KUCHING, August 12: With more than 10,000 runners taking part, this year’s edition of Kuching Marathon has certainly grown in terms of international appeal, so much so that it has attracted the attention of the Sarawak government.
The state government will continue to support this long-distance race as it has the potential to attract even more participants from many parts of the world, said Datuk Snowdan Lawan, the Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports.
“The state government is keen to continue supporting this event to see it grow even bigger. I believe there is a high potential for runners from countries like China, Australia and Indonesia joining this marathon in the future,” said Snowdan, when he officiated at the Kuching International Marathon 2018 on behalf of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg here this morning.
The event was organised by Kuching Marathon Association, and a sizeable number of the participants were from Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, USA and several African and European countries.
Snowdan noted that since its debut in 2014, Kuching Marathon had grown from strength to strength. He said such races required substantial physical and psychological preparedness in order to cross the finishing line.
“It entails regular and hard training, sweat and even mental endurance,” he said.
The races started at Padang Merdeka at 1am and wrapped up at about 8am. It was divided into various categories, namely, full marathon (42km) and shorter races of 21km, 10km and 5km. — DayakDaily
