With the course laid out, the water stations stocked, volunteers and supporters on the sidelines, and running shoes securely tied, it was time for 1000 participants to come together and tackle the 4th annual King of the Mountain Trail Run on 2 September 2018. The event was organised by Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort, and is a firm favourite of running enthusiasts. Athletes travelled from other parts of Thailand and beyond to master Khao Phra Thaeo National Park’s breathtaking mountainous terrain.
The course was opened by Mr Noraphat Plodthong, Governor of Phuket, followed by a few words by Mr Thibault Gonnet, Thanyapura’s Director of Sports & Events. “Thank you to all the runners who came today, this is really inspiring to see a thousand people registering for this 4th edition of King of the Mountain Trail Run. I also would like to say thank you to all our sponsors who helped us to make this event greatly successful. We hope that you are going to have an amazing experience today”.
Thanyapura sits at the foothills of Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, the only remaining unspoilt rainforest left on the island of Phuket. It is home to a diverse number of animals including wild boar, gibbons, monkeys, and hundreds of species of birds. In order to respect the environment, runners were strongly advised to leave the area as they found it and not to discard of any garbage enroute. They were also encouraged to bring their own water bottles to refill at the many stations set up when needed.
The challenging route offers runners a choice of a 4km fun run, 8km trail or 15km trail, and takes its runners through a diverse landscape filled with hilly terrain, waterfalls and lush national park forest. All participants received a race kit which included a t-shirt, medal and running bag. For the 8km trail run, Sorachet Srikaew (1:12:01.1) and Ju Tar Yar Htay (1:15:26.2) came in with the third fastest times, Utorn Thaonsa (1:11:53.6) and Remke Langenddonck (1:14:19.9) with the second fastest, and Aupdonkarin Mudsakul (1:05:59.2) and Srirung Kongthap (1:13:17.6) with the fastest. For the 15km course, third place went to Praphai Saomok (1:28:36.8) and Duangporn Hoggan – Saxby (02:04:30.1), second to David Ballesteros (1:26:11.8) and Nina Morris (02:02:54.3), and first place to Luke Mckenzie (1:24:43.3) and Beth Mckenzie (01:40:13.8).
The event has grown exponentially from its humble beginnings of 80 participants 4 years ago, and is now one of Phuket’s most highly anticipated running events of the year alongside others like the Laguna Marathon.
King of the Mountain wouldn’t have been possible without the kind support and generosity of this year’s official event sponsors that include Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, the Department of National Parks, the Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach, Phuket News, 89.75 Radio Trip, Sunshine Market, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Sea Horse Drinking Water and Born Free to Run.
Congratulations to all the runners, volunteers and supporters that came out and made 2018’s King Of The Mountain Trail Run the biggest yet!
More information can be found on Thanyapura’s website www.thanyapura.com
