Mira Rai, a Nepalese trail runner has been nominated for National Geographic's Adventurer of the year 2017. As a teenager, Rai joined the Maoist rebel movement. She has been selected for nomination among the 10 honorees based on their extraordinary achievements in exploration, adventure sports, conservation or humanitarianism in the past year.
Online voting for the 2017 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year is now open and will run through Dec. 16, 2016. Fans can go to
www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year.html to vote every day for their favorite honoree.
The adventurer with the most votes at the end of the voting period will be announced in January as the 2017 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year.
Former Maoist combatant, Rai, who hails from hilly district Bhojpur, has already achieved the Skyrunning World Championships award.
National Geographic has named Adventurers of the Year since 2006 and mountaineer Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita was voted the 2016 People's Choice Adventurer of the year.