checkpoints, reflecting strategic pacing and endurance.
Roka Magar had a strong start, checking in among the leading pack at the first checkpoint in under an hour. He picked up pace in the middle section. However, fatigue began to set in around the fourth checkpoint and his pace dropped gradually.
Despite this, Roka Magar demonstrated resilience, picking up speed before reaching the penultimate checkpoint at 6:33:39, though signs of fatigue returned as he approached the final stretch, ultimately completing the race in 8:08:56.
Two other Nepali runners from the Nepal Army, Gopal Tamang and Tirtha Tamang, also showed initial competitiveness but struggled in the latter half.
Gopal started strong but lost ground in the middle sections, ultimately securing 15th place with a sub-nine-hour time of 8:50:09. Tirtha faced difficulties, particularly after the third checkpoint, and completed the race in 9:49:54 for 28th place.
The women’s race was as much intense. Race favourite Xiang Fuzhao lived up to expectations, winning with a remarkable time of 8 hours, 26 minutes, and 58 seconds. Xiang led from the start, setting a steady pace and maintaining her lead across each of the seven segments.
Vietnam’s Thi Hau Ha chased Xiang until the end, finishing in second place with a time of 8:36:17, while Yuri Yoshizumi rounded out the podium in third with a time of 8:57:36.
After Priya Rai’s impressive second-place finish in the 40km short trail the day before, Nepali trail running fans pinned their hopes on Rashila Tamang on Saturday.
However, it wasn’t Tamang’s day, as she finished with a time of 10:34:29 for 13th place, which fell short of her own high standards. Notably, Rashila had previously secured the second runner-up position at this year’s Asian Trail Master Final and was the event’s champion in 2023.
The first major regional event, which brought together around 200 elite runners from over 20 countries, concludes on Sunday after five days of intense competition and vibrant cultural festivities.
Rashila made a promising start, staying within a minute of the lead duo, Xiang and Ha, until the second checkpoint. She was the sixth female runner to reach the third checkpoint. However, the gap steadily widened, and by the fifth checkpoint, she was 30 minutes behind Xiang and nearly 20 minutes behind Ha. The deficit grew further in the closing stages and she eventually finished the race, more than an hour after the Chinese winner.
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