Macau International Marathon, a major annual sporting event is celebrating its 35th anniversary. The organizer, Sports Bureau and General Association of Athletics of Macau has prepared a special “gift” as the highlight of the event: the participants will be running on Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge. It has been a long time since the Bridge, which has a significant meaning to Macao, became part of the athletic track. Kuan Wai Man, a veteran long-distance running coach who had once raced on the Bridge, said: “I really miss the feeling running on the Bridge, and I believe this year's marathon event will recall me lots of memories.”
10,000 Registration Quotas Full Quickly
Galaxy Entertainment Group continues to be the title sponsor of this year's Macau International Marathon. This annual event will take place at 6a.m. on 4th December, offering three categories - full marathon, half marathon and mini marathon. The registration quota of full marathon has increased to 1,400 this year, while there are 3,600 quotas for half marathon and 5,000 for mini marathon. The total registration quota has increased from last year's 8,000 to 10,000 this year. However, the quotas were filled within one day due to the overwhelming response. In order to increase the attractiveness of the event and to encourage the runners to break the records, the organizers have increased the prize money of full marathon and half marathon, totaling MOP 2.16 million.
Athletic Track Covers Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge
A record-breaking highlight of this year's event is the athletic track. The full marathon and half marathon will be running through Nam Van, Anim'Arte Nam Van, A-Ma Temple as well as Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge.
Kuok Chi Wai and Hui Long be the Specially Invited Athletes
Every year, the organizers invite one male and one female athlete to represent Macao. This year, Kuok Chi Wai and Hui Long have been specially invited to join the full marathon. Hoi Long said, “This is the 7th year to be invited in the event. I haven't started my marathon training yet as I have to focus on the coming triathlon in October. I have to gain the required credits to be listed in the world ranking in the Hong Kong Life ASTC Sprint Triathlon Asian Cup 2016, then I will join the 2016 Miyazaki ITU Triathlon World Cup, therefore I will have to wait until November to begin the marathon training. I don't know for certain but my baseline time will be 3 hours 8 minutes.” Hoi Long, who does not come from a track and field background, said that she is familiar with the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, “I remember that 20 years ago, my mom bought two bikes. She took me to cycling when we were on holidays. One of my most impressive memories was we pushed our bikes through the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge to Taipa. She taught me how to ride on the slopes and how to do the shifting. After that we returned to Macao Peninsula via the Bridge. This was how my mom tried to nurture my interest on cycling.”
Kwan Wai Man: Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge is Macao's Landmark
When talking about the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, Kwan Wai Man, a veteran long-distance marathon athlete who is going to participate in the full marathon, said, “Although I do my daily training running on this Bridge, but it has been more than 10 years since last time I joined a competition there. For me, running on the Bridge is no big deal, and I have lots of memories here. The Bridge is a significant landmark of Macao. I hope that I could recall the past memories through joining this event. If it is possible, I hope that the racing track could cover Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in future. I believe the marathon will be really eventful to have citizens cheer us along the way.”
Iao Kuan Un: New Experience and Old Memories
Iao Kuan Un, who has been focusing on half marathon in recent years, will also continue his challenge in this year's event. However, he hasn't thought about his finish time yet. He said, “As this is a new route, there are many turns and less straight roads to keep the running speed, therefore I'll be more conservative on the target finish time. I hope I could keep a normal performance in the competition.” When talking about the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, Iao said that it is either love or hate, “I was a green horn and joined a competition to run on the Bridge for the first time when I was in high school. The steep slope is unforgettable. I have never run a marathon on the Bridge, therefore it is a totally new experience for me but also full of memories at the same time.”
Great Time and Challenge
There are more and more marathon lovers as review from the increasing number of the marathon registration year by year. Some of them are veterans while the others are green horns. Therefore, three marathon skilled-hands gave their advice, “There are almost no repetitive routes in this year's marathon. We can see that the organizers did a careful plan on designing the routes. The wonderful part would be the fore section as it covers Macao's famous landmarks such as Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, Sai Van Lake, Macau Tower, Kun Iam Statue, A-Ma Temple and Sai Van Bridge. The runners may enjoy a great time but the rear section will be the real challenge as there are more open areas and less audience in Taipa. It will be more boring. Therefore I think the greatest challenge is in the rear section, there are no slopes for the runners to speed up or take some rest. The runners at that time will have consumed some of their energy, therefore they need to focus and maintain their speed while running on the plain roads.”
What's more, as the event will start early in the morning, the runners should pay more attention on the road situations in order to prevent any accidents. “The rear section in Taipa and Coloane seems to be straight roads but indeed there are some pot-holes. Therefore, the runners should bear in mind not to sprain their ankles. Besides, keep warm before and after the marathon. Make a good plan on the distribution of physical strength. Adapt themselves in advance to their equipment like clothing and running shoes. Drink water wherever they pass by the supply points.”
