PHNOM PENH, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- A French man and an Australian woman took the spoils in the 23rd Angkor Wat International Half Marathon at Cambodia's famed Angkor Archeological Park on Sunday.
In the men's 21-km race, Frenchman Valentin Cuzzucoli crossed the finish line first in 1:17:18, followed by Japan's Daisuke Yamauchi, who finished second in 1:18:12, and Jackey Chap Man Wang from Hong Kong, who ran 1:18:47.
In the women's competition, Australian Bec Rosel won the race in the time of 1:28:45, followed by Maire Nic Amhlaoibh of Ireland and South Africa's Bronwyn Small, who finished in 1:31:33 and 1:33:04 respectively.
Some 10,500 athletes, including 5,200 foreign nationals from 78 countries and regions, took part in the event, an increase of 15 percent over last year, said Thong Khon, President of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), who also serves as Minister of Tourism.
According to event organisers, the annual event is aimed at promoting the Angkor Archeological Park to the world, and proceeds from the run go to landmine victims, local children's hospitals and the Cambodian Red Cross.
In addition to the half marathon, the event also consisted of a 10km race and a 3km fun run.
Located in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archeological Park, which has featured on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites since 1992, is the kingdom's most popular tourist destination.
