Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha ran a strong race to finish second at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail. In the following interview, our first with Sunmaya, she talks about growing up in Nepal, how she got into trail running, how her race played out — including running with Italy’s Fabiola Conti for the middle part of the race — and her goals for future world championships events.
For more on how the race played out, read our in-depth 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail results article.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to access it.]
Sunmaya Budha Post-2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Sunmaya Budha. It’s the day after the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail. You’re the women’s second-place finisher. Congratulations, Sunmaya.
Sunmaya Budha: Thank you. Thank you.
iRunFar: Namaste.
Budha: Namaste.
iRunFar: How does it feel to be a podium finisher at the world championships?
Budha: I did not expect before the race, and I got second place, and I’m super happy now.
iRunFar: Sunmaya, this is iRunFar’s first interview with you. So I’d love to learn a little bit about you. You’re from a small mountain village in Nepal?
Budha: Yes, I’m from Nepal, west of Nepal, and very remote.
iRunFar: And you have some brothers and sisters?
Budha: Oh. Yes. Ok. We have a big family, and we are seven sisters.
iRunFar: Seven sisters.
Budha: Yes. And we have one biggest brother.
iRunFar: One brother.
Budha: Yes. Older one. And then we have seven sisters because my dad and mom wanted two boys. That’s why we all have sisters.
iRunFar: They kept trying for another brother.
Budha: Yes. They were trying for another son, but they didn’t get. We are all sisters.
iRunFar: They just got a lot of daughters.
Budha: Yes.
iRunFar: And are you the only one in your family who is a runner? Or how did you find the sport of running?
Budha: My younger sister [Ram Maya Budha] is also runner. She start from last year the trail running because she did only track and field, and now she’s doing, she’s trying to run trail race. I did start from school because we have once a year the school competitions race, and the race is called like Rastrapati Running Shield, and it’s only track, 600 meters.
iRunFar: 600 meters.
Budha: Yes. First time I ran 600 meters, and I got second place. And then second year, I’m winning. And the third year still winning. And I came to Kathmandu, capital city, and I’m winning the 1,600 meters and five kilometer on track. After when I passed grade 10 and before I just participated in only school competitions, and I then have a training, and I then do the training. And I just competition in other races and just go to school, like that. And after when I passed grade 10, and I did start again. My trail running journey started in 2015, and I started from 2016 the everyday training, morning and evening, too. And first time I came in Kathmandu, the capital city, and I ran 14 kilometers on trail. And I didn’t know before the race. I just thought it was like a road race, but there was no road race, just trail. Oh my god, how can I run on the trail? And just I’m winning because trail running is not big in Nepal.
iRunFar: Uh huh.
Budha: Because I trained in Jumla, my hometown, and I joined in my hometown, Jumla Bazaar we call it, and there is one Olympian coach, an athlete before and now he’s doing coaching. I joined with him. His name, I call Guru. His name Hari Bahadur Rokaya. I trained with him almost six years.
iRunFar: Ok.
Budha: Before I joined APA [Asian Pacific Adventure] Group, he gave me training, and he had a lot of runners, like road race, and we were doing just once a week of hill training, and we just pushed uphill and downhill walking and enjoying. We were laughing, talking too much and doing the training. My real trail running journey when I joined APA and when Ryan [Blair] found me and I found Ryan, and he’s like my trail running dad now.
iRunFar: Ok.
Budha: I really started from 2021. Before, I just came to the race and who supported me only for race, and I didn’t know how to train for trail running. And when I went [to] Jumla, my Guru gave me the training. We mostly training the flat and track. We just focused on flat and only track, and we did just once a week trail. Now I do more trail and less flat.
iRunFar: And so in that window of time, what was the first year that you raced internationally, outside of Nepal?
Budha: 2016. I raced in Hong Kong 50 kilometers, and I got second place, and I am champion in the age category.
iRunFar: Got it. You have been to the Trail World Championships to represent your country three times. This is your third?
Budha: Yes. This is my third time. First time, I participated in Thailand, and I got…
iRunFar: Top 10.
Budha: Top 10. The week before, I was sick. And then after CCC, after two months, I am sick the week before. I just came to Thailand, and I participated in the race. Ok. I can try do my best. If not good, then I can try to next time.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Budha: Second time, I had the same problem, the knee injury and calf injury in Austria.
iRunFar: Ok.
Budha: Last two years ago, and I dropped after 40 kilometers, and it was painful, and I’m not strong too, and I just dropped the race. Ok, I can try next time. And finally, I got this time, and I got second position, and I’m happy, too. It’s still not enough. I can try to more in the future. But now is I’m happy to second place.
iRunFar: Second place is not quite enough. Some day you’d like to try for the win?
Budha: Yes. That’s my dream.
iRunFar: I love that dream. To talk a little bit about how yesterday’s race went, you were near the front pretty quickly. You were in fourth or fifth position in the dark going up the first climb. But by about 10 kilometers in, you were in second position, which is basically your position all race then. Correct?
Budha: Yes. Actually, I really don’t know because when I am in second place at 10 kilometers, I thought the first climb at the beginning, in the jungle, I thought many girls passed me, and I caught a girl on the first uphill climb. And after 10 kilometers in, again, the second climb, super steep. I didn’t know I was still in second place, and the third girl, the Italian girl [Fabiola Conti], is coming in front of me, and behind me. And oh, she’s coming near. Oh my god. I’m scared, and I just run my own pace. It’s okay. I can do run my pace and let’s see after race. When I passed the first downhill and somebody says like, oh, you are four minutes behind the first lady. Oh, wow. I’m in second place, and I feel strong, and a little bit happy, and I’m super excited because I have to go a long way. Just here, like 20 kilometers, I have…
iRunFar: Many kilometers more.
Budha: Yes, many kilometers and many big mountains and runnable and super technical part is coming soon, and I’m not excited. And I’m nervous. I’m going to my pace, my pace, and that’s it. And when I reached 30 kilometers they still said the third girl is coming. Oh my god. What can I do? And she catch me after 40 kilometers.
iRunFar: After 40.
Budha: Yes. We are near, 30 kilometers after we are just near, like 100 meters…
iRunFar: Or less. Sometimes together.
Budha: Yes. 50 meters, and 20 meters.
iRunFar: Zero meters?
Budha: Yes. And she catch me on the 40 kilometers, zero meters. We ran a lot from 40 to 64 kilometers together.
iRunFar: And then around 65 kilometers, you were able to break free from Fabiola Conti, the third-place woman. How did that happen? Was it on a climb or a descent? Did you just feel her fade back, or what happened when you moved apart from each other finally?
Budha: Yes. When she catch me, and I felt so scared. I’m so scared. Ok, she catch me. I’m trying to run with her until the finish. If she’s going super fast and I can run my pace, it’s ok. I’m just thinking, if I run with her and let’s see, I can run with her until the finish. And If I feel strong and I can left her again, and if I don’t feel strong, and I can go maybe third position, fifth. I’m just thinking like that. And okay, I’m going with her. I’m okay. Fine. After 64 kilometers, at 65, and I felt so strong, and I left her uphill.
iRunFar: You did one of the fastest downhill splits yesterday on the final descent. You made up time on the gap to Katie Schide, who was the women’s winner. Were you running that downhill as hard as you could, or what was your mind on the final downhill?
Budha: My mind final downhill like, the third girl is coming soon, and first is Katie Schide, super strong. I know her already, and ok she’s going like 20 minutes. Somebody said 30 minutes going. Oh, I don’t catch her. I don’t have time now. And I had cramping also. I started from 40 kilometers.
iRunFar: Oh, wow.
Budha: I managed too hard my cramping, and I tried to just manage my leg and no more cramping. Okay, okay. And I drank a lot, and I eat food a lot at checkpoints, and I carried a lot of the bars and gels. And okay, she’s left. She’s super strong. I don’t catch, and impossible to catch to her this time. I just need to take care of the third lady. I’m scared third lady she’s coming.
iRunFar: When you crossed the finish line as the second-place finisher, podiuming at the World Championships, how did you feel?
Budha: I feel finally, I got it the second place, and I feel like I’m a champion, because I had, my last two races were not good because I dropped, and the top 10, and I felt like, okay. When I can become a champion? I was just dreaming.
iRunFar: I think this could be the first time that a Nepalese runner is on the podium of the Trail World Championships. Certainly, it’s very uncommon for runners from your part of the world to get top 10. You’ve been top 10 once before, and now you’ve podiumed as a Nepalese woman.
Budha: Yes.
iRunFar: How does it feel to represent a part of the world that isn’t always at this competition running strongly?
Budha: I’m very happy to represent Nepal and Asia. And I had a good support team because of Ryan. And we are working together almost four years, and he’s really a good supporter and team manager is really good, and that’s why I’m here. If other Nepali girls or boys need this kind of support, they are doing really good, I hope.
iRunFar: I love that. Do you have any other races on your schedule for 2025, or now is it training for 2026?
Budha: I have a race in South Africa, Cape Town.
iRunFar: Okay. Ah, you’re going to Ultra-Trail Cape Town.
Budha: Yes, I will do 100k in November.
iRunFar: Ok. Best of luck at Cape Town.
Budha: Thank you.
iRunFar: Congratulations on your second-place finish.
Budha: Thank you.
iRunFar: Namaste.
Budha: Namaste.
