Five hundred eighteen (518) have registered to run in the first marathon course in Palau that meets international marathon standards, the Belau Omal Marathon. After the marathon registration closed, 518 runners were registered. 155 were locally registered, while 363 were registered online.
Additionally, Palau has gained membership in the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS). Information on the AIMS organization says it works with World Athletics to ensure that road races are accurately measured in order for the road race record to be ratified by IAAF.
The Belau Omal Marathon consists of a full marathon(42 kilometers or 26 miles), a half marathon (21 kilometers or 13 miles), 10 kilometers, and 5 kilometers and meets AIMS requirements.
For the full marathon, there are 62 registered runners and 78 registered for the half marathon. 120 persons are registered for the 10K and 258 persons for the 5K.
The event will take place on June 4th and the race course cover three states, Koror, Airai and Aimeliik. (By: L.N. Reklai)