The 2nd Sambor Prei Kuk Half Marathon was successfully staged in Kampong Thom province over the weekend with 165 registered runners from Cambodia and other countries taking part in one of the most-anticipated running competitions in the Kingdom.

Running competitions and similar activities are starting to return after being sidelined by the Covid-19 pandemic for nearly two years.

The ones that have already returned include the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, Phnom Penh International Half Marathon, Khmer Empire Marathon and Sihanoukville International Half Marathon.

The Angkor Ultra Trail and Women’s Run 10k are set to return on February 4 and March 8, respectively.

In fact, the Sambor Prei Kuk Half Marathon was only able to return this year after a two-year hiatus. The first edition of the event, which gives participants the chance to run along and around the Sambor Prei Kuk temple area, was held in 2019.

The ruins of ancient Ishanapura, the capital of the Chenla Empire, can still be found at the Sambor Prei Kuk temple area. The Chenla Empire ruled over much of Southeast Asia in the 6th and early 7th centuries AD.

The participants also run through rice fields, forests, meadows, grasslands and other beautiful sceneries of the area.

There were 87 participants in the 21-km half marathon and another 78 runners in the 10-km category. The participants include Cambodian, Japanese, Australian, American, Russian, British, French, Hong Kong, Filipino and Taiwanese nationals.

Kong Runn of Cambodia topped the 21-k half marathon (male) with a time of 1:38:19, followed by compatriot Sam Rachna (1:39:23) and Japanese Tokuwaka Masazumi (1:45:35).

The female side in the 21-k was won by Veronique Messina of France (1:48:25), followed by Elaine Lee of Hong Hong (1:49:38) and Eng Muyngim of Cambodia (1:55:58).

John Soboros of Cambodia (00:44:49) bagged the top spot in the 10-k (male), followed by compatriot Em Moeun (00:44:49) and Hugo Panha Pelletier of France (00:46:35).

Bridget Seberry of Australia placed first in the women’s 10-k with a time of 01:07:41, followed Japanese Sugawara Hiroe (1:08:17) and Sudo Nanako (1:13:47)

“It was a great experience for me running through the beautiful sceneries of Kampong Thom province. I want to participate in more local and international competitions in the future,” Runn, an English language teacher in Phnom Penh said after the event ended.

Guanghui Chim, one of the main organisers of the run, said almost everything went according to the plan.

“Both the organisers and the runners were utterly surprised by how well the event went and the exceptional experience enjoyed by all involved with the running courses and the homestay with the local community,” he said.

“Even more amazing was the outpouring of donations from runners themselves in kind and cash to the 250 students from the local schools. For many of the runners it was their first visit to the Sambor Prei Kuk temple area. We are hoping that this event will help attract more people, both local and international, to visit the place,” Chim added.

Chim also thanked the Sambor Prei Kuk Authority and the provincial and district authorities for their support. “The Sambor Prei Kuk Authority and the provincial and district authorities fully cooperated to make this event a resounding success,” he said.

Seberry from Canberra, who topped the women’s 10k, said she was very happy to be part of the event.

“It was a fantastic run in such a beautiful location. The organisers did an incredible job, but the real win for me were the friends I made along the way,” she said.

Prumsodun Ok, whose students from Promsodun & NATYARASA were there, was also very happy.

“On behalf of my students and I, I would like to say thank you and congratulations to you and the entire team for putting together a beautiful event. It was a great run through the fields and temples, and I was especially touched to see how the local community was engaged,” he said.

“Seeing the young children sprint for that finish line was so inspiring, and I enjoyed watching lifelong impacts happen in the tiny, little moments and actions as everyone rested. We’ll be sure to tell our friends and family about this run, and look forward to coming back next year with donations in hand,” Ok added.

Swisse was main sponsor of the event, with Vital Water, Coros, Lecka and StarBalm as event partners.