Joining the Rayong Marathon is actually not part of my plan for this 2017. Went to Thailand only once this year for the Koh Chang Marathon, I felt I need to do one more in Thailand. It is always enjoyable to race in Thailand because as usual the race is relatively cheap, with good after services and many good after rest and relax.
Busy Bangkok : First Stop To Rayong
Where is Rayong?
An Eastern Thai Province on the Gulf of Thailand, it is well known for its national parks and beaches. The famous places in Rayong include the town of Ban Phe which has a famous market for tourists, and it is also the place for boats to Koh Samet, an island for its beaches and natural scenery. The Mae Ram Phueng Beach is a long flat beach that offers panoramic views, while the Laem Mae Phim beach has smaller waves and quiet beach side restaurants.
If you do not enjoy boisterous noisy touristy places like Pat Pong of Phuket or Kuta of Bali, then this place is totally suitable for you. There are not many foreigners and the beaches are long and quiet but yet very scenic.
From Bangkok you can take the mini van from Ekkamai Station, it costs about 160 Baht for a 3 hours ride to Rayong. From the terminal station in Rayong, you still need to hire a taxi to the Mae Ram Pheung Beach. Most of the runners are staying around this area as it is the nearest to the start point, Rayong Aquarium.
Rayong Marathon
Rayong Aquarium
The race is very local, I do not see many foreigners joining, needless to say the Africans. Catered to the locals, runners and staff of the PTTGC company ( A local Chemical company which is also the main organiser for the race). The race has Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and 5km challenges.
Official Website for Rayong Marathon
http://rayongmarathon.com/
Signing up for the Full Marathon, I had a 7 week training plan before coming here. I must say I was quite prepared to clinch a good timing. The course is flat and breezy, starting at 3:30 am in the morning means that you will hardly catch the sun. Mostly along the beach, the course is very good to tackle and there are not much traffic in this quiet town.
Race Pack Collection
Race Pack collection site
Sporting goods on sale at the collection site
medal display
Held at the start point itself, the Rayong Aquarium is the main highlight of the event. Race pack was collected in a set up tentage over there and there were many vendors around selling sporting wear and goods. The race pack is simple, just Tee shirt, Bib. The bib has no time chips so meaning it is really based on honesty and trust of the sportsmen to not cheat along the way.
The organisers also place a lot of food stalls around the race village , and the best part is that these were actually for the runners when they finish their runs in the morning. Something which does not happen in Singapore as we only have bananas.
The weather in Rayong gets really hot in the day, but the night is always cool and breezy.
Race Course
Start and End line
Race preparations
All the race courses of the race starts and ends at the Aquarium itself. There were 2 U Turns and that's it, no ups and downs, no hilly roads or challenging courses. I totally enjoy this race, but I guess it is the night time that caused me to feel tired and sleepy at times. Keeping a steady pace, I managed to shake off a bit of crowd, there were not many participants to begin with, so it is really a very happy and fulfilling run.
Along the way there were hydration points as stipulated on the hydration map. Towards the end, there were stations with water melon and pine apples to quench your thirst too. Red bull in bottles are also available. The medical teams are very on the ball, they were patrolling up and down the route so it is really quite safe for the runners. Muscle runs for runners were also available in spray form.
I must say this race is really one of the most enjoyable if not for the very early start.
Finisher
All finishers get a bag of breakfast which is over and above the food stalls there. Medal and Finisher tee( only for Full Marathon) were the main items for the Full Marathon participants.
For the first 10 females who comes in within the stipulated time for each distances, 2,000baht reward will be given, and the best part is that every age category, there are 5 places for fastest runners to get their trophy.
There are shuttle buses ferrying runners to and fro the carpark to the finish line area. The carpark is actually about 1km away, this is to prevent congestion in the small narrow road towards the aquarium.
Rayong marathon is very memorable for me because of the good course. I was able to maintain my bare speed, although this is not my fastest marathon done, it was definitely enjoyable!
