Rachel Runs

Rachel Runs
it became quite sweltering. It was the flattest half marathon I can remember doing (except for one at Silverstone race course) and I think I could have got that elusive sub 2 hour time but that would have been missing the point. Instead I chatted to my fellow runners, stopped to take photos, was in awe of my surroundings. The route is lined in parts by Cambodians, mainly children, with their hands out for high fives. I didnt want to leave any of them hanging! At one point we rounded a corner and were greeted by, what looked like a whole village worth of people. I got a bit of a lump in the throat. There was plenty of water along the way. Im not sure about toilets, I think you just had to go wild. You finish the race at Angkor Wat and I rounded the corner and saw the clock saying 1:52 and I thought, Wow! How have I done that?. Then I realised that was the 10k lane and the half marathon clock said 2.05, which is fairly standard for me. I got my medal, water and banana and found a tree stump at the perfect height to stretch out. So perfect, that I started a bit of a trend and in no time, had an army of fellow runners stretching out and having a bit of a chat. Upcoming runs:Hash Challenge, 42km through the jungle outside of KL, teams of 4, (3/3/13). Run for Sight, lead a blindfolded friend on the 5k run, 1Utama, for Glaucoma Charity, (10/3/13). Malaysia Women Marathon, Shah Alam, join this unique womencentred event, it has a really interesting programme of events, check the website, (7/4/2013). Island Ocean Marathon, Langkawi, from the organisers of the River Jungle Marathon comes another boutique event, limited places so get on it quick! (21/4/13) Xterra, offering 2 different triathlon distances and 2 trail run distances (11km & 5KM), Putrajaya, (27/4/13) Borneo International Marathon, offering full, half and 10km, nice for a weekend away in KK, (5/5/13)

Rachel Runs...Angkor Wat Half Marathon

iem Reap receives over 1 million visitors per year. Its a great place for a relaxing break in South East Asia and its such a well-travelled path that even those with little or no experience of Asian travel would find it easy. Theres loads of accommodation. We stayed in a budget, backpacker place (MotherHome Guesthouse) and it was really nice, clean, spacious, lovely staff, good food, good location and free wifi. We had no complaints at all. They offered free airport pick up too. Every time we returned we were offered an ice-cold, scented flannel to freshen up. From the guest house we were picked up by the tuk-tuk driver who took me around when I visited Cambodia previously, Johnnie Walker. His tuk-tuk is in good shape, he speaks good English and he is really knowledgeable as a tour guide. He had upgraded his service by getting a cool box and offering us iced water every time we hopped aboard and to take with us when we walked anywhere. Such a sweet guy!
First stop: food. We found a little place called Star Rise, just round the corner from our hotel, serving western & Cambodian food and it was really delicious. I had a veggie amok which is a spicy, coconutty local curry. Next stop was the Prince DAngkor Hotel to collect our race packs which we took back to the hotel, and then we went to Angkor Thom for a walk, taking in the Bayon and the Terrace of the Elephants. It is just gorgeous. Not only the temples, which are all beautiful with very varied designs and styles, but also the verdant, natural beauty of the surrounding area. The weather was perfect, hot and sunny but without the high humidity we have in KL. It is very green and shady and we found driving round in the tuk-tuk with the wind in our hair really relaxing. We went home to shower and then into the towns Pub Street for dinner. My best mate from school had told me that her big brothers best mate was also here for the race. I hadnt seen this guy in 20 years but didnt we pass him on our way out! I hollered out of the tuk-tuk at him but he just looked slightly bemused. The dinner was pretty average and as we were all tired, we were in bed asleep by 8pm, which is no bad thing when you have to get up really early and run a long way. I woke up feeling refreshed, rested and ready to run. I had taken instant porridge for pre-race breakfast which I made in a tea cup. John was there to pick us up at 5am and we travelled the short distance to the start line in a convoy of tuk-tuks loaded with runners. It was still dark so they were all lit up, it was a beautiful

sight. We arrived at Angkor Wat as the sun was rising and thought we better have a last little pre-race wee. There was one batch of porta loos which we stood outside of for ages, no one seemed to be coming or going. It was getting really close to the 6am start and I needed to go. I made the executive decision to find a bush. There was absolutely nothing to hide behind. I met an Aussie girl on the same quest, we decided if we were going to do it, we may as well do it at the same time, it would be less embarrassing. So, near a bush we squatted down. The two friends I was travelling with saw us and left the toilet queue to join us. It wasnt so bad... except that I stood in an ants nest! I thought I must have been next to a nettle but when I looked down my right leg was crawling with the beasts. This was at 5.55. Sharianne and Jo helped me swat them off but we just had to head for the start line before the gun. I was picking them off my neck and arms while I was running. I normally carry antihistamine with me, but of course, not today. The crowd at the start line was quite small and this had the feel of a fairly intimate, less corporate event. The guy next to me had a great tattoo on his arm saying 26.2 (the distance of a full marathon in miles). So I told him it was cool, and my very grown up friends made lots of Oooh sounds because I was talking to a boy. Jo and I decided to run together because we are a similar speed so I didnt put my headphones in, for the first time ever on a race. I had pulled a muscle in my thigh during the week and found I was needing to do long strides to warm it up. Jo said I was going too fast for her as she likes a slow start so within minutes we decided to split. I didnt want to stop to put my music on so decided Id do it when Id got into a groove, but I never did as I was having too much fun. The first section incorporated a u-turn (yuk) and I managed to see both friends on the way back through. Sharianne shouted a Jalan jalan cari makan to me, I told her to Get up them stairs. I was running near a guy who was listening to music and intermittently singing out loud which was hilarious to hear, with tracks like Turning Japanese and Im So Excited. Whatever works for him! I was also near a guy dressed as an aubergine! If you ever need taking down a notch about what a great runner you are, finding yourself paced by an aubergine would help! I met a guy from Stockton who was working in Hong Kong and ran with him for quite a while. Towards the end there was a guy running slightly behind me, clearly using me to pace himself. He had the heaviest breathing ever! It was quite disturbing, felt almost like I was cheating on my husband. The run was lovely. It was initially fairly cool, and there was a good deal of tree cover for most of the route. It was only near the end

Soon, my friends finished and we had a breakfast-of-champions, a can of ice cold Angkor beer, looking at Angkor Wat and feeling awed by the whole experience. Our tuk-tuk was waiting for us. We went back to the guest house and were offered the scented flannel, but declined saying that currently, it might take a bit more than that. We showered, breakfasted and headed out for some more temples. The first was Ta Prohm, the Tomb Raider one which was left to itself for a while so the jungle has crept in and there are massive trees growing out through the walls. Its amazing to see. Lunch! Then, last stop was Angkor Wat but, this time he dropped us off round the back so we approached it alone and from an unusual angle. It was so tranquil from this side. We went back to the hotel and took advantage of their in-house massage facility. For a mere $8 we had lovely massages with lemongrass and jasmine scented oils, which was just heavenly. We wore our medals all day as theres not much chance to wear them again after. The staff in the guesthouse asked us if we had won the race. We, of course, confirmed this. So, on our last night away with the girls, did we go and paint Siem Reap red? Err, no. We went to the cafe 2 minutes walk away from the guesthouse (with the delicious food) and were in bed before 9. Catching up on sleep had turned into a major theme of this weekend. Another early morning for us and our ever-ready driver, as we decided to head over to Angkor Wat one last time to watch the sunrise and we had an early flight anyway. I wasnt too fussed about this but one of my friends is a keen photographer so we all went. It was an intensely communal experience as it was super busy, but a worthwhile one. I would recommend this run for anyone contemplating a half marathon this year. It was very easy, beautiful and a fun place to spend a weekend.

by Rachel Joseph