- how do you run a race on the equator with water only every 5K????!!
- don't send people down the heart of the shopping district if you're not going to stop the traffic
- second half totally isolated and boring
- no spectators - wear your own MP3 player!
- no online registration
- no publicity - hard to find out about it

I did the 10 km in 2000 as I had not yet commenced training.(You can do a 10 km or half-marathon as well) I found out less than 2 months earlier about the marathon. Throughout the year there were rumours that there was not going to be a marathon held. When we eventually found out there WAS going to be one, it was too late for me to embark on a training programme anyway. Don't expect any fun or even good scenery for this marathon. There is zero encouragement from anyone except your own friends. There were no spectators, it was extremely humid and all you get is plain water and isotonic drinks, perhaps every 5 km. Because of the small number of participants, any elite athlete capable of sub 3.00 time should be able to walk home with a prize. And the drivers and traffic police have no sympathy for slow runners, not even for fast runners. There was a near collision with a bus experienced by an international elite woman runner. I think she came in 2nd or 3rd in the race. Let's hope the organisers learn from their mistakes.

I ran this race in 1999.

Here is why you do not want to run this race.

(1) Over 26.2 mile in one of the densely populated cities in the world, I saw maybe 10 spectators, mainly people who just happened to be waiting for a bus....which brings me to my next comment...

(2) The course is not completely closed to traffic. YES, you have to share the road with buses, taxis, etc.

(3) EXTREME Humidity. The race starts at 5am, and I was already sweating like a pig.

(4) VERY POOR race organization. Upon arriving at the first aid-stop, they still did not have water poured into cups. There were not enough water stations. They should have water every mile due to the extreme humidity.

To give you some example about the low quality of this race, the course record is 2;28, which was set by a Japanese guy who ran 2:11 the previous year. I would only advise you to run this race if you are one of those crazies who wants to run in the most countries possible.
Enjoy the sweating....