“I come from a place where life is the most difficult. The closest source of drinking water was 40 minutes from my house. Everyday I walked several hours with over 25 kilos of weight in my back. And my family’s immediate concern for many years was the next meal. Rough terrain and hard labour was the way of life. But I always knew one day I will do something, become someone. I was always looking out for opportunities. In 2005, I joined the maoists rebels and was involved in their activities for 2 years. I saw this as an opportunity for exposure. I was good in sports particularly running. I excelled and kept to it. 12 months back I got an opportunity to participate in a 50 km race and I grabbed it. I won and I never looked back. Today I have participated in over 9 international ultra trail runs – running the most difficult of terrains and altitudes in several continents and I have won 8 of those races breaking records in 4. But my story will always start from where I came from, from the days I walked 40 minutes every day for many years just to fetch water.”
– Mira Rai, Sano Dumdi – 9, Bhojpur