TEMPLE RUN
17 Aug. 2014
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Dreams Do Come True
I have wanted to go to Cambodia from the time when I saw
the movies Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones were filmed there. Well, I do appreciate history and reading
books will take you to endless places in the world. And Cambodia is one of those
places.
Race Registration and Hotel Booking
A window of opportunity finally came early this year. When I found out that a full marathon will
be staged (aside from its annual half marathon event) where start/finish arch would
be at the famous Angkor
Wat Temple ,
I found myself registering for the marathon.
What a beautiful way to see the place than by running. Just like in my previous trips, I waited for
any discount or seat sale early this year.
Though the race event organizers partnered with the hotels in Cambodia , I
found them somewhat beyond my budget.
Then I remembered the brochure that was given to me by one of the
speakers at a seminar I attended in October 2013. I visited the web site of that guest house and
found the room rates quite reasonable. Airfare. Check.
Race registration fee.
Check. Accommodation. Check.
All set except one—I couldn’t find anyone else to come with me on such
short notice. Ellen aka Kelcy and Jinoe, Takbo.ph blog owner, came into my mind. You see, the three of us have run the Borneo
International Marathon in 2012. But
Ellen was busy lately. I tried
contacting Jinoe. Surprisingly, when I
told him about it, he got interested that he booked his own flight, arranged
for his accommodation, and registered for the marathon instantly.
The next concern was who would claim our race kits considering
our flight would leave the night before the race and claiming of race kits
would start three days before race day? I
tried to seek assistance from the hotel staff.
Though they are willing to assist us, I was much keener if someone we
knew would claim it for us. Thanks to
Jinoe’s assistance on this. Just two
weeks before the race, Jinoe informed me that a fellow runner would claim the
race kits for us as she would be in Siem Reap days earlier. Much thanks to Janine for claiming the race
kits, leaving these at the front desk, and ensuring we had a ride via tuk-tuk*
from the guest house to the event venue.
She also gave each one of us a Philippine flag pin. Jinoe, on the other hand, gave us a free T-shirt
printed with RUN.PH on the front to be worn after the race. Thank you for the shirt, Jinoe.
*Also known as auto rickshaw, a common public
transportation in Siem Reap ,
Cambodia
On Marathon Training
Each race is different, so it’s important to know exactly
what you’re getting into. Before my
previous well-prepared marathons (Condura Skyway in 2009 was my best marathon
time so far), I ran respectable times.
Not really fast, but at least within the goal I set for myself. In a desperate effort to get race-fit, I
tried to do long slow distances on Sundays, do a-once-a-week training session
with my running coach, running three times on weekdays after work, and did extra
pool laps into my twice-a-week swimming routine. However, training was disrupted with complimentary
races along the way. I treated each race
as part of the preparation. The trail
running in Nuvali two months ago helped a lot.
That was my longest run prior to another marathon, the Milo
Marathon. As previously mentioned in my
blog post, the Milo Marathon was not really included in the list of races that
I would do this year, but since the brand is celebrating another milestone, I
so wanted to be one of the runners in this race. Two running coaches have suggested to me to
take it easy on the race and to focus more on the Empire Angkor Marathon, which
was the proper way of doing things anyway.
The game plan was to just run Milo Marathon up to 30KM or something then
to DNF (did not finish), or to finish it and walk the last 10 kilometers. If I get fast in this, performance wise,
marathon running in Cambodia
might not be good. They were right. In marathon running, it takes two to three
weeks for the body to recover from running a marathon, hence, running two
marathons in a year is ideal. Milo Marathon
was scheduled on July 27 while Empire Angkor Wat on August 17. That’s roughly three weeks before race day
for Empire Angkor Marathon. I didn’t
want to DNF Milo. When I had the GO signal from my running coach,
I was vent on finishing these races within the cut-off time of six hours. Also, these events are both IAAF and AIMS
certified races. And I know how strict IAAF
and AIMS in implementing the deadline.
The week before Empire Angkor Wat, I had to race in an
aquathlon (a two-stage race involving swimming and running). Though I felt happy to have won third place,
but deep inside I was apprehensive how I would fare the next weekend. “Stick to the game plan.” That was my mantra. Based on my readings, the route is mostly
flat so I thought I might be able to do the finish time I set for myself.
Departure and Arrival
We were supposed to leave at 7:45 PM, but flight got
delayed. By the way, there is a one-hour
time difference between Cambodia
and the Philippines (Philippines is
ahead by 1 hour). We arrived at Siem Reap
Airport minutes past
11:00 PM (Philippine Time). Race would
be at 4:30AM (Cambodia
time), that means we only had more or less three hours of sleep. Dead tired, I was able to sleep right away. A light rap on my door woke me up. I thought it was just my imagination. So I closed my eyes again. Then another soft knocks followed. Got up to check what it was. It was Jinoe all geared and ready for the
race. Janine, too! Yikes!
It was the fastest shower and change of clothes I had done! Sad though that I wasn’t able to eat or drink
something hot prior to the race. Our
tuk-tuk driver was ready and waiting for us as early as 2:00 AM. The drive from the guest house to the event
venue took five or seven minutes on a route with a line of trees running along
each side.
Race Venue, Gun Start, and Race Route
We all left our stuff with our able and supportive tuk-tuk
driver, Cheang. As we walked towards the
Start arch, we heard the emcee announcing all the countries participating in
the said race. I couldn’t be more proud
in that moment when we saw our flag being displayed alongside the other
countries, and heard “Philippines !”
announced by the emcee. We were making history here! Three of us. But wait.
There were two more runners from our country. That would be five of us doing the full
marathon! Great! (Read: In Photos: the 1st Empire Angkor Marathon 2014)
I could feel the excitement of the crowd. Roaming my eyes, I couldn’t believe what I
just witnessed. Welcome messages from
the Guest of Honor and VIPs followed by the lighting of the torch. I couldn’t see the entrance of the Angkor Wat
Temple as it was too
dark. Then the countdown began. I switched on my Garmin watch when they fired
the start gun. The course is relatively
flat with gradual ascent and ancient trees along the route. Runners could take photos during the race as
there are ancient temples along the course.
Portion of the race passed through the city then back to the world
heritage area. Runners would run asphalt roads (at times riddled with cracks) and in other
areas some concrete roads. I started to
feel fatigue so early at KM22. On my way back, after the turnaround point at
KM25, there were school children along the way excitedly doing high fives with
the runners. Their smiling faces and
cheers made the run much more enjoyable.
While running, my watch did not match the official kilometer
markers. I knew I only had almost four
kilometers to go, but the distance markers were telling me a different
distance. It was at this time that Jinoe
was able to catch up with me. Knowing
he’s a race organizer himself, I checked if in his watch it was more or less
the same as the distance markers. True
enough, his watch measured extra kilometers.
Reality is we need to beat the deadline.
I knew I was already done with my marathon at a certain point. But at the time the only choice was to keep
running at a pace just enough to beat cut-off time. The sun was burning hot and I could feel the
sun burning on my skin. I could no
longer appreciate the ruins as I passed by.
I think I actually sprinted the last KM to the finish line. Two lady foreigners were cheering on me and
giving me the thumbs up sign. I shouted
at them, “Did I make it?” Smiling back
at me, both nodded their heads. “I did
it! Thank you, Lord.” I remember after crossing the finish line, I
was a bit emotional that I almost cried.
Whew! That was close! I received my finisher's medal and got
some drinks. I was at the stretching
area with some runners … thinking of what had just happened. I asked them how long the distance was. They said in their watch it measured 46 kilometers. “Whoa!” I thought, “Four more kilometers to
go and it’s already an ultramarathon.” My watch registered a distance of 44.37 kilometers. Overall, it was still a great run.
I enjoyed myself although I did not do as well as I hoped. (Read: Race Results) Based on the results, there were other participants from the Philippines.
Remaining Days
The day after the race, we spent the day visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park considered a UNESCO World Heritage site. The next day, our last day in Siem Reap, we explored
the area on a road bicycling and visiting Angkor
National Museum ,
a perfect way to end my first visit in Cambodia.
congrats! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Daves. :)
DeleteCongrats Ms. Running Diva!! proud of you (and envious) he he... :) Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAwww! Thank you, Lugs! :) Yeah, blessings likewise dor you indeed.
Delete