3rd Edition of the 250 km along the Mekong Kicks Off

The third edition of the 250 km running along the Mekong River set off on Dec. 27. Photo provided

PHNOM PENH – The third edition of the 250 km running along the Mekong River set off on Dec. 27. The goal is to reach Phnom Penh by Friday and raise funds for the NGO Ptea Clara.

Véronique Messina has been living in Cambodia since 2012 and one of this year participants. Her passion? The ultra trail: running a dizzying number of kilometres in a row.

She has had the opportunity to run in the most varied environments:  deserts (Sahara in Morocco, Gobi in China, Ica in Peru, Gujarat in India), mountains (Bhutan, Nepal, Transylvania in Romania, the Alps in France and Switzerland, Gaoligong in China, Taiwan), jungles and rainforests (Sri Lanka, Sao Tomé), ice (crossing the frozen Baikal lake in Siberia), the countryside (Compostelle path in France, Rajahstan in India)  Just last month, she won the 30th edition of the International Himalayan Run and Trek, in Nepal, a race of 161 kilometres per stage in 23 hours and 02 minutes.
Véronique Messina has been living in Cambodia since 2012 and one of this year participants. Photo provided
In 2020, restrictions due to the pandemic meant that she could not leave Cambodia. She took the opportunity to found what is now likely to become a classic: the 250 km along the Mekong. In four days, the participants will go from Kratie to Phnom Penh, on foot or by bike. Some will cover the whole distance, others will do only a portion of it, it doesn't matter.

In addition to the personal challenge to be revealed, each participant will support Ptea Clara, a local NGO founded by a French association "d'une famille à l'autre" which runs a home for 160 poor children in Phnom Penh.

This year there are 18 of them in the starting blocks: 5 runners, 1 team of 2 (they share a bike for 2) and 11 cyclists. Other riders will join them during the race, for one stage or another.

The first two editions of the 250 km along the Mekong in 2020 and 2021 have already raised more than $26,000 for the construction of a water tower and the purchase of bicycles and computers. The athletes set off this morning from Katrie and are expected to arrive in Ptea Clara just before noon on Friday 30 June, where a celebration will be held in their honour.

To support their efforts and the association, several solutions are possible: an ABA account 003625497 "one family to another" or on the HelloAsso account.

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