Old news - but curiosity made me google on Dachhiri Sherpa and following are what came up.
Indeed, Go Dachhiri Sherpa.
KATHMANDU POST
Kathmandu, Thursday November 28, 2002 Mangshir 12, 2059.
Dachhiri Sherpa asserts supremacy in Himal Race
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Nov 27 : Nepali runner Dachhiri Sherpa followed his triumph in the third Annapurna Mandala Trail last spring with a bigger achievement winning the ultimate trail, Himal Race, which concluded on November 23.
Of the total 30 starters, 27 completed the gruelling 23-stage event that was jointly organised by the Himalaya’s Racers Association and Mandala Trekking.
As often would be the case at high Himalayas, there was once again Nepali domination in the race with Kumar Limbu and Pasang Sherpa, Dachhiri’s younger brother, completing Nepali clean sweep of the first three places. French runner Corinne Favre, who finished sixth overall, clinched the first place among women participants.
At an award ceremony held on Wednesday evening, French ambassador to Nepal Claude Ambrosini, the chief guest of the occasion, distributed prizes to all 27 runners. Two of the participants: Emmanuel Villeneuve and Gilles Rostollan, who finished 11th and 14th respectively, also received special Mandala Trekking Fair-play trophy for cooperation they volunteered to fellow runners during the event.
Congratulating the runners for their courage, Ambrosini praised the effort of the organisers in running the unique race. "It is heartening to see that such a race was successfully organised despite the adverse situation in the country," the French ambassador remarked. He added: "And like its slogan, ‘Himal Race for peace’, it has spread peace in true sense."
After some 18 hours of prologue, knights of the wind – as Jérome Edou, one of the organisers put the runners – started off from the Annapurna Base Camp on October 31. And after running the distance of over 1,000km and seven passes, carrying their own backpack, they crossed the finish line at Kalapatthar, the Everest Base Camp at 5,450m, the highest point of the race, to complete the first race ever staged at such heights – the unique Himalayan Odyssey.
Dachhiri, who won 16 of the total 23 stages, to complete the race in 108h 08’ 48", more than six hours’ ahead of the second placed Kumar Limbu, who crossed the finish line with the timing of 114:08:51.
"It was extremely difficult, but as much exciting," said the 33-year-old race winner.
According Dachhiri, who resides and trains in Geneva, Switzerland nowadays, the prevailing situation in the country had made the race much more difficult. He reported that a group of six armed Maoists robbed baggage from seven of the foreign runners as they reached Kalikasthan, some 15kms away from Trisuli Bazaar.
"It was during the time of Nepal Bandh," he said. "They took away the baggage despite our repeated pleas."
The runners also came across the rebels in the Solukhumbu region. "They demanded money at first," he said. "But they allowed to move ahead after we convinced them that we were competing in the race and did not carry any money."
Those incidents aside, the race moved along smoothly and much to the liking of most of the runners. "Everybody enjoy the race thoroughly, from breathtaking landscapes to friendly people we met during the event," Sherpa added.
Corinne Favre agrees with him. This victory has come as a feather in the hat for the French woman who was crowned the women’s world ultra-marathon champion in Malaysia recently.
"It was very special race for me," said she. "Running for three weeks in such terrain was indeed very tough, but we were ready for it: both physically and mentally."
Concluding the event, Bruno Poirier, the race director, said that the race was a big success, far beyond all wildest expectations. Poirier and his partners from Mandala Trekking Padam Ghale and Jérome Edou of Mandala Trekking announced that Mandala Trekking and Himalaya’s Racers Association would organise the fourth edition of the annual Annapurna Mandala Trail in next spring. They also informed that a separate race – Everest Challenge – would be held in autumn to mark the Golden Jubilee celebration of the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest.
THE RISING NEPAL
Kathmandu Tuesday March 26, 2002 Chaitra 13, 2058.
Dachhiri wins Annapurna Mandala Race ’02
By A Staff Reporter
It was all Nepalis who shone at the Third Annapurna Mandala Race winning the top five positions. Dachhiri Sherpa, 32, a Nepali living in Switzerland, won the ’02 Race in 30 hours and 44 minutes of running time.
Nar Bahadur Shah, winner of the last two races was pushed to the second position by Dachhiri by a comfortable margin of almost 2 hours.
The race, a Franco-Nepalese venture organized by Himalaya’s Racers Asssociation of France and Mandala Trekking, was held from April 13 to 23.
This year the race had 31 participants, including three women, and 29 of them finished the race. There were nine Nepalese participants and for the first time a Nepalese woman, Bimala Ranamagar, 29, also participated and came out 18th.
The woman winner was Yvonne Radondy, among the veterans (more than 40 years) was Joel Steve and the fair play award was given to Pascale Fouques and Nigel Fielden.
The 315-kilometre race around the Annapurna circuit is spanned into 9 stages beginning from Besi Sahar in Lamjung district.
From Besi Sahar the race leads through to Chyamje, to Chame, to Ghyrau, to Manang (with a back and forth to Tilicho Lake base), to Phedi through Thare Gompa and Letdar, to Marpha through Thorong Pass, to Dana, to Ghorapani (Poon Hill), to Ghandruk and finally ended at the Australian Base Camp at Dhampus.
Considering the rugged terrain, snow and the differing altitude makes Annapurna Mandala Race one of the toughest in the world. Race director Padam Ghaley of the Mandala Trekking, co-organizer of the race said at the award-giving ceremony on Sunday, said that hailstorm, rain and wind, combined with new difficulties made in the itinerary made the third race even more exhausting than the last year. The awards were given by Rabi Rajkarnikar of Nepal Amateur Athletic Association.
The altitude varies from 820 metres of Besi Sahar to 5,416 metres of Thorong Pass. Bimala also said that while passing through the Thorang Pass from Manang to Phedi, they had to run through snow for two days.
Dachhiri also said those two days were difficult because of altitude and snow, otherwise the trail was very good and it was not much difficult.
However, this year all the runners crossed the Thorong Pass an improvement in the overall performance of the racers. The other support and medical assistance was provided by Himalayan Rescue Association and Bruno Poirier of HRA and organizer heaped praise on the Association for the excellent job.
HRA and Mandala Trekking have been organizing the race since the last three years and it is mainly the French who participate in the race. However, it was announced Sunday that the two associations would also jointly organize the Himal Race, another ambitious race linking Annapurna Base Camp to Everest Base Camp. The 25-day race will be held in October/November of this year and it is informed that 40 participants have already registered.
