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Published on January 28, 2008

More than 40,000 runners took part in the race, including around 1,000 in the full marathon. The other three events comprised the 21.10km half-marathon, the 11.55km mini-marathon and the 4km walk-and-fun run. The chill and morning showers failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the runners in the gruelling race.

Chelimo, who finished fifth with a personal best of two hours, 10.47 minutes in the 2007 Beijing Marathon, crossed the finish line in 2hrs 21min and 20sec. However, Chelimo's time was a far cry from the course record of 2:15.17 established in 2005 by South Africa's Neo Molema.

"This is my first marathon in Thailand. The course and weather conditions were superb," said Chelimo, who finished second in the Prague Marathon last May.

The top five runners were all Kenyans. Chelimo landed the prestigious King's Cup and  Bt207,000 in prize money.

Sunisa, who made history last year to become the first Thai woman to win the SEA Games marathon race, captured her third title in 2:52.10.

The pint-sized runner from Oomkoi, Chiang Mai, captured the Queen's Cup and Bt207,000 cash. Defending champion Uryga Wioletta from Poland came in second in 3:00.07.

Preechachan Wiriyanupappong

The Nation