As December came back around, it was time for another (my second) Amazing Thailand Marathon 2024. Last year’s was my first marathon, so I wanted to do it again this year.

Getting There

Getting there was the worst part. I made the mistake of taking a Grab and due to extensive road closures, got dropped off 5km away from the start line. With the clock ticking, I started running towards the venue. On the way, I came across a shuttle bus which was ferrying people who had abandoned the 42k/21k and hopped on it. However, soon, its way was blocked by runners and I spent 20 mins in it while it was sitting stationary while 2 women fainted.

Eventually, I got back off and ran the rest of the way to the starting line & reached just on time.

The race

This race was special, because Eliud Kipchoge was running with us (yes, in the 10k).

They put me in Block D at the back (1h45m finish) and it was agonising trying to outrun the slow pokes and move ahead. The first 2 splits were spent trying to find openings to overtake them. After that it was much easier to run freely.

The weather was cool enough to be comfortable. The route was pretty scenic, passing next to some of the most well-known and beautiful landmarks of old Bangkok.

I was surprised to catch-up to Kipchoge (and the queen), around the 5th split and it was exhilarating passing them. It was nice to see that instead of showing-off and leaving everyone in the dust, he took it slow and let many people pass him. He certainly inspired me and hopefully thousands of others to push harder.

Unlike other 10ks, I did quite well, relatively, in the second half (buoyed by the presence of Kipchoge) and for the first time in my life, finished a 10k below 60 mins.

The Stats

I felt high from the race for the rest of the day (And next day).

A Year (And a bit more) in Comparison

Below, I did a comparison of my last six 10ks over a year.

Month	Run	Time (hh:mm:ss)	Energy (Kcal)	Shoes
Dec ’23	Amazing Thailand ’23	01:10:33	732	Hoka Arahi 6
Mar ’24	SWU Run together ’24	01:01:45	744	Hoka Clifton 9
May ’24	Bangkok Park Run	01:03:58	725	Hoka Clifton 9
Aug ’24	Run for Mom	01:02:44	721	Hoka Clifton 9
Oct ’24	Garmin Run Asia ’24	01:03:02	704	Hoka Clifton 9
Dec ’24	Amazing Thailand ’24	00:59:47	702	Hoka Clifton 9

Having done a sub-60 mins 10k once, I want to do it again, many times.