Over 2,000 runners join Guam’s Ko’ko’ half marathon

MANILA, Philippines - Over 2,000 international runners gathered at the Governor Joseph Flores Memorial Park (Ypao), in Guam for the 9th Annual Ko’ko’ half marathon and Ekiden relay last Oct. 19.

The Ko’ko’ road race attracted visitors from over seven countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, as well as participants from across Oceania and the CNMI. Alongside Filipino runners from Guam, celebrity runner and crossfit athletes from the Philippines also participated in the running event under the banner of Team United Manila, which consists of Rovilson Fernandez who ran the half-marathon and Kirby & Shavonne Martin who took on the Ekiden challenge.

Kawari from Japan once again finished on top of the half marathon, for the second straight year, with a time of 1:13:30, while Uetani, likewise finished as the top female runner with a time of 1:23:02. Team United Manila’s Fernandez finished with a time of 1 hour and 59 minutes for the 21K run, while couples Kirby and Shavonne completed the Ekiden relay in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

“On behalf of GVB and our Ko’ko’ partners, we congratulate and thank our participants, volunteers, first responders, media partners and supporters”, said Karl Pangelinan, GVB General Manager.

For the 9th Ko’ko’ road race, the Philippine representative office of the Guam Visitors Bureau partnered with United Airlines to fly the country’s delegation for the annual running event, with National Rent-a-Car helping out for the in-island tours.

For inquiries,  visit the Guam Visitors Bureau’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/visitguamusa.