Ottawa — Five Tibetans are running for Tibet, to raise awareness of the critical situation in Tibet under Chinese rule, which includes violations of the human rights and freedoms of Tibetans, destruction of the environment, construction of large dams on Tibetan rivers, arrests, imprisonments, and even killings of Tibetans who have faith in their spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Pema Kunga (runner), Dechen Wangdi (runner), Kalden Wangchuk (navigator), Sunny Sonam (driver/manager), and Dawa Norbu Dayab (runner/coordinator/driver) of the Peace Rally Marathon For Tibet began their run for Tibet from Ottawa to Totronto, on September 22, 2025, in front of Embassy of China, in Ottawa, Canada, to draw the attention of Canadian leaders, the government, and the international community to the critical situation in Tibet. This is their sixth the Peace Rally Marathon For Tibet.
These Tibetan runners explained that their goal of the Peace Marathon for Tibet is to raise awareness about the critical situation in Tibet under Chinese rule. The Chinese authorities violate the human rights and freedoms of Tibetans, destroy the Tibetan environment, build large dams on Tibetan rivers, and arrest, imprison, and even kill Tibetans who practice their faith in their spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
One of the runners, Dawa Norbu, said, "We are running to raise awareness about the situation in Tibet and to meet new people. We have 1,500 brochures about the critical situation in Tibet that we will distribute to people we meet along the way, explain the situation in Tibet to them, and drop them in mailboxes. We also plan to meet with members of Congress and mayors to request them to raise awareness about the situation in Tibet."
Pema Kunga (runner) said, "Every step of this 450 kms marathon carries the message of Tibet's pain and resilience. We run to ensure that the Tibetan identity, culture, and freedom are not lost to the oppressive policies enforced in Tibet today."
Dawa Norbu said, "This 450 km marathon is not just a run- it is a call to the world to recognise the ongoing human rights crisis inside Tibet. Tibet is still burning, and the threat of losing our unique identity under china's policies has never been greater."
Dechen Wangdi said, "Through this marathon, we raise awareness of the Tibetan people's struggle for human rights and cultural survival. The world must know that Tibet's voice is being silenced, but our spirit of resistance continues to run strong."
Garnett Genuis MP Canada wrote after the Tibetan runers, "Today I had the chance to meet with runners in the 6th Peace Rally Marathon for Tibet. I congratulate them on their effort to draw attention to the human rights violations being committed by the CCP in Tibet and to honour His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his 90th year."
They are making three appeals to Canada, the government, and the international community: to celebrate the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the “Year of Compassion” and to urge governments to protect Tibet from the destruction of its fragile environment by the Chinese government, erasing Tibetan identity as part of the CCP’s sinicization policy, and demand that the Chinese government release all Tibetan prisoners who have been imprisoned simply for protecting their language, religion, and environment, for contacting family members in exile, and for keeping photos, books, and teachings of their spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
