Starting and Finishing Point for the Marathon
On the roads of the old town
volunteer helpers dishing out the drinks for runners. Every 2 km there is a water point.
Children all coming out to give a hi five and shake your hands
Some even came in their uniforms lined up in one long stretch for this
Smiling and looking happy on early Sunday morning
Runners on the road
Majority of the run is in the Angkor Temple Area itself, therefore you get to see a lot of the temple ruins
We ran pass many of the highlights of the temple
There are a couple of gates with beautiful features
It was raining but as we ran along, the weather got really sunny.
The faces of the Bayon Temple, by that time there were a lot of tourists visiting the temples.
Runners returining from their race
Angkor and cambodia beer were the main beer consumed in the country
This marathon is the one which I have anticipated for long. To speak the truth, I am now kinda of used to doing marathons but maybe the speed might not be that crazily fast. But this race, I just want to take it slow and relax as I know the chances of winning is not that much and besides, how many times can you get to run the ANGKOR WAT! Its time for photography! I regret not bringing along a more sporty camera. The Fujifilm XP 90 is the next camera that I will bring along for any expedition.
Overview
The Khmer Empire was the most powerful Empire in the Southeast Asia, Angkor was the central of the area of Settlement of the Kingdom of Khmer from the 9th to the 13th centuries. This was also the symbol of the ancient civilization of Khmer people. Angkor wat is the temple complex in Cambodia which is also the largest religious monument in the world. It measures about 162.6 ha and was originally constructed as a Buddhist Temple towards the end of the 12th Century. The temple has a classical style for Khmer architecture and is now the symbol for Cambodia and also part of the logo inside its National Flag.
The Angkor Wat Half Marathon is more well known in the region:
http://www.angkormarathon.org/
This marathon was conceived to help raise funds for assisting victims of landmine bombs left behind the Khmer Rouge era. And now there is a full marathon also doing cause of good to help raise funds for the Angkor Hospital for Children. Till date Cambodia is still one of the poorest countries in the world after its civil war in the 70s.
This is the 3rd time that the organiser is doing this race. There are full marathon, half marathon, ten km, and a small 0.3KM run for the family and all. The race itself takes the runners through the beautiful Angkor Wat and a lot of natural scenery. The route is fairly flat. It brings the runners through Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple and many other monuments around. Along the way, there are many children cheering and wanting to give a HI 5. It is like almost 42km of non stop kids cheering along the way.
Along the way, there are almost more than sufficient amount of the water points. Every 2 km, it is either a water point or pit stop. There are water and isotonics ready for you. Only certain stations, there will be banana provide. So it really depends on the situation.
The starting and ending point are inside the temple complex itself. Making it a very scenic run. Besides the temples, the runners also get to see the old and the new parts of the city both touristy and non touristy. Siem Reap had changed a lot from the past, there are more and more western influence in this region and tourists have increased in numbers over the year to visit the Angkor Wat.
The temple however, is starting to deteriorate due to the weather and also immense number of tourist visiting each year.
The race information can be found here. For foreigners , you will be required to pay about $65-$75 USD for the Full Marathon depending on the time you registered for the race.
http://www.angkorempiremarathon.org/page.php?id=30
The categories for payment can also be found in the following diagram:
Going for the walk through is like a small tour around the temples
There is also a gala dinner, a walk through the course is also available for all the participate at the rate of US$20. Personally I like the walk through of the course, because I got a better idea of the race route and actually , it was a mini tour to the touristy area in Angkor Wat. I would strongly recommend this walk through.
The finisher medal
The design is small but functional as it explains the type of race you participated.
Runners’ tee provided by the organiser
Runners goodie bag, this has a bib , a nice scarf and also the cert to show you are a runner and can go inside the temple vicinity
RACE PACK COLLECTION
The Race pack collection is at the Apsara Angkor Resort and Hotel. It is along the National Road. If you like to sign on last minute, you may also register yourself there. But I presume for the future years, the race will get more and more crowded. The participants are mainly from overseas and from Japan, China and Taiwan, there are also tour groups to bring the participants to go for the race.
The race pack is simple, a tee shirt, some brochures and a pass that allows you to enter the walking area of the temple grounds.
Race pack collection area at the Apsara Hotel
Check your number and get the bag!
START AND FINISHING POINT
The Start and Finishing point is really scenic but do not expect much of an expo there as it is mainly one bag drop, water and first aid stations. I guess the organisers do not want to make a mess in the area. Runners will need to make leave their own transport outside the pedestrian area in the Angkor Wat as part of the ruling by the temple.
Finishers get a small finisher medal but no finisher tee. There are also some refreshment and counterpain cream available at the ending point. The cut off time for the full marathon is 6 hours, it is lesser than the usual races. But I think the organisers do not penalise the late comers and give them the benefit of the doubt as finishers.
CONCLUSION
For this third year edition, there were some cock up in the timing, but then the race went ahead after about an hour of wait for the full marathon. This had caused some of the runner becoming displeased, but being the organiser only for the 3rd time I believe they will continue to improve on their part. Do give them their support especially for the sake of charity!