Justice
'Marathon Tourism' in Asia Speeds Up
"Sports travel" has hit Asia in a big way, but will Western runners want to trek through Beijing's smog?
It’s dawn in Luang Prabang, a temple-dotted town on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos. Hundreds of orange-clad monks with shaved heads walk in long lines, while townspeople and tourists scoop sticky rice into their baskets and bowls.
This year, though, that procession has an added element: Four hundred and three runners from 23 countries, all here for a charity race called “La Procession.” The funds raised will go to help build a children’s hospital in Luang Prabang.