Press Release - Khalida Cox of the UK and Nicky Flannery of Ireland captured international titles at the thrilling 7th Sāmoa International Marathon in Savai'i on Saturday, July 13th. Flannery set a new men's race record with an impressive time of 3h 14m 25s, while Cox achieved her goal by finishing under five hours with a time of 4h 51m 46s.
The race kicked off for our winners at 4:20 am from Sāpapāli'i, in front of Le Rosalote Accommodations. Flannery finished in Manase at 7:34 am, overtaking all the runners who started at 2 am. Despite initially doubting his ability to achieve a sub-3h15m marathon, Flannery ran like a young gazelle throughout the race.Reflecting on his experience, Flannery praised Sāmoa, saying, "The people are friendly, and the landscape is incredible. Sāmoa is number one definitely (race). It’s a bit hot, but the post-race experience is amazing. I’d recommend it to anyone."
Cox, completing her 8th marathon, was overjoyed. She shared, "I'm a bit emotional and I’m chuffed to bits. I'm very happy with my time. It’s my hottest marathon yet, and the heat hit me hard at 15 miles, but luckily it was a cloudy morning."She also expressed gratitude for her support driver, "The support was amazing. My driver and I got into a great routine. Thank you very much."Every marathon runner had a support vehicle from start to finish, ensuring safety and a well-supported race.
Event facts:
Participants - 41
Marathon - 8
Half Marathon - 11
10 km - 3
6 km - 2
3 km - 17
Oldest participants - Rheinard Nass Germany 79 (10 km), Toshinori Watanabe 79 yrs (Marathon).
Youngest participant - Tamara Siaosi aged 6 of Faga, Savai'i.
Local participants: 21 (inc. 3 expats)
Countries represented: Germany (2), UK (1), Ireland (1), USA (4), Australia (2), Hong Kong (1), Japan (1), Aoteraoa NZ (10), Russia (1).
Video - Cox Khalida Cox Sāmoa Marathon
Video - Flannery Flannery - Marathon interview
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