Running is a great sport. Siem Riep a fascinating town. The opportunity to run a half-marathon around the temples of Angkor Watt an opportinity not to be missed.
With a community developed around water, this will always be a special town. To be with special friends from Brunei, running around the temples of the Khmer Empire, made this a favorite visit.
My first visit to Siem Riep was towards the end of the wet season in 2014. The second only a month earlier seasonally, but a few years later in 2017. The difference in water levels on Tonle Sap and the communities living from the water drawn from the Mekong river, made for exciting camparisons of a seasonal lifestyle.
The magic of the temples takes me on a mystical journey back in time. Imagining the buzz of Angkor Watt in the time of Hindu beliefs, through the transition to Budhism and the builidng of Angkor Thom. Reflecting on its traumatic contempory history, where attempted emulation of the rice growing proficiency of the Khmer Empire brought tragic results.
The community is dependent on water. The reversible Tonle Sap, whose waters from the Sap river flow inland during the wet season, bringing water from the Mekong. The water had travelled from the headwaters in the Tibetan plateau, running through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. On reaching Phnom Peng the water backs up towards Siem Riep during the rainy season and flows back again in the dry.
The Angkor Wat international Half Marathon 2018, a charity race raising relief for victims of antipersonnel mines in Cambodia, starts at 6am. Tuk-tuk, a motorbike towing a trailer of passangers, is the budget travellers vehicle of choice. Watching thousands of runners flocking to the start line, braving shunts and sparks to get to the start line was on par with most religious events witnessed by Angkor Watt over many centuries.
The tuk-tuk traffic and traditional Cambodian road chaos meant we arrived with 10 minutes to spare. Our group made a beeline for the toilets. There was not enough time for me to get rid of yesterdays dinner, or take that nervous pee, so I focussed on getting to the start. My travel companions in the 10km and 5km races still had a while to go.
The start was buzzing. The atmosphere electric. The temperature enjoyably cool and dry, but it was early.
We started and the usual buzz of a running race grabbed the heart, just as its pulse was increasing. Running away from Angkor Thom, crossing the bridge lined with angels to the left and demons to the right was engaging.
My pace was off from the start. The morning tea sloshing around uncomfortably. Pit-stop planning became paramount. The pre-race preparation hadn’t gone as well today. A porta-loo appeared at the end of a long straight, a tiger statue keeping guard.
A quick splash and dash later saw me re-enter the crowd after acknowledging the spiritual tiger statue keeping lookout. Symbolising strength, royalty, fearlessness, and regal power in Hinduism, the tiger pushed me along, encouraging a lift in the pace to enable regaining the few minutes lost in the splash and dash.
There are efforts ongoing to reintroduce tigers back to Cambodia. As I left the statues sphere of influence, I wished it well in returning tiger population numbers back to the time before the permanant impact of humans drove the species to extinction.
Crossing the line in 1 hour and 51 minutes.
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Ecosystem Hotspots 