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Borneo International Marathon 2008 - Race Day in Kota Kinabalu
Legend has it that more than two thousand years ago, a Greek messenger ran from the town of Marathon to the city of Athens for two days to bring news of great victory over their Persian Invaders. He ran without stopping, with only the honour of bearing the news giving strength to his weary legs and aching heels. Two millennias later, modern-day runners continued the long-running legacy of Philippides at the Likas Stadium last Sunday in the Borneo International Marathon. We didn’t wish to be left behind, so we packed our equipments and our running shoes and ran to the Likas Stadium at the hour of the owls to cover this international marathon event.
Runners, please take your place
12 October, 2008 - The event started during the early morning hours of Sunday at the Likas Stadium. The organizers - and some of the participating runners as well - had arrived at the stadium as early as 3:00AM to go through their checklists. Representatives from local and international press were also present to cover the event. It is also interesting to note that this is the first time ever that an internationally-recognized event in Borneo had invited bloggers to the event as medias - bringing the Borneon blogging community to the same level as professionals from the press.
The Marathon
The Borneo International Marathon 2008 had 5 categories, but the highlight of the event were the 3 main categories: Full Marathon (42km), Half Marathon (21km) and Quarter Marathon (10km).
The starting of the Full Marathon video
The Full Marathon started first at 4:30AM, followed by the Half Marathon at 6:00AM and lastly the Quarter Marathon at 7:00AM. The routes took the runners to some of the city’s most prominent tourist destination, such as Sutera Harbour, 1Borneo Hypermall and the Coastal Road - known for its scenic view of the coastline. The marathon starts and ends at the Likas Stadium.
The Half Marathon category started at 6:00AM
The Quarter Marathon category started at 7:00AM
Here are the top three finishers for the 3 main categories:
Full Marathon (Men’s Open)
1st - Sammy Kiprop Kiptoo (Kenya), 2hr 25min
2nd - Geoffrey Kiprotich Birgen (Kenya), 2hr 26min 42sec
3rd - Elkana Ruto (Kenya), 2hr 33min 18sec
Full Marathon (Men’s Veteran)
1st - Paul Hague (England), 3hr 10min 31sec
2nd - Duanis B. Indam (Malaysia), 3hr 26min 38sec
3rd - Yusop Tungkob (Malaysia), 3hr 31min 5sec
Full Marathon (Women’s Open)
1st - Frida Lodepa (Kenya), 3hr 18min 4sec
2nd - Pui Shan Chan (China), 3hr 27min 48sec
3rd - Joyce Runo Chemeli (Kenya), 3hr 32min 43sec
Full Marathon (Women’s Veteran)
1st - Tan Lee Huang (Singapore), 4hr 57min 27sec
2nd - Christina Daramat (Malaysia), 5hr 35sec
3rd - Ang Bee Hua (Singapore), 5hr 16min 7sec
Half Marathon (Men’s Open)
1st - Wilson Kibogo (Kenya), 1hr 11min 49sec
2nd - Muniandy Ramadass (Malaysia), 1hr 13min 54sec
3rd - Micah Kiprotich (Kenya), 1hr 18min 1sec
Half Marathon (Men’s Veteran)
1st - Guianus Salagan (Malaysia), 1hr 22min 2sec
2nd - Supermaniam Govindam (Malaysia), 1hr 23min 35sec
3rd - Lim Lian Hock (Singapore), 1hr 35min 2sec
Half Marathon (Women’s Open)
1st - Doris Chuchumba (Kenya), 1:24:10
2nd - Michele Tan Bee Kiang (Malaysia), 1:39:26
2rd - Mariana Mohammad (Malaysia), 1:41:11
Half Marathon (Women’s Veteran)
1st - Lian Bee Hoon (Malaysia), 1hr 44min 28sec
2nd - Kirsten Conrad (USA), 2hr 3min 4sec
3rd - Ling Nyuk Hwa (Malaysia), 2hr 4min 11sec
More results can be found at the event’s official website at http://www.borneomarathon.com/home.html
A smile to the finish line
The Greek messenger Philippides ran for two days from Marathon to Athens, but the spirit of marathon itself will continue to run around the world for many years more, crossing every boundaries. Perhaps the spirit of marathon had visited Borneo last Sunday, inspiring everyone to perform their best. Regardless, the Borneo International Marathon 2008 was a great success.
A few runners from the AirAsia Team
We at lifeinborneo.com congratulate all the runners that participated and we give our hands out for the organizers and their supporters for their tremendous effort. We were pleased to be part of this historic occasion and hope that it will become a yearly event in the Borneon calendar.
charlenediane
Nice cover of the BIM!!
Zie
Thanks Charlene! :)
Borneo International Marathon 2008 : Race Day Pictures « Made In Sabah
[...] Read the full articles + results + see more photos here! [...]
papajoneh
Bestnye if can join that time.. kacau betul kerja ni :(
Eshark
It’s okay papajoneh, no need to ikutlah, you just sit at home and enjoy browsing our site with lots of interesting events like this one while taking care of your kids + wife.. ;)