“I didn’t have much idea about this race but was told it’s one of biggest and most important races in China so I thought there would be some good competition,” Budha said.

“When I learned Fuzhao was racing 70km I knew she would be one of hardest to beat.”

On the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) rankings, Xiang is ranked number two in Asia for all distances and Budha a place below. Xiang, 32, is also the No 2 woman worldwide for 100km.

Wenling has become one of the largest and most competitive trail and ultra races in China. It grew from around 1,500 runners last year to 4,500 across three distances, including the 70km. The region is on the coast, about five hours south of Shanghai.

Running from arranged marriage to the trails and ‘something greater’

There is live television coverage and large prize money – RMB30,000 (US$4,100/HK$32,400) for the winner of the feature race.

Her parents only found out when they heard on the radio she had finished third in a race – they demanded she come home. Budha refused and stuck to her own, risky path.

As her success grew, opportunities and prize money followed. Her family eventually came round and now Budha’s success helps to support them in Nepal.

“Thinking about the past is not enough for me, I can do much more,” Budha said. “Also, this is my job and my career and I want to help my future and family more.”

In 2022, she finished second at the 100km CCC during the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in Chamonix, the most high profile and competitive ultra event in the world.

‘Courage of Budha’ – escaping arranged marriage to full-time deal

“The CCC was my biggest breakthrough performance but this [Wenling] one was very good to start 2024,” she said.

“It’s a big win for me – especially in China. I was supposed to race HK100 as my first race with Kailas but had an ankle injury that took more time to recover and Kailas was very supportive when I had to skip that important and big race.

“It’s so important to have sponsors who understand all athletes have to deal with injuries and cannot always be 100 per cent or even ready to race.”

The Wenling race, which took place on April 2, started in a heavy downpour. A lot of the course is road running or dirt roads, and 40 per cent is technical rocky single tracks and coastal paths winding through abandoned villages with views over the sea.

For the first hour and half, Xiang and Budha ran alongside one another. This was Budha’s tactic – to stay close and observed Xiang’s strengths and weaknesses. Going through the second checkpoint, Budha had a quicker transition and gained about a 20-second lead then pushed hard to keep it.

As she approached check point five, at around 42km, she began to cramp in her quads and calves. The pair were then neck and neck for the remainder of the race. Xiang hammered down some hills to drop Sunmaya but she held on.

Both were on the verge of cramping so were reluctant to make a big move. Then, with 1km left, Sunmaya pushed with everything she had. She drew just 100m ahead. Both were fighting on their limit and collapsed in a bundle over the finish line.

“It was a very hard race battling together like that back and forth, but this also gave me more energy to push in the race,” Budha said. “The mental side was a big challenge as the whole race I was strategising what to do next and also managing my cramps.”

In the final few hundred metres, Budha told herself just to try her best and that she would be happy either way.

Budha’s manager, Ryan Blair, leader of the Asia-Pacific Adventure (APA) team, said it was “certainly the most epic head-to-head battle between two elite woman I have ever witnessed. Sunmaya showed not just her athletic talent but her strategic wisdom and tactical experience to pull off this epic win.”