BOLKIAH GARRISON, Sunday 11 October 2015 – The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) marked its 54th anniversary with a half-marathon held at the mini stadium in Bolkiah Garrison.
This year’s commemorative run was open to the public for the first time.
The half-marathon, which began and ended at the mini stadium, involved three main categories: 21km, 10km and 5km. Each category was divided into four different sections: Open Male, Male Veteran, Open Female and Female Veteran.
“Public response was overwhelming, with 321 participants registering for the event, and over 200 non-registered runners taking part in the half-marathon. We are also pleased to have foreign runners participating in the event, including seven Kenyan runners based in Kuala Lumpur, representatives from the Singapore Embassy in Brunei Darussalam, and members of the Gurkha Reserve Unit serving in Brunei,” Major Sopian bin Haji Mohammad Yassin, chairman of the event said.
The 5km run was officiated by Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Major General Dato Paduka Seri Mohd Tawih bin Abdullah, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), in his capacity as the guest of honour.
Also in attendance was the Deputy Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Tamit.
The winner of the 21km Open Male category, with the time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 10 seconds, was John Lorono Lorira. The 32-year-old runner from Kenya shared his experience of the 21km course, stretching along the Mentiri-Bandar highway.
“Compared to other running courses, this is one of the most difficult runs I’ve ever participated in, especially being in Brunei for the first time,” he said. Fellow Kenyan, Charles Kipkorir Kipsang, finished second at 1.11.29; while Man Bahadur Thapa finished in third place, with the time of 1.19.53.
The awards were presented by the guest of honour to the first 10 finalists of each category in the marathon.
The RBAF 54th anniversary half-marathon was organised by RBAF’s Performance Optimisation Centre (POC), in collaboration with the Royal Brunei Land Force, the Royal Brunei Navy, the Royal Brunei Air Force and the RBAF Training Institute.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
