Ko’ko’ Half Marathon & Ekiden Relay Goes The Distance in 9th Year

GVB Signature Event returns with new course, race festivities and fun

(Tumon, Guam) The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB), along with the Pacific Islands Club, DFS, Docomo Pacific, Powerade/Fruita+, the Stations of KUAM and United Airlines, announced today that preparations are underway for the 2014 Guam Ko’ko’ Half Marathon and Ekiden Relay. The GVB signature event has reached its ninth year and will take place on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at Governor Joseph Flores Memorial Park (Ypao).

“GVB is proud to bring back Ko’ko’ with the help of our sponsors and supporters. We have some exciting new changes that will streamline the course and generate more fun,” said GVB General Manager Karl Pangelinan. “The buzz around Ko’ko’ continues to build up. Early registration numbers have already reached a 40% increase over last year in advance of the first registration cut-off on August 29th. We encourage our island residents and visitors to register, learn more about Guam’s indigenous Ko’ko’ bird and help us celebrate our ninth year in style!”

New Features

This year, the Ko’ko’ ekiden relay (four person team) course will change to the same route as the half marathon, but will turn around in Tamuning near the United City Ticket Office. The current half marathon solo course will remain the same, starting and finishing at Governor Joseph Flores Memorial (Ypao Beach) Park with the turnaround point in the village of Asan.

Post race festivities will also begin immediately after runners complete the half marathon or ekiden relay, with an awards ceremony, cultural activities and the return of a post-race breakfast being offered.

“It’s our ninth year of this GVB signature event and we wanted to do something different in celebrating how this event brings our local and international communities together,” said GVB Deputy General Manager Nathan Denight. “We invite our participants to dress up in costume or wear festive running attire to mark this occasion. Everyone can also look forward to cheering squads, water stops, cool zones and entertainment along the entire course.”

Race Ambassadors: Ko’ko’ Roadies

As another new element to the Ko’ko’ Half Marathon and Ekiden Relay, GVB decided to name several local participants Ko’ko’ Ambassadors and follow their respective journeys leading up to race day through social media. Also known as the “Ko’ko’ Roadies”, the ambassadors include Radio personality “Kai the Pinay”, High School Educator Michelle Franquez, Small Business-owner and Guam Young Professional Dee Perez-Damian, American Ninja Warrior Billy Navarette, Sushi Chef Hidefumi Iseki, two-time Asian Open gold medal champion and Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Sumika San Nicolas, GVB PIO and veteran marathoner Josh Tyquiengco, and triathlon champion Gabe Lombard.

Register Now & Win

Register at the GVB Office in Tumon or online at www.guamkokoroadrace.com before August 29th and take advantage of early bird registration fees. Ekiden Relay teams entering the school division can register their teams for just $20 or $5 per runner.

Register now and then go online to the Ko’ko’ facebook page, GVB instagram (@visitguamusa) and twitter (@visitguam) to find out how you can win two round trip tickets to Hong Kong on United, an exclusive Ko’ko’ training tee, and other prizes. Registration closes October 15th, but is subject to change.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer