In 1967 Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to enter the Boston Marathon. At the time there were no races for women longer than 1500m as they were considered too ‘fragile’ for long distance running. Switzer concealed her name when entering and had to fight off an attempt by the race director to forcibly obstruct her during the race. In doing so she helped contribute to the worldwide fight for greater female participation in sport.

Fast forward nearly 50 years and Nepali superstar Mira Rai is proving just how much female runners are capable of. Last year Mira won several high profile trail races around the world and ranked second in the SkyRunning World Championship. She is now supporting Trail Running Nepal to promote running for girls and women in Nepal. In remote mountain communities running can be a source of both empowerment and liberation for girls and icons like Mira can provide an inspirational role model.

So what better way to celebrate International Women’s day than remember the incredible efforts of female runners both past and present. And where better to do it than the unrivaled beauty of the Great Himalaya Trails. In the words of the woman herself on what she loves about running in Nepal: ‘Running on trails through beautiful nature while at the same time being pushed to my limits by the mountains’.