Royalty At Brunei Marathon
By James Kon & Izam S Ya'akub

Bandar Seri Begawan - Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah officiated the 1st Brunei Marathon 2005 at the Empire Hotel and Country Club yesterday.

HRH was welcomed upon arrival before 6am by members of the organizing committee led by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Major General (R) Dato Awang Haji Mohammad bin Hj Daud.

HRH then sounded the horn for the start of the first two marathon races - the Open 42km for men and ladies and the Open 21 km for men and ladies.

Also present at the sounding off ceremony were Pehin Major General (R) Dato Awang Haji Mohammad, Pehin Dato Dr. Awang Haji Ahmad bin Haji Jumat, the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Dato Paduka Haji Hamdilah bin Haji Abdul Wahab, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources and other senior government officials.

More than 2,700 local and foreign participants took part in the largest marathon race that has ever been organised in Brunei Darussalam. Dubbed as the richest marathon in Asia, the 1st Brunei Marathon 2005 has an attractive prize pool totalling up to $500,000.

The 18km category for veteran runners was launched by Dato Paduka Hamdilah while the Director of Tourism Development, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Sheikh Jamaluddin officiated the Students l3 km category.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports launched the category for fun runners which covered a distance of 5.5km which attracted around 1,500 runners.

Around 700 participants were running for Standard Chartered Bank's "Seeing is Believing" fundraising initiative.

Henry Wanyoike, the global ambassador for the bank's "Seeing is Believing" campaign also took part in the marathon together with Brunei Darussalam's very own visually impaired runner Noralizulrainee Ali Yussop.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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