Coming out of the dragon’s mouth alive. 2019 – finished 13 FM, chased for BQ, recovered from a physical weakness at year end, i think i am ready for 2020!
Introduction
Vientiane is my last FM and final race for 2019. Planned 3 months earlier, the intent was to have a mum-daughter-sister bonding session. I invited my mum and sister to come along. My sister started running (seriously) only recently, and it is a great complement to the sport i am obsessed of. More time spent talking about a common hobby, a great way to bond.
Race pack
Located at Pha That Luang, the race pack collection area is also the main tourist attraction area, where the great golden stupa is situated.
I did consider changing from the FM to HM run category given the episode in Brunei last week. The organiser requested that i return at 7pm and check if there are slots available then, as they have only limited number of medals to give away. Fair enough, and it gives me some time to think about the change.
Getting to race start. Flag-off 3am!
Our hotel was 3km away from race start. Walking would take approximately 30 minutes, and that is at 2am! Not an option. A private taxi is an option but as we have two different flag-off time, it did not make any economic sense. Hence we resorted to the most sustainable option – rent a bicycle! 10,000 kip for 24 hours. We went to Mixay Bike, they have 2 location situated very close to the Mekong River night market. Pleasant and reasonable man.
Cycling was not stressful despite the 2 lane roads with no cycling path. One way lane are more common in the center, and motorists generally follow the rules.
The route
The first 15km was a pleasant run, passing key landmarks; Patuxai (Victory gate – resembling Arch of Triumph in Paris), well lit Chao Anou statue, and the Mekong Riverfront. The route passed the US embassy and UNHCR buildings, which stood tall in the otherwise single and double-storey houses along the road.
The crowd
Despite the wee hours, residents (especially youngsters) were out cheering the runners. They build a bon fire to keep warm while waiting for the marathon runners to pass by very sporadically, as that distance only attracted 299 runners with only 61 women competing.
meysrunningjourney.com 