PRESS RELEASE – The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) announced their exciting plans for Ko’ko’ Weekend, taking place later this month. Ko’ko’ Weekend includes two GVB signature running events — The 12th Guam Ko’Ko’ Half Marathon (GKHM), which also offers10K and 5K distances, on Oct. 29 in Hagåtña, and the 11th Guam Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run, which is scheduled for Oct. 28 at Governor Joseph F. Flores Memorial (Ypao Beach) Park in Tumon.

Guests gathered at the Guam Museum to hear more about what GVB has planned for the new Hagåtña course and post-race events. Earlier this year, GVB announced that its signature running event was moving to Guam’s capital of Hagåtña and would provide local and off-island runners with a new and historical running experience.

“Ko’ko’ Weekend is a fun and family friendly event that attracts runners from all over the island and throughout Asia,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “We are excited about giving participants a new experience with the beautiful Hagåtña course. Many of our runners return year after year, and we strive to make each Ko’ko’ event better than the last. We believe everyone will enjoy the enhancements we’ve made to Ko’ko’ Weekend.”

The Guam Ko’ko’ Half Marathon is set for Oct. 29 and will start and finish in Hagåtña. GVB added the new 5K distance to complement the half marathon and 10K courses and to open up the race to runners who prefer a shorter distance.

“The newly designed race courses will give runners a nostalgic experience of old Guam as they are led past historic sites in Hagåtña, while showcasing Guam’s greatest asset,” said Ben Ferguson, Ko’ko’ Event Director and President of Guam Sports Events, Inc., organizers of the event. “Runners will also be able to experience the expansive ocean views from Hagåtña and all through Asan and Piti. It’s sure to be a memorable and fun event.”

The race route is relatively flat, and runners will be able to enjoy aid stations, cheering squads and live entertainment along the course. All runners will receive the iconic Ko’ko’ finisher’s medal and T-shirt after crossing the finish line, as well as post race breakfast and other giveaways.

To complete the Ko’ko’ experience, everyone is invited to enjoy the Finisher’s Festival at the Pacific Village at Paseo de Susanna with beautiful Hagåtña Bay as the backdrop.

All are welcome to enjoy the DJ entertainment during the start party, live entertainment, cultural demonstrations and activities, the awards ceremony and sponsor booths. This event is free and open to the public.

Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run

The 11th Guam Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run, Guam’s most notable kids running event, is set to take place at Governor Joseph F. Flores Memorial (Ypao Beach) Park in Tumon. The Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run is scheduled for Oct. 28and will officially kick off “Ko’ko’ Weekend”. The kids run will offer a 3K for 10-12-year-olds, 2K for 7-9-year-olds, and 1K for 4-6-year-olds. All finishers will receive glow sticks and a Halloween bag, a Ko’ko’ Kids t-shirt sponsored by Coast360, a finisher’s medal and free face painting.

Start times for the races are as follows: 6:30 a.m. for the 3K (Ages 10-12); 7:15 a.m. for the 2K (Ages 7-9); and 8:00 a.m. for the 1K (Ages 4-6). The pre-race registration fee is $10 when parents complete the registration online. The race day registration fee is $15.

There are many family friendly activities planned after the Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run, such as the Ko’ko’ Kids carnival, bouncers by Bounce with Loconut, and costumed characters by Loconut Entertainment. Che’lu the Ko’ko’ Bird mascot will be present before and after each kids race.Families are invited to enjoy the kids trick-or-treat party, iConnect’s sponsor tent with photo opportunities with Super Valueman, a plant station by Coast360 and the Ko’ko’ Kids overall finishers awards ceremony.

Packet Pick-up

Packet pick-up for all participants is scheduled over two days — Friday, Oct. 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. — at the Main Pavilion of the Governor Joseph F. Flores Memorial Park (Ypao Beach).Registration opportunities will be available for both race events at packet pick-up, and runners should refer to the event website for packet pick-up day registration fees for specific race distances.

All runners are required to pick up their packets during these dates. Each packet will contain the race bib, timing chip, participant shirt, official event bag and sponsor giveaways. Packet pick-up will not be available on Sunday, Oct. 29 before the Ko’ko’ Half Marathon.

GVB would like to thank its partners and sponsors of the Ko’ko’ Half Marathon: Gold Sponsors T Galleria by DFS, Powerade / Fruita+, Guam Museum, Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, Pacific Islands Club Guam, Stations of KUAM and United Airlines; Silver Sponsors Hyatt Regency Guam, Sheraton Laguna & Resort Guam, Hotel Nikko Guam, Pacific Daily News, Run Guam, Inc., Value Mobile by iConnect, G4S Security, The Guam Daily Post, Synergy Studios, MidPac and Foody’s Shell; Bronze Sponsors Micronesian Brokers, Inc., International Distributors Inc., Bank of Guam and Pay-Less Markets, Inc.; and Ko’ko’ Kids Sponsors Playport, Trench Kids, Coast360 Federal Credit Union, Bounce with Loconut and Loconut Entertainment. Special thanks are extended to Dickerson & Quinn International Distributors and Archway Incorporated (I LOVE Guam).

Runners can register online for all races at guamkokoroadrace.com and receive event updates by following Guam Ko’ko’ Half Marathon on Facebook (@guamkokoroadrace), GVB on Facebook (@guamvisitorsbureau), Instagram (@visitguamusa) and Twitter (@visitguam).