More than 12,000 professional and amateur athletes on Sunday took part in the 24th Angkor Wat International Half Marathon at the complex of the famed Angkor Archeological Park in Cambodia's Siem Reap province.

Thong Khon, President of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), said some 4,602 runners were foreigners from 85 countries and regions, and 7,573 were Cambodians.

The figure represented a 20 per cent rise over the same period last year, Khon was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

"It's a pride that this event has become a new magnet to attract tens of thousands of local and foreign tourists to the Angkor at the same time," he said in a speech at the event.

According to the results released by the NOCC, for the men's 21-km race, Saeki Makino of Japan crossed the finish line first in a time of 1:07:34, while in the women's competition, Maire Nic Amhlaoibh of Ireland finished first in a period of 1:24:55.

In addition to the half marathon, the event also consisted of a 10-km, 5-km, and 3-km run.

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