In Photos: The 1st Angkor Empire Marathon 2014

This is my marathon #9!  Angkor Wat finally have it’s first marathon race after holding it half marathons the previous years.  Running the Angkor Empire Marathon 2014 is really a feast for nature lovers and travel junkies like me.  Everyone was amazed by the grandeur of the temples that were built during the Khmer Empire.

This is one marathon event you should try.  Here’s a quick recap of the race through photos I took and some from a fellow runner.  A full Angkor Wat Marathon 2014 recap will follow soon. 😀

The starting line is in front of the Angkor Wat temple.  It’s truly an international event with several nationalities getting ready at the starting line.  There were 3 of us from the Philippines (Roselle, Janine and myself) and met 2 others (April and Joven) but I think there might be more.

The first part of the route is dark but light posts provide a faint light on the road.  The lights gets brighter as we get closer to the main city of Siem Reap.  You’d be passing by some tourist spots but it’s still dark to really appreciate them.

Sunrise is beautiful in Siem Reap.  The scenery is getting more interesting as the sun goes up.

Hydration is provided consistently in almost every two kilometers.  There is water, sports drinks, bananas and even some Angkor Wat shaped cookies!

I did not expect to see many spectators along the route.  But several kids are just beside the road cheering us up and shouting GO GO GO!!!

While the route is relatively flat, some of the roads are a bit banked and uneven.  It is hard and painful to run on it.

This runner is a member of the 100 Marathon Club of Japan.  The paper on his back says that he has run a marathon distance 465 times!!!  What an inspiration!

As you run towards the temples, there will be lots of tall trees providing shade in this hot weather.  This area is well protected and I believe the trees will be here for the longest time for future runners to run on.

And of course, seeing the temples are just breathtaking. There are probably 6 or 8 temples you can see along the route.  Some of them are just right beside the roads while some are still several meters away.

Most of the temples are located towards the second half of the route.  I was expecting to see lots of them all over but this is not the case.

The best ones are inside the Angkor Thom.  If you are lucky, you get to see an elephant and monkeys while running here. 😀

The sad part about the race is the distance.  I think it is not accurate.  My watch shows more that two kilometers difference against the kilometer marker.  That is huge.  The last kilometer markers for the 21K and 42K are even different.  The 20KM mark is nearer than the 41KM mark.  They are supposed to be the same since it’s the same road and the same finish line. 🙁

Despite running more than 42 kilometers, the Angkor Empire Marathon is the most scenic marathon I have joined.  The views are just spectacular.  The weather is really hot but the trees were very helpful to provide shade.

More about my Angkor Empire Marathon experience in another post soon.