Ultrarunning
Meet the child soldier who grew up to be an ultramarathon legend
Mira Rai has won some of the most competitive ultra-distance mountain running races on the planet, but her pathway to ultrarunning stardom couldn't have been more unlikely. This is her story.
A new film released as part of the latest The Way of the Wildcard series documents the story of an unlikely ultrarunning star, Mira Rai.
Born into poverty in the remote Himalayan foothills of Bhojpar in Nepal, Mira had an unusual start to life for a now internationally recognised ultrarunner. With her family struggling financially due to the Nepalese Civil War, at the age of 15, Mira decided to join the Communist Party insurgents as a child solider, in order to support her family, and escape traditionalist barriers surrounding the role of women in Nepali society.
It was during her time training as a child solider that she found her passion for running – a passion that saw her go on to not only become one of the world's best female ultrarunners, but become a symbol of hope for her country.
Watch the film in the player below, then scroll down for a deep dive into this incredible athlete's past.
16 min
Mira Rai: the girl who runs on happiness
Mira Rai chose her own path, a path that led her to becoming a symbol of hope when her country needs it most.
Powerful ultrarunning stories
28kg of rice
Mira grew up in a poor village in the remote Himalayan foothills of Bhojpar
© Mira Rai
"I never liked working indoors," Mira explains about her early life as the eldest female child.
"I sought the tasks that would allow me to be on my feet, happily growing crops or herding livestock across the steep surrounding hillsides. There wasn’t much time for school if you were a girl. Aged 12, I stopped altogether. Instead, I worked 15 hours a day in the market, regularly carrying 28kg bags of rice. People see this as bad. I see this as good training when I look back."
Joining the Maoist rebels
At the age of 15 Mira left home to join the Maoist rebels
© Mira Rai
Mira was just 15 when she was recruited as a child soldier by the Communist Party insurgents. "Maoist rebels from the Nepalese civil war passed through my village when I was growing up,” she explains. “They promised two meals a day and an opportunity to do something. So I made the decision to leave my village to join them as a child soldier."
Mira wanted to support her family, who were struggling financially due to the war and escape strict cultural norms dictating that women should work at home, get married and start a family. Gender inequality is rife in Nepal, with most Nepali girls not educated beyond primary school.
“I noticed that both genders were treated equally in the Communist Party,” she explains. "Women were given the opportunity to learn and thrive and I really liked that.
“During my life in the jungle we first stayed in different villages, acting as security and following orders,” she explains. Mira moved to different locations every few days or weeks. When the army grew larger, more permanent army camps and buildings were built in the jungle for the different divisions.
“I never saw any fighting," says Mira. "Instead I was able to hone my hobbies and passion for sports, training for high jump, long jump, as well as running and even karate." The usual routine, Mira says, was “running in the morning, followed by army exercises and army training, including learning how to use and clean guns, military tactics, cooking and building. Women and men were treated equally with the same training and work. This made me as strong as anyone in our fighting force regardless of gender."
Returning home
Mira in her Maoist uniform
© Mira Rai
Peace was restored in 2006, a month before Mira’s 18th birthday. During the peace process, Mira got to lead the sports division of the People’s Liberation Army to the fifth and sixth national games, even participating herself. However, there was prejudice against former female Maoist soldiers like herself.
"We had been part of an historic process for our country. Yet Nepali customs and culture often place more value on men. That's now improving, although we still have a long way to go.
“Eventually I ended up back in Bhojpar [her home village] but it didn’t last long. My mum was very upset with me. I'd told her I was going away for a short time. Two years had passed. Rehabilitation was difficult. I was disqualified from entering the Nepalese army because I was still a child."
I wanted to pursue a life where I was free to be a strong Nepali woman
Chances are like leaves
When she was younger, Mira enjoyed all sports, from running to karate
© Mira Rai
"I set off to [the Nepalese capital] Kathmandu to pursue my dreams in 2014. I wanted a life beyond what the village offered. I had experienced different values during my time in the army and wanted to pursue a life where I was free to be a strong Nepali woman.
"Life was not easy in the capital. I continued karate and track running but had no luck with either. One day [in Kathmandu] when I had almost run out of money and hope, I went to run in the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park where I met some soldiers. Chances are like leaves on a river; you have to grab them or they may not come again. And so when they invited me to join them the following weekend, I made sure I was there."
Little did she know, there was no training run. It was an official 50km ultramarathon race – part of the Himalayan Outdoor Festival. At the start line Mira had really cheap shoes and no water or food. It would be the furthest she had ever run.
Emerging ultrarunning prodigy
In 2014, Mira completed her first race – 50km in the Kathmandu Valley
© Lloyd Belcher
A big storm came in for the Kathmandu West Valley Rim 50km race. Hail had washed away the powder course markings. During the race, Mira explains, "I realised I was good at running and that my childhood had prepared me for this. I set myself the goal of running with the male runners. The feeling of pacing through the jungle reminded me of my childhood running in the mountains. After 40km without any food I don’t remember feeling any pain but I was perhaps overexerted. The lack of food had made me dizzy.”
A fellow runner kindly lent Mira some money. “I found a shop and bought some noodles and juice. I felt better after that and continued to run into a storm. I knew something very special had happened when I crossed that finish line. As the only woman running the race, I took first place!”
After 40km without any food I don’t remember feeling any pain but I was perhaps overexerted. The lack of food had made me dizzy
Event organiser Richard Bull was blown away by Mira's performance and offered to help her continue training. “She had a very strong drive to compete in running races,” says Richard, race director of Trail Running Nepal, the organisation behind the event. “It was easy to offer to help her – it was enough that she could remain in Kathmandu.” Bull wasn’t necessarily sure Mira would become a professional runner at this stage. “Yet Mira,” he explains, “could train in the morning, go to English classes in the daytime and train again in the evening.”
Mira became event organiser Richard Bull's prodigy
© Martina Valmassoi
And just like that, Mira Rai's rocky journey to ultrarunning stardom had begun.
Uphill struggles
Mira completed the leg-sapping 80km Ultra Trail Degli Eroi race in 9h 16m
© Richard Bull
Mira next travelled to Italy in 2014, winning the fiercely competitive 57km Sella Ronda mountain race, which packs more than 500m of elevation gain into every 10kms run. She also placed first at the 83km Ultra Trail Degli Eroi race with just 15 days between the two events.
Her running style is almost as special as her story. Bent forward from the hips, her upper body rolls and flows with the relentless churning of her legs. She has the looseness of a yogi and the focus of a fighter pilot. Later in races when she is tired, Mira's head nods gently back and forth, perhaps the only outward expression of the determination within.
In 2015, the next big goal was the 42km Buffalo Stampede race in Australia. Sportswear brand Salomon had already recognised Mira’s talent and powerful story by the point, providing her with shoes and gear. She was running every day and Richard Bull, alongside his friends and contacts, was helping her travel to the races. Yet visa woes meant that Mira’s long-haul flight from Nepal touched down just hours before the race began. Fighting her way to the end she placed third. Only an exceptional athlete with wildly high self-expectations could be disappointed with that.
Setting her sights on the prestigious 80km Mont Blanc Marathon later that summer, Mira vowed to do better. Only the very best in the sport line up for this meat-grinder of a mountain race, known for pulverising even professional athletes with its 6,000m of ascent and some of most technically challenging trails in the Alps.
When the magic happens
Mira Rai competing in the 80km Mont Blanc Marathon in Chamonix
© Martina Valmassoi
"That race was emotional for me," Mira explains of that race in France, which took place shortly after a devastating earthquake had struck Nepal, claiming 9,000 lives and injuring more than 22,000 people. Mira set out on the Mont Blanc Marathon course with the weight of tragedy on her shoulders. Yet just like the bags of rice that she used to carry as a child, hardship just seems to make Mira stronger and make her run harder.
“When you’ve got the physical ability and the mental strength,” says trail running legend Lizzy Hawker about Mira’s race that day, “that’s when the magic happens.”
Placing first, Mira had beaten world-class athletes and risen to the very top of the sport. As she crossed the finish line, she lifted the Nepalese flag above her head, its crimson colours that represent bravery floating high.
In winning that race, Mira became a symbol of hope for her country
© Richard Ball
"I was able to do my country proud at that time," Mira explains. "That was really meaningful for me."
Skyrunning stardom
Mira running in The Dolomites
© Martina Valmassoi
Back in her home village of Bhojpur, Mira is more than just a modern-day celebrity; she is a source of inspiration. She currently lives in Kathmandu but travels back two or three times a year to spend time with her family and to organise the Bhojpur Trail Race.
In an open-sided shelter in her village, Mira turns glossy pages of a running magazine. Locals are in awe of the village member-turned-Salomon athlete who strides across the double-page spreads. Mira passes around her medals for the younger generation to hold. A look of wonder spreads across their faces about what kind of strange and fantastic adventures might await if they enter the sport with the same passion and determination as the woman in front of them. "We have to run in these places," Mira explains of a particularly technical trail race, "without complaining about the snow!"
When you’ve got the physical ability and the mental strength, that’s when the magic happens
Exchanging and empowering
The 2019 Exchange and Empower team came fourth at the Golden Trail Series
© Mira Rai
Mira is now leading a whole new generation of Nepali women. In collaboration with organisation Hong Kong Trail Running Women, she runs an 'Exchange and Empower' programme, which gives young female athletes access to athletic training, education and professional development.
At the heart of this is Hong Kong Exchange. "The Hong Kong exchange programme gives Nepali athletes the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong to participate in the local races," explains Mira. "While in the region, they are also exposed to a new way of doing things which is in complete contrast with the lives they are leading in Nepal."
The programme also provides a scholarship fund for living expenses, English classes to develop communication skills, as well as mountain guide training to make the women more socio-economically independent. "This is all made possible by my incredible team," says Mira.
Mira’s influence is shaping mountain sport across Nepal. The country has historically been known for its mountains and the incredible endurance feats and technical mountain ability of its Sherpa people.
There is less depth of talent in the national trail running scene. In 2019, however, Mira’s Nepalese 2019 Exchange and Empower alumni, Sunmaya Budha, finished fourth among the female runners in the Golden Trail Series finale. Current alumni Priya Rai and Prativa Shrestha finished fifth and eighth respectively.
Mira’s journey, her achievements and her support of other women mean the Nepalese flag will be raised at many more finish lines to come. "I feel I still have a long way to go," Mira says. "I can achieve more in my own racing as well as promoting young female athletes and trail running as a mainstream adventure sport in Nepal."
