Ly Nary dreams of Olympics berth in women's marathon

Ly Nary runs around the track at Olympic Stadium during her early- morning training session Wednesday. (Photo by: Uy Nousereimony)

Ly Nary stands on the podium in first place after winning the Kep half-marathon on March 7 this year. (Photo Supplied )

Thursday, 08 April 2010
By Julie Masis
The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia’s only female marathon runner, Ly Nary, recalls her troubled childhood, escape to France and return to her birthland along the road to Olympic aspirations

LY Nary sets her alarm for 4:45am every morning, eats a single banana and drinks a cup of coffee before leaving the house. You have to start early, explains the 37-year-old, because after 7am the heat becomes too intense. In the afternoon, she hits the gym for another two hours of exercise on the treadmill and exercise bike.

She is not the only regular early-morning visitor to the stadium, but she is the first, and indeed only, Cambodian woman marathon runner (42-kilometre race runner) according to officials at the Cambodian Amateur Athletics Federation and the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia.

Last year, Ly Nary won a prize for being the fastest runner in her age group in the Khon Kaen International Marathon in Thailand and also completed the New York City marathon. Domestically, she triumphed in this year’s annual Valentine’s Day race in Phnom Penh, as well as the inaugural half-marathon in Kep - organized by the NGO Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia on March 7. In the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon in Siem Reap last December, she finished first out of the Cambodian women.

Ly Nary may also be the only female Cambodian athlete with a post-doctorate degree, having written a thesis on drug resistance to HIV/AIDS medication. She originally started running to raise money for HIV/AIDS.

Please click here to read more...