Mira Rai, from child soldier to international athlete

From a tiny hilltop village in Eastern Nepal, like most girls in Nepal, Mira’s young life was very active: walking to school, doing farm work, hauling water from the bottom of the hill, walking days to the market and returning with a heavy load.

That’s how the story of Mira Rai, the Nepalese trail runner who became a star after leaving the maoist guerrilla, begins. Almost accidentally, Rai discovered that her hard childhood and later experiences had prepared her to endure one of the toughest sports in the world. Now, after winning several international competitions, she wants to lead the fight for women’s rights in her country. “I want women and girls in remote villages like mine to have opportunities. We need to change attitudes. It will not be easy”, she says.

Her tale, one of self-improvement and personal growth, has inspired a documentary that’s in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign to finance itself. If you’re interested, you can watch the trailer here!