Thailand Marathon - Press Information

Bangkok: February 2002: Organisers of the Inaugural Thailand Temple Marathon and Half Marathon on 24 March 2002 in Samut Songkran are delighted to announce the participation of veteran Japanese runner and ecomarathoner, Mr. Hajimi Nishi.

The Thailand Temple Marathon will be Mr. Nishi’s 249th, outside of Japan. He is already listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the “fastest time to run a marathon on each of seven continents’. This feat took him 168 days in 1997 to compete – and included the Pattaya Marathon. He is also the first non-North American to run 200 international marathons in all 50 USA states, and in 50 countries on seven continents. He will be competing in 40 marathons in 2002, including the Thailand Temple Run, Italy, France, Belgium and Jamaica and the USA.

Nishi describes himself as an ‘ecomarathoner’ whose primary goal in life is to “raise the awareness of the protection of the environment to pass over a healthier planet Earth to the future generation through my running endeavors”. As such, he is the founder of the Ecomarathon International, and creator of Ecomarathon International Evaluation, which grades marathon races aroud the world on such things as air quality, views from the couse, safety, level of organisation, friendliness and integrity of the race organisers, cultural exchanges, and social responsibility. His web site www.echomarathon.org gives details of races he has competed in, and grades given.

Mr. Nishi has a unique approach to his running. Having started at the age of 40, he first competed to win. Now he competes for the fun – and takes great delight in being slow, stopping to talk to people, take photographs and ‘smell the roses’ along the way! In fact, he often makes sure he is last, crossing the finish line just before the official deadline!

Mr. Nishi has turned down invitations to other, more established races, in order to participate in the inaugural Thailand Temple Marathon. General Manager of the Official Race Headquarters Hotel, Mr. Thomas Tapken, says: “we are delighted to welcome Mr. Nishi, and are overwhelmed that he has selected this particular race to be part of his on-going record breaking achievements’. Course Director, Mr. Bamroong Duangphoommes, Sport Vision, added “we will do our utmost to live up to Mr. Nishi’s expectations, and to provide him, and all the other competitors, with a cultural experience they will not forget.”

Mr. Nishi has agreed to speak to runners and their supporters at the Gala Dinner after the race, to be held at the Amari Watergate Hotel, about his goals, beliefs and the various races he has participated in. More information about this will be provided at a later date, and tickets will be available to all interested parties – whether they run or not.

International runners may register for the Thailand Temple Marathon and Half Marathon through the official web site www.thailand-temple-run.com

Local Thai competitors and resident expatriates should call Sport Vision (Thai speaking) on 0 2570 9599 or 0 1874 8799 for details. Non-Thai speakers may call 0 2653 9191 or email admin@thailand-temple-run.com for details.

The full marathon will start at 5am at Phumrinkudeethong Temple, and the half marathon at 5.30am. There will be a traditional Thai Opening Ceremony prior to the race start, as well as pre and post race events held at the Amari Watergate Hotel. The race course can be viewed on the official race web site.

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Thailand Temple Marathon Welcomes Veteran Eco-Marathoner from Japan