: ::History of Angkor Wat International Half Marathon 2008:: :

Angkor Wat International Half Marathon

- The country of land mine which needs the artificial limbs the most -

Runner's Aid started in 1994 in Japan, as fund raise activities for the artificial limbs production in developing countries using a part of their entry fee of marathon. The activities called all the participants of people's marathon all over Japan.

In developing countries, 2 million children are suffered from polio, which already is brought under the control in developed countries. If they can wear the artificial limbs promptly, they will be able to walk.

The 10% of 12 million of Hansen's disease sufferers all over the world needs shoe shaped limbs. In Cambodia, as a result of internal fighting, there are many people who lost their limbs by the anti-personnel land mines. Cambodia has been strewn with more landmines than any other country, and every month hundreds are killed or maimed. Now the 3,500,000 maimed people out of 5 million from all over their world live in Asia, and need to exchange their prosthetic limbs every 3 to 4 year. However they have to produce by their own since Japanese products are too expensive... The director of Rehabilitation Center of Hyogo, Dr. Sawamura's idea of "Asia prosthetic limbs Center" is a plan to develop factories, machinery, and human recourse.

Today, runner's aid are now beginning to be common among the runner's events in west part of Japan. "Highway Run" took place in Kobe in 1992, and GISHI Run (which inspired by "GISHI" =artificial limbs in Japanese) are of the examples.

"Is there any way to fundraise in more direct and effective way? Is it possible to hold marathon event within Cambodia? The 7 people's discourse (4 from Sankei Shimbun Newspaper, 3 from Cambodia) in Macao was hold from this very question.

In April 23 to 27 in 1996, 3 personnel visited Cambodia to research the situation. At that time, they were attended with soldiers with automatic rifles in their hands. Would it be guaranteed to hold safe event at all? Finally there was a pledge from the authorities concerned as "practice as a national event" which made the very first Angkor Wat International Half Marathon. This continues until today, despite of various disturbance such as an outbreak of conflict.