Cyclists from all over the world will gather to experience the stunning Angkor Wat ancient temple ruins while supporting Village Focus International (www.villagefocus.org), a non-governmental organization working in Southeast Asia. The participant who raises the most sponsorships will win a round-trip ticket to the event.

The 80 km course will give participants a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the temples as they once were, free of the traffic of the 750,000 tourists who now visit annually. Participants can expect to be joined only by the locals living in the forests around the temples, who will be cheering the bikers along.

Village Focus is an innovative organization that is making a remarkable impact on the lives of thousands of people in Southeast Asia by empowering local leaders who wish to create positive change in their communities. Target issues include: strengthening civil society and human rights, defending land rights for indigenous people, protecting vulnerable children against trafficking and pedophilia, and promoting fair trade.

This race will be the largest fundraising event for Village Focus and will include pre and post-ride parties, a foot tour of the Angkor temples, and other fun stuff. We will work closely with each participant to help arrange travel plans and logistics. We are asking each participant to support Village Focus by seeking sponsorship from family, friends, and companies, and can help coordinate this aspect of the event as well. Email Brian Pace at bike.angkor@gmail.com for more details or visit http://villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/index.htm to register.

It's not too late to join us in Cambodia for the first Angkor International Bike Race!!

Nearly 2000 participants from over 20 countries will converge in solidarity to bike and run through the “Angkor Wat” complex - one of the 7 wonders of the world. Today in Siem Reap, the town adjacent to the temples, nearly one million tourists have replaced the power outages and gunshot fire from the Khmer Rouge that were common just over a decade ago.

Both events will take place at 6:30 am and be closed to vehicle traffic allowing participants the unique experience of seeing the Angkor temples in a quiet, personal way with local villagers cheering them on. Participants will receive a bike jersey, bottle and T-shirt and are invited to a number of fun activities and outings just before and after the race days.
See www.villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/index.htm and
www.angkorwatmarathon.org/ for details and registration.

The events will benefit Hearts of Gold (www.hofg.org), a Japanese NGO that assists survivors of land mine explosions, and Village Focus International (www.villagefocus.org), an NGO with Cambodian, Lao and American leadership that works to empower children, women, indigenous groups and vulnerable communities. Both groups have extensive experience working in Cambodia and are excited to collaborate for this event. Bikers will act as ambassadors from their community by having friends sponsor their participation.

All proceeds made from the event will go to support child protection and land mine survivor projects in Cambodia. Village Focus currently oversees SMILE, an innovative project that creates opportunities for youth leaders to inform their peers and communities about HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, sex trafficking and other issues using performance and visual arts as education tools.

Anyone interested in participating or sponsoring the event should email Todd at todd@villagefocus.org or go online to register and seek more information.
www.villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/index.htm.