It was a morning of nerves and excitement as thousands of people assembled along the starting line for the Guam Ko’ko’ Road Races at the Governor Joseph F. Flores Memorial Park early this Sunday morning on Oct 30.

This signature GVB event featured runners from all over the island, as well as runners from other countries such as Japan, India, Philippines and China.

It was a morning that many people have been waiting for ever since sign ups opened up earlier this year. An estimated 1,500 people participated in this years race.

Run Guam Elite members took home first place for both male and female division of the ekiden relay. Japan runners took many of the top spots in the half marathon. The first place winner for men’s division was Japan’s Taisuke Ueda with a time of 1:13:25, first place for females was Asuka Takagi with a time of 1:24:26.

Local runners like Ryan Matienzo, anticipate this race every year.

Matienzo is an active member of Run Guam. “I took leave from work a week prior to the run just to prepare my body for the run. It took a lot of training and proper dieting to make sure that I could perform my best,” Matienzo said.

Matienzo has been running in the Ko’ko’ half marathon races for the past few years and he plans to continue participating in future races.

“I always look forward to this run, it’s usually a lot of fun and we get people from around the world so I get to see the competition and improve my standing every year,” Matienzo said.

People of all ages were invited to participate in this GVB event which included a children’s run, a ekiden relay, a 10k run/walk and a half marathon.

Runners were able to dress in costumes and outfits which brought in a festive spirit. People had a good time as they participated in the run dressed up as superheros, villians, animals and other characters.

“It’s nice to see how people can come together and do what they love as well as support a good cause.” Matienzo said.

Even in the fun of it all, many of these runners spent lots of time and effort preparing for the races since sign ups opened earlier this year. For runners like Matienzo, that hard work paid off.

The Ko’ko’ was was initially started to bring awareness about a major issue regarding the extinction of the Ko’ko’ bird.

This endemic was caused by the growing number of brown tree snakes which have killed off a majority of the flightless bird population.

The proceeds made from the Ko’ko’ run are meant to help the local authorities preserve the existence of this bird. The hope is that the Ko’ko’ run will continue to grow and more efforts can be made to save the Ko’ko’ bird. It was through all the sponsors spirit of the community that this event was a success.