1. Bringing the community together
"Now people in Pursat understand how important sport is and they have changed their habit: more people do exercise and go jogging in the morning and evening along the river"
The Pursat River Run is not confined to a stadium but is a very public event. The course takes runners right through the middle of Pursat Town, which makes it a truly town-wide celebration of running, encouraging passers-by and spectators to get involved in running. This can explain some of the Run's growth over the last four years.
The Run is inclusive of the whole community in Pursat: runners have ranged in age from 11 to 65, and have included policemen, soldiers, government officers, company employees and NGO staff. Disabled people have also participated. Outside of Pursat, the Run has welcomed runners from the neighbouring provinces of Kampong Chhnang and Battambang, and others from as far as Phnom Penh and Poipet.
2. Inspiring and rewarding talented youth
Talented runners in Pursat are encouraged and motivated by the opportunity to win trophies and cash prizes - prizes range from 250,000 riel (about $62.50) for 1st place to 40,000 riel ($10) for 15th. These cash prizes have helped many poor rural youth with school expenses and with family income-generating activities. They also gain less tangible rewards - the chance to stand on a podium in front of a crowd of hundreds, to be presented with their prizes by the Provincial Governor - the enormous smiles on the faces of the winning athletes speak for themselves!
In addition, money raised by the Pursat River Run enables some of Pursat's best runners to continue to fulfil their potential by travelling to other races nationally, such as the Angkor Marathon. Often this is the first time for them to travel so far from home, and as well as a sporting opportunity, it is a great opportunity for personal development and broadening horizons.
3. Developing grass-roots sport
Not everybody can be a champion athlete, but everyone can benefit from sport and play at school. Unfortunately many schools, especially in rural areas, don't have adequate budget to buy sport equipment such as footballs and volleyball nets. Funds from the Pursat River run have been used to provide such equipment to several rural schools in Pursat.Below: Presenting sport equipment to a school in rural Pursat province
Above: Hem Bunting at the award-giving ceremony of the 2008 Pursat River Run
4. Giving opportunities to Cambodia's elite runners
Every year some of Cambodia's elite runners take part in the Pursat River Run. This gives them valuable race experience, in a country where there are few such road-races. The 10k winner in 2007 and 2008 was Sean Sopheak, who has represented Cambodia at the Asia and ASEAN Games. The national runners enjoy the chance to race competitively against each other and win cash prizes! And local Pursat runners like to see how they compare against the country's best!
In 2008 we were privileged to welcome Hem Bunting, Cambodia's national marathon record holder, who represented Cambodia in the Beijing Olympics, as guest of honour.
5. Promoting disability
Since 2008 the Pursat River Run has included two parallel races for disabled people: one for amputees (mainly survivors of landmines) and one for wheelchair-racers. These races have been organised in association with a local NGO in Pursat, Disability Development Services Programme.Due to their mobility problems, disabled people often can't travel far outside of their villages. It is therefore a remarkable once-a-year event for them to proudly take to the streets in the middle of Pursat town! The disabled athletes thoroughly enjoy the competition, and the races boost their self-esteem and build camaraderie between them. The races also increase the public visibility of disabled people, sending a powerful sign to the community that 'disability is not inability.'
The Pursat River Run has also helped DDSP to raise funds to support its activities.
6. Promoting Pursat
Pursat is not on many tourists' itineraries and the only Westerners generally seen in town are NGO workers and a few lost backpackers. The Pursat Tourism Office is keen to promote the province's attractions (click here for more details). The Pursat River Run has succeeded in bringing international visitors to Pursat, which is good news for local hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Promoting Pursat's tourism has always been one of the goals of the run, and in 2009 the local authorities made more of an effort by distributing a new tourist guide book at the event.