What a run, at the Yoma Yangon Marathon 2013!
On the 27th of Jan 2013, both me and hubby were in Yangon, to be a part of the Yoma Yangon Marathon 2013. This was the inaugural race, and we were so happy to be a part of history.
Hubby did the 42K (full marathon) and I did the 10K. There was no 21K (half marathon) this time, which was a bummer as I wanted to run that. No matter, many many more races are coming up this year, so am pretty psyched with how the training is coming along. (check this out, for running tips)
I actually expected a lot more people at the starting line, but it was nice, not to be so crammed in actually. In the end, I found out that more than 1000 participants took part in the race, with proceeds going to charity.
The race was incredibly well organized, from pre-race reminders of where and how to collect the race kits, to the time of collection of race kits. Things were conducted in a systematic fashion. And on the day of the race, there were enough water stops and banana stops (for the 42K), at the right intervals. The helpers would come out with the water in cups, so that there would be no congestion at the water counters. From start to finish, everything was orderly and systematic. Hats off to the Yoma organizers for doing such a great job, even though this was their first time hosting an international marathon.
The results of the Yoma Yangon International Marathon 2013 were out within the same day, and Kenyan runner Joseph Gitau Kariuki defeated fellow countryman Onesmus Muindi in Burma’s first international marathon to be held in Burma for nearly 20 years. Burmese runner Mi Mi Aye took out first place in the female category with a time of 2:46:07, closely followed by her compatriots Pa Pa and Nilar San.
sometimes, barefoot is the best!
proud to represent Malaysia!
The 42, 10 and 3 kilometre races started and finished at People’s Park, one block from Shwe Dagon Pagoda, one of Rangoon’s (Yangon) most iconic landmarks.
prize giving ceremony
All in all, we had a great time. The vibe and energy was great. This entire event will definitely stand for something positive, that speaks of the winds of change, that are washing over Myanmar, and with it, the new government.
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