Newcomers Make Their Mark at Angkor Half Marathon

For the men?s race, 28-year-old Malaysian Lim Kien Mau crossed the finish line at 1 hour 13 minutes and 25 seconds, nearly five minutes before his next competitor.

Singaporean Vivian Tang, 39, ran the 21 km-course in 1 hour 23 minutes and 51 seconds, finishing almost six minutes before her closest female competitor.

Although both winners said they compete regularly in races, yesterday was their first attempt at sprinting through the Ankgor archaeological complex.

?This is my first time,? Ms Tang said. ?It usually always coincides with the Singapore marathon so usually I do the Singapore marathon bu0t this year I decided to do the half marathon here.?

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Mr lim, a running coach in Singapore, said after the 5 km mark he pulled ahead of the leading pack and ran alone for the remainder of the course.

His time was a personal record for him and he hopes to compete again next year.

?This is a very nice route, well organized. Everything went very well,? he said following the race.

Both runners credited the dry, cool weather as aiding their victories especially given the normally humid, hot weather they are accustomed to in Singapore.

?Much cooler than Singapore,? Ms Tang said of the early morning conditions. ?There was a slight breeze and it was cool but you weren't running against the wind at all so it was good weather to run.?

Cambodia's top runner was Mok Bunthoeun, a 38-year-old tuk-tuk driver from Phnom Penh who has competed in the event almost every year since it began in 1996. For training, Mr Bunthoeun said he rises about 4 am each morning to run around the capital before beginning his work at 7 am only to head to Olympic Stadium at about 4 pm for more training. Mr Bunthoeun said he lives on a diet of mostly vegetables.

When asked by reporters why first place slipped away to Mr lim with such a large gap, Mr Bunthoeun said resources and training had a lot to do with the difference.

?I eat only morning glory, I do not have anything to build my strength and then I drive the tuk tuk.... You already know that he was from Singapore. He is not eating morning glory like us.?

The flat track begins just east of the Angkor Wat temple and snakes its way through several smaller sanctuaries before crossing the Bayon and Angkor Thorn temples. Started by the Japanese NGO Hearts of Gold in 1996 with a mere 654 runners from 14 different countries, the event has grown steadily over the years in to an international tourist draw.

Thong Khon, Tourism Minister and the president of Cambodia?s National Olympic Committee, said the 14th annual event helps promote the country?s sport sector as well as assist landmine and UXO victims with the funds raised.

?This event assists the victims of any disaster, especially the victims of landmines in Cambodia,? he said along the sidelines of the half marathon.

Like years past, 2009 set a record for attendance with 3,490 participants hailing from 48 nations. Just over half of this year's runners were from outside of Cambodia.

?Next year is the 15th anniversary, and we plan to celebrate with a bigger event then this year,? Mr Khon said, adding a marathon is in the works for Phnom Penh and a triathlon for Siem Reap in October 2010.

Besides the half marathon, the day also includes several shorter races and a half marathon for those in wheelchairs.

San Mao, 35, has been running in the 10-km race for disabled runners for nine years and taking first prize every time. Mr Mao, who lost his right leg after stepping on a land mine in Battambang province at the age of 15, said he was a bit slower this time around as he trained less and had problems with his prosthetic limb.

?I started running since 2000 and I won every year,? he said. ?This year, I ran slower because I have not trained and my artificial leg was broken, too.?

Van Vun, a 23-year-old wheel-chair racer who won the first place for the half marathon, said he was very pleased with his win but added he would like to compete with more wheelchair racers from foreign countries.

?I would like to race with other foreigners,? Mr Vun said, adding that his wheelchair broke down during yesterday's race, leading him to spend more then 8 minutes fixing it on the course. Still, Mr Vun, a mechanic from Kandal province, was pleased with his showing.

?This year is better then 2006, the road is better and I can go fester,? he said.

Sourced = The Cambodia Daily