Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 105, April 2018 | Page 24
TRAIL RUNNING
On the Temple Trail
We had always wanted to visit Siem Reap in Cambodia, with its
amazing temples like Angkor Wat and Angkor Bayon, so when we
came across the Angkor Ultra Trail website
by chance, we just had to adjust our
trip to fit in with the race.
– BY LIONEL & MARIE HILL
S
crolling through information regarding a
vacation in Cambodia, our eyes fell on an
item about the Angkor Ultra Trail, to be
run for the third time in January. We had never
done an international race on our previous travels,
but here was an opportunity to combine travel
with participation in a unique race right near the
Angkor World Heritage Site that we wanted to
visit. The friendly website made the entry process
easy – the only stipulation was that entries must
be accompanied by a medical clearance – and
everything was put in motion to make this a reality.
HISTORICAL SITE
Angkor Wat, or Capital Temple, is the largest religious
monument in the world. It was originally constructed
by the Khmer Empire in the early 12th
century as a Hindu temple, but by
the end of that century had
transformed into a Buddhist
temple. Since then it has
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become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on the
national flag, and is the country’s prime tourist
attraction. Today it forms part of the Angkor UNESCO
World Heritage Site along with Angkor Thom, the inner
royal city, and a number of other temples, including
Angkor Bayon.
We arrived in Siem Reap a week before the race,
allowing us plenty of time for sightseeing and getting
acclimatised. We did a lot of travelling, walking and
climbing to see all the temples, then took a day off
to rest and prepare for the race. Registration was in
the Angkor Paradise Hotel, and it was no
problem organising a tuk-tuk to this venue.
Finally, race day arrived, and once again
we took a tuk-tuk in the dark to the start
point at Elephant Terrace, in front of
ISSUE 105 APRIL 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Although the humidity was
high, forcing us to walk much
of the way, it was bearable, and
the terrain was mainly shaded
footpaths through the dense
forests, past majestic temples,
as well as dirt roads through rural villages. However,
at one stage we had to cross a river, with water
about knee-high. (Guess who had to carry who?)
The refreshment tables were stocked with drinks,
chocolates and fruit, so no chance of getting hungry
here, and very interesting was seeing the Tourism
Police as marshals on the route.
While running amongst so many nationalities made
it hard to communicate at times, we runners are a
friendly lot, so we managed, especially when the
fitter, younger athletes participating in the longer
events wanted to pass us. Marie and I took our time,
stopping to take countless photos, but finally after just
over three hours, we ran past Angkor Wat and arrived
back at the Elephant Terrace to enjoy the aftermath of
the race and the company of our fellow athletes. All
participants also received a Participation Pass which
allows one to stroll through
the Conservation Area and
temples on the day. What an
experience!
The site said, “Runners will cross several exceptional
sites dominated by mountains and temples, evolving
through impressive landscapes over a vast area,
where rice fields, forests and villages offer panoramas
of surprising diversity,” and offered five distances, the
Ultra Trail Angkor 128km, Bayon Trail Angkor 64km,
Marathon Trail Angkor 42km, Jungle Trail Angkor
32km and Temple Run Angkor 16km.” With our age
and fitness level in mind – I’m 76, Marie is 72 – and
even though we still run races up to 21km most
weekends, we still wanted to be capable of enjoying
the holiday, so we opted for the 16km race.
the ruins of the Royal Palace. The
venue was a hive of activity, with
various briefings for just over
700 athletes from 40 countries
doing the various distances, and
soon we were on the bus to the
16km start.