Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha has delivered another world-class performance on the international trail-running stage, winning the women’s title at the prestigious La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB 2026 in Italy. The Jumla-born ultra-runner completed the demanding Lavaredo 120K in 13 hours, 33 minutes and 18 seconds, setting a new women’s course record and strengthening her place among the finest trail runners in the world.
The Lavaredo 120K is not just another mountain race. Held in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites, the event takes runners through one of Europe’s most dramatic alpine landscapes. The flagship race covers 120km with 5,800m of elevation gain, making it a brutal test of endurance, climbing strength, technical skill and mental resilience.
Sunmaya’s victory was made even more impressive by the strength of the field. Australia’s Lucy Bartholomew, one of the best-known names in global trail running, finished second in 13:34:59, less than two minutes behind the Nepali runner. Ireland’s Emma Stuart completed the women’s podium in 14:47:42. Sunmaya’s performance placed her not only first among women but also among the leading overall finishers, a sign of her exceptional consistency across the entire race.
Race updates from Lavaredo celebrated her as the ‘NEW QUEEN’ of the 120K, a title that perfectly captures the scale of her achievement. For Nepal, her victory is another reminder that the country’s mountain runners are capable of competing with and defeating the best athletes in the world.
This win is part of a remarkable run of form for Sunmaya. In 2025, she enjoyed one of the strongest seasons ever produced by a Nepali trail runner. She won the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100K in South Africa with a time of 12:25:55 and went on to claim the World Trail Majors overall title. She also earned a historic silver medal in the Long Trail 82K at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Spain, finishing second in one of the toughest races of the championship.
Her international résumé also includes major results at races such as Hong Kong 100, Chengdu Trail, Mount Yun by UTMB and CCC at UTMB Mont-Blanc. With each performance, Sunmaya has continued to build a reputation as a fearless climber, a disciplined endurance athlete and one of Asia’s most inspiring trail-running figures.
What makes her story even more powerful is where it began. Sunmaya comes from Jumla, a remote district in Nepal known for its rugged terrain, high-altitude lifestyle and strong endurance culture. Her journey from the hills of Karnali to the elite podiums of Europe, Asia and Africa is not only a sporting success story but also a story of courage, discipline and possibility.
In a country where mainstream sports often dominate public attention, Sunmaya Budha’s rise demands wider recognition. She is not just winning races; she is rewriting how the world sees Nepali women in endurance sports. Her Lavaredo 120K triumph is a proud moment for Nepal, a milestone for Asian trail running, and another chapter in the growing legacy of Nepali athletes on the global mountain-running stage.
From Jumla to the Dolomites, Sunmaya Budha has shown that Nepal’s mountain spirit can conquer the world’s toughest trails.
ALSO READ: Nilam Paudel Becomes First Trans Woman From Nepal to Climb Mount Everest
