Overview of the trek:

Manaslu circuit trek is one of my personal favorites. Although Manaslu circuit is less trekked (in numbers) in comparison to other amazing trails in Nepal like Everest base camp and around Annapurna, there is no reason it shouldn’t be in the top of every trekkers’ bucket list. One of the reasons is it’s not crowded as other trails and you get all the time in the world to get absorbed in the beauty of majestic Mt Manaslu, Mt Himchuli, religious Gumbas, high altitude lakes, Manaslu base camp and so on.

Trail Running Nepal organizes this race around Mt. Manaslu in November each year. This is completely different to regular trekking and is physically very demanding. First few days in the lower elevations are covered very fast by the runners but once race enters the high altitude (>2,500 meters) race sets different pace. Here, even the mightiest of runners struggle to get extra oxygen down to the muscles. Runners usually cover the distance and reach the pre-defined elevations in few hours and get plenty of time to recover. As always the Larkya La pass (5,106 meters) day begins very early (4:30 am) with packed lunches and the long day ends with rapid descent to magical village of Bhimtang (3,590 meters).  And, the race ends at Dharapani and with jeep ride the day ends at Besisahar. However, the beauty on the way beats all the tiredness and the happy faces of runners always provide extra energy to prepare for the next day.

If you are a passionate runner and wants to run in the mountains there is no better place than Manaslu to do so. You run the distance, get to an elevation, enjoy the breathtaking views, dry your sweat with the purest of the air and in no time you are already running again.