TrailHiker to expect further improvements this year

Robert Kirby

This year’s edition of Macau TrailHiker, whose current title sponsor is MGM Macau, is likely to see further improvements, the marathon event’s director Robert Kirby remarked.

Kirby recently participated in the 2017 Boston Marathon – one of the most iconic marathons in the world.

According to the marathon enthusiast, there are plans on implementing improvements in this year’s TrailHiker, as seen in the latest marathon in Boston.

“During the marathon I was looking at ideas that maybe we could take away and use in our event [TrailHiker] to make it better,” he told the Times.

Picture taken by Robert Kirby at the event

The Boston Marathon held a three-day expo, “The John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo”, that retailed branded items such as running shoes, tanks and windbreakers, and also provided pre-race information.

Kirby noted that there is an opportunity for Macau TrailHiker  to move towards producing its own branded items, but admitted that it would take both time and planning.

However, the director believed that TrailHiker products would also be in demand, citing that the event attracted 550 teams last year that comprised of 2,200 participants.

Meanwhile, Kirby confirmed that he will work on improving TrailHiker’s bag drop process this year.

“The process that they [Boston Marathon] have was very efficient and I think we can learn from that and perhaps further improve our bag drop process,” said Kirby. “Also all of the volunteers were very friendly and that’s something that I’ve always tried to make happen. […] Those were the things that I will certainly be taking up on.”

Participating in the Boston Marathon was a “dream come true” for Kirby, who is partly based in Macau and partly in Penang, Malaysia.

The Boston marathon has marathon qualifying standards; hence participants in the race are all elite runners.

This year, over 30,000 runners took part in the race; and according to U.S. reports, there were about one million spectators in the 42 kilometer run.

Kirby finished the race in 3 hours and 43 minutes, which put him in the top ten percent for his age group.

“I can see why it sells out, I can see why it’s the number one [marathon] event in the world and I was just in gratitude to be able to have that opportunity to participate,” said Kirby.

On the topic of Macau-based     races, the director revealed that major changes such as adding a 20km course will have to wait until next year, noting that it is still in discussion with its new title sponsor.

This year’s edition of TrailHiker will start and finish at MGM Cotai.

Renamed as “MGM Macau Eco Trail Hiker”, the event will be held on Saturday, November 4, with Macau Daily Times as its official media partner.

Kenyans back in Boston

Geoffrey Kirui, of Kenya, leads Galen Rupp, of the United States, and the rest of the field along the course of the 121st Boston Marathon

The Kenyans were back in Boston after a relative lull that saw them shut out in the world’s most prestigious marathon twice in the past three years.

Geoffrey Kirui won the 121st Boston Marathon earlier this month, pulling away from three-time U.S. Olympian Galen Rupp in the last two miles to give Kenya its first men’s victory in five years. Edna Kiplagat won the women’s race to complete the Kenyan sweep.

They were followed closely by Americans who grabbed two of the top four women’s spots and six of the top ten for men — for the first time  since the race went professional in 1986.

“It’s so exciting to see Americans being competitive here,” said Rupp, the Olympic bronze medalist making his Boston debut. “It’s a real exciting time. And it’s awesome to see American distance running on the upswing and being competitive in these races.”

Kirui finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds to claim a silver trophy, a gilded olive wreath from Marathon, Greece, and the $150,000 first prize. Rupp was 21 seconds behind, with Japan’s Suguru Osako finishing 30 seconds behind him.

Rounding out the top 10 were runners from California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.

“American distance running is looking good today,” said sixth-place finisher Abdi Abdirahman, a Somali immigrant and Tucson resident who is a four-time Olympian. “We have the podium for both men and women, so the future is great.”

Kiplagat finished in 2:21:52 to win her Boston debut, adding her victory to two world championships and wins in London, New York and Los Angeles. She pulled ahead of Rose Chelimo of Bahrain in the Newton hills to win by 59 seconds.