2,000 runners join int'l marathon in tsunami-hit Thai tourist spot
August 18, 2006About 2,000 runners from several countries participated in an international marathon in Phuket on Sunday to help boost tourism in the southern Thai province, which was hit hard by a massive tsunami in December 2004, organizers said. Former Japanese Olympic female marathon runner Akemi Masuda and Thailand's top marathoner Boonchoo Jandecha were among the runners at the 2006 Phuket International Marathon, the organizers said.