Nepal Impact Marathon 2027

Overview Highlights Race Routes Schedule What's Included Extras Blog Gallery Reviews The Impact FAQs

Batase, Nepal

A Himalayan trail race and charity challenge in one unforgettable week. The race that started it all.

Overview

The Nepal Impact Marathon is a Himalayan trail race and charity challenge in one unforgettable week. Not a trek with a t-shirt: a real mountain race, a village to live in, and a community project your fundraising builds, designed by the people who'll run it long after you fly home. Here's what November 2027 looks like. One night in Kathmandu, then up into the foothills to our pop-up Athletes' Village at 1,800m, the Himalayas filling the horizon. You run at sunrise, often led by the village school kids. You work alongside the community, and you see exactly where every pound lands. Then on Saturday you race: 10km, 23km, or the full 42km marathon they call the Beast of Batase, with Nepali runners beside you and the whole village out on the course. That night, back in Kathmandu, we celebrate properly. This is the race that started Impact Marathon more than a decade ago, and it is still the week that changes people. 40 places. The earliest bookings pay the least. Come as you are.

Highlights

01 The Project

02 Ultimate Trail Running

03 Immersive Village Life

04 Nepali Culture: Nepali Food

01 The Project

Get hands on with building projects and see in person the real impact of your fundraising. In partnership with local regenerative agriculture experts AgriNepal, we aim to equip the local farming community with everything they need to overcome challenges, grow their potential, and secure their future. Our fundraising goes directly to community-led projects, published openly in our Impact Ledger. This is what separates an Impact week from any charity trek: you see the work, you join the work, and the community leads it.

02 Ultimate Trail Running

Nepal is the mecca of trail running, and this is the running adventure that gives something back. Technical, challenging, mountainous, rewarding. Expect winding trails and magical views, before running through the the villages we have worked in.

03 Immersive Village Life

This is the most intimate village experience we've ever had in Nepal. It’s a long trek into the foothills of the Himalayas, but it’s worth it. Oozing peace, tranquility and beauty, this is fast becoming one of our favourite spots to set up camp and make an Athletes' Village experience like no other.

04 Nepali Culture: Nepali Food

Momos, Dal Bhat, Thukpa - these foods may seem unfamiliar to you now, but they will become favourites by the end of our week together. Packed full of flavours and textures, the food in Nepal is full of delicious surprises- we will make sure you have a chance to try everything! From incredible food in the city, to the simplicity of rural eating - there is nothing more wonderful than sharing food across ages, cultures, languages, and faiths...

Race Routes

42km - The Beast of Batase

The Greeks invented the marathon, but Nepal is taking it to the next level. This distance is a brutal battle of man vs nature and will surely be the hardest but most rewarding race of your life. With 2000m of climbing on the trails around the village, this course is the ultimate test of a runners ability.

The cut-offs are generous and due to the course design, you'll be supported as later in the race as the 21km, and 10km runners come through! We are FOR you, we find the way to help you finish, all whilst keeping you safe with full medical support, excellent route marking, and a team that wills you to that end point.

You will be pushed to your limit, you will feel like you can't go on. But when you dig deep, when you keep moving you will earn the right proudly say you conquered The Beast Of Batase.

23km - Mountain Ridge

A unique opportunity to run a simply incredible loop of around Batase village. Make no mistake about it, with over 1000m of climbing this is a course that is for strong runners who can take on these challenging trails. You will take on the Savage Summit as well as some technical descents and a thrilling mountain ridge - it is a true test of your running ability.

Our half marathon route runs a little long to c23km depending on how the route changes after each monsoon season. You are set off a couple of hours after the marathon runners so you can expect to join with the runners of all distances as you take on your challenge. This is what makes the Impact Marathon so special, you run together, no matter your distance, with others, for others.

You running life will never be the same again...

10km - Starter for Ten

A 10km race that feels so much further! This is a serious test for any runner. With almost 600m of climbing, finishing this race will feel absolutely amazing. Indeed, it has the hardest hill of all our distances. If this is your first running race it truly will be the best.

Running with and through the communities that our impact work has directly supported, this is our most popular route. For the fastest runners in Nepal this will be a competitive and thrilling race.

If this is your first trail race, this is the one to start with. Walkers and hikers welcome on every metre.

Schedule

Race week sits in late November on purpose: post-monsoon Nepal means clear mountain views, cool running temperatures, and the best trail conditions of the year.

Welcome!

We’ll be meeting in the vibrant city of Kathmandu, where we will be staying the first night of our adventure. After your flight arrives in the afternoon, we'll be waiting for you at the hotel! Here you’ll get to know your fellow travellers whilst enjoying an evening of amazing Nepali food and start learning more of what you'll be experiencing this week.

To Batase we go!

After an awesome breakfast, we will be visited by the team from Burns Violence Survivors to share the work they do - the work your fundraising supports. This is tightly knit, beautiful team of passionate advocates who are making a huge impact despite tight resources.

We have supported them since the very start of our time in Nepal - and are always blown by how far they stretch your fundraising. Over 400 life-saving surgeries have now been funded by our Impact Runners. After the talk, it's all aboard our bus to our host village. Well, almost... the last 5km is an uphill climb to the village. We will have a truck take all your bags and luggage up as we have some traditional lunch in Melamchi town. Then, it's a good steep trek up to your new home, our pop-up Athletes' Village that looks out over the foothills, and onto the Himalayas.

Village Life

Today, we will be waking up with a quick running tour of the village to help get your bearings. This is a gently warm-up, acclimatisation run so that you can begin to prepare your lungs and legs for the race ahead. We are camping at 1800m altitude, so you'll have all the week to acclimatise - so don't worry if this first run feels a bit punchy, it gets easier, we promise.

After a run, and breakfast, we will begin our community project work. We will be launching our Project2027 in January as we continue to assess and discuss the best, most powerful project we can sculpt with the community.

Village Life

We rise with the sun for another acclimatisation run through the village - it's not uncommon for the school kids to lead the runs. If they do, prepare for some serious off-roading, adventure, and punchy climbs. It's all part of the fun.

Post-breakfast, it is back out to get stuck into the project work with the community. This may involve a good trek out to the surrounding communities as we spread our Impact across the mountain, and across the race route. There's nothing quite like the conversations, shared over these long walks, as well as those outstanding views, and simply put, a total immersion into a community that you would never visit at any other time, in any other way except through an Impact Marathon.

Down time

The morning will continue the work from Thursday, and a full immersion into the community. From the magical sunrise, the sounds of a village waking up to excitement of another day working in this beautiful place.

Some of the community members will take you around the village to see the everyday work, and add context to what you see within the school grounds. You'll learn a heck of a lot today.

We will close out by lunch time, ready for your race briefing as the team goes about planning the next day’s events - and welcoming all the local runners coming up from Kathmandu to join us for a spot of camping and running.

Run The Himalayas

The moment has come - race day. We’ll head to the startline together and run as a community in what will be one of the most magical experiences. Get ready for stunning trails and a remarkable finish line moment, as you take the final steps of the hardest race of your life. And at that finish line, we’ll have a huge welcome home for you.

Post-race, we jump in some vehicles and bounce our way back down. the roads to Melamchi. - a post-race massage, if you will. After a bite of chow mein, we will be headed back to Kathmandu for a good shower, and a bit of a party into the night, you deserve it...

Homecoming

You'll have breakfast at the hotel and then you are free to go! Every single year, those who book morning flights regret it as the runners tend to head into Thamel for a final lunch together and souvenir shopping - so top tip, stay a few hours longer for this. It's a special time for all.

Furthermore, we have organised some incredible Bolt-On Adventures that show you the very best that Nepal has to offer. Just message us once you're registered and we can begin planning an extension that is perfect for you.

Alternatively, and reluctantly, we will let you return home!

What's Included

Food

All in-country transport

Race Entry

Project Visits

Full Medical Support

Development Expert Workshops

4* Kathmandu Hotel

Pop-Up Athletes' Village Accommodation

Village Tour

Daily Yoga & Stretching Sessions

Daily Altitude Acclimatisation Runs

Nepali-Made Race Tee

Iconic Impact Cap

Random Surprises we know you'll love

Rooftop Finale Dinner

Flights

Travel Insurance & Visa

Alcohol, Snacks & Refreshments

Airport Transfers

Tips for Athletes' Village Team

Extras

Impact Merch • $90.75_/pp

Impact Down Jacket

Our Nepali designed, Nepali made Down Jackets....

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Blog

Sujan_Tamang_SmartPaani_WASH_ImpactMarathon_Nepal

Mon 15 Apr 2024 · Nick Kershaw

beyond the finish line: sustaining impact between marathon events

The finish line is just the beginning. While our events in each country may happen annually, the vision and impact of our work stretch across the entire year.

Tue 9 Apr 2024 · Liza Kershaw

run alive: hear from an impact runner

In this episode of the RunAlive Podcast, Ed and Jenny welcome Nick Kershaw, the founder of Impact Marathon, and Bexx Swainson, an accomplished athlete and frequent Impact Marathon participant.

Thu 12 Oct 2023 · Nick Kershaw

5 Reasons the Nepal Impact Marathon Is More Than Just a Race

Our original race has always been a beautiful example of how powerful our running can be, and the impact a race can have on the communities we serve.

Fri 20 Oct 2023 · Liza Kershaw

PODCAST: Starting from Zero in Kathmandu

Day 2 of the Impact Sprint: 14 Stories of Heartbeats and Footprints

Sat 21 Oct 2023 · Liza Kershaw

PODCAST: How Just ONE Meeting Changes Everything

In the third episode of "The Impact Sprint: 14 Stories of Heartbeats and Footprints," Nick Kershaw unveils the transformative power of a single meeting.

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Thu 25 May 2023 · Dave Melody

Why Impact Marathons are changing the face of global charity events

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves...

Tue 24 Oct 2023 · Liza Kershaw

PODCAST: The Crevasse

Scouting locations during the monsoon season in Nepal is no easy feat! Here's one spectacular story that helped us in building the right team, at exactly the right time.

Gallery

Reviews

Lauren, Nepal Impact Runner, 2023

I've spent a long time gazing out at the Himalayas this week, trying to find a summary of words to describe just how special this trip has been and I still can't assemble a sentence that does it justice.

Bea, Nepal Impact Runner, 2023

This is your sign to ditch your 5* hotel holiday and book yourself in the next Impact Marathon trip!

JOSH, NEPAL IMPACT RUNNER, 2016 & 2019

I’m not terribly good at swearing…having said that...running in the Himalayas was f****** awesome.

The Impact

We aim for all our Impact Runners to smash through at least £1000 of fundraising - this is what brings the Impact Week alive and leaves a lasting legacy in the communities we seek to serve. The Impact Marathon Foundation has the goal of catalysing change and supporting tangible, grassroots organisations with our funds, affirmation and a platform to tell their story In Nepal we have year on year honed our approach to supporting the right charities to tackle the biggest problems. We have blended two very different, small, powerful organisations that tackle Gender Equality from two very different angles to bring the intangible nature of The Global Goals to be relatable, understandable and real for our Impact Runners.

SmartPaani

Water is life. And this year we are bringing back SmartPaani into the Impact Week in response to the core goals of the community. SmartPaani is a social enterprise that installs and maintains sustainable clean water systems. In 2023, we installed 10 water filtration systems across 10 schools impact over 4000 households! In 2024, this reach was extended through a further 2 schools with large student population...all started by our Impact Runners believing in this vision. Thank You. In 2025, water remains at the heart of what we do as we expand the community clean water initiative. The impact of this work is immediate and exponentially powerful. From our previous projects we know that this one single change lowers water-borne illnesses that smash school attendance during monsoons. Clean water in rural community keeps children in school for longer. It is as simple as that. Your fundraising will have an impact in the short, medium, and long term - you will touch thousands of lives this November..

Burns Violence Survivors

With 56k of burns cases a year and only 2 hospital ward dedicated, this is a powerful project that goes right to the heart of Nepali culture. Not only tackling the care, but the prevention - a huge challenge when faced with the task of tackling domestic abuse and the use of acid in such attacks. Since starting the Nepal Impact Marathon we have funded 400 life-saving surgeries for burns victims, and with your support we can really ramp that up this year. This is not an issue that has easy solutions, it’s not a topic that most larger organisations can prioritise, but someone has to. We love the passion and compassion of this tiny team, with tiny overheads. We love how our funds have the tangible impact of genuinely saving lives, one at a time. You will be adding to ten years of life-saving surgeries funded by Impact Runners, you will be deeply impact lives with every dollar you raise for our friends at BVS Nepal. This is fundraising abroad done transparently: you fund your own trip, and every penny raised goes to the projects.

FAQs

An Impact Marathon is not just a race. It is a life-changing experience. For one week, you will be taken into the Impact Family, meet people from all over the world united in a movement to change the world for the better, through the power of running.

Yes, and it's the race-shaped one. Most charity challenges in Nepal are treks. Ours ends with a full trail race: 10km, 23km or 42km through the Himalayan foothills. The other difference is transparency: you fund your own trip, and 100% of your fundraising goes to community-led projects, published in our open Impact Ledger.

It is advised to book them in the afternoon on Sunday, as this allows you a little lie-in after your marathon endeavours, plus some time to do some souvenir shopping and share a final lunch with your fellow runners if you so desire (you probably will!).

No, there will be a lorry to transport all your belongings. You should carry a day bag with you.

We will be preparing you with a fully developed email series that covers the majority of your questions, training concerns, kit needs etc. Once in Nepal you will receive a full race briefing from our Race Director and head medic the night before the race.

We try to include as much as possible - we want you to switch off completely from life back at home. We don't want you thinking too much about anything other than where you are and living in the moment. Through this, we have found our Impact Runners are completely immersed in the experience.

Of course, we do expect you to arrange your own flights, travel insurance is obligatory, and all alcohol, snacks, soft drinks, and souvenirs are at your own expense.

The Everest Marathon is a magnificent high-altitude event that requires a long trek to the start and a much bigger budget. Ours is a different adventure: lower altitude (up to 2,100m, no acclimatisation trek needed), a village you live in rather than pass through, a community project you help build, and a price from £1,295 including accommodation, food and race entry. Many runners do both in a lifetime. Ours is the one you can do next year.

Honestly, it's tough. The 42km Beast of Batase has 2,000m of climbing and is one of the hardest marathons anywhere. But every distance welcomes walkers and hikers, the cut-offs are generous by design, and our team gets you to the finish rather than pulling you off the course. Come as you are.

Nepal is one of the most welcoming countries on earth, and November is its calmest, clearest season. We've been running events here for ten years with full medical support, experienced local teams, and safety systems refined over 25+ events worldwide. We monitor FCDO travel guidance continuously and brief every runner before travel.

No. The 10km is designed for first-timers and hikers, and plenty of Impact Runners have made this their first ever trail race. If you can train for a hilly half marathon, the 23km is within reach.

Early. The 8th edition is capped at 40 international places, and pricing steps up as the race approaches: the earliest bookings get £200 off, shrinking to zero by August 2027.

Nepal Impact Marathon 2027

Nepal • 15 - 21 November 2027 • 6 nights

From $1,807.95_/pp ~~$2,087.17_/pp~~

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