Last weekend, 40,000 runners took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur (KL) for the 2019 edition of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM), which saw a record 13,000 runners participating in the Marathon category and 12,500 taking part in the Half Marathon, making the two of the event’s longest distance categories the most well-represented, a testimony to the growing popularity of distance running in the country.

Full Marathon Men’s Open Category

Winning the Full Marathon Men’s Open was Kenya’s Victor Kipchirchir, in a time of 2 hours 19 min 41 sec, to take home the USD17,500 prize money.

Said Victor, who had been making his debut appearance at the KLSCM this year, “It was a tough race as I have never run in this type of heat before but my preparation was good. I am happy to win my first race in KL and I hope to come back again next year.”

Full Marathon Women’s Open Category

And in the Full Marathon Women’s Open category, a Kenyan also emerged victorious, Gladys Chemweno, in a timing of 2 hours 36 minutes 45 seconds, also earning USD17,500 in the process.

Said Gladys on her win, “This event tested me but I am happy to win. KL is more humid than I am used to, but in terms of the terrain, I train in tougher conditions with undulating hills, so KL seemed flat in comparison for me.”

 Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s Category 

And as for the Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s category, this had been a keenly contested affair as Muhaizar Bin Mohamad and his compatriot in the Armed Forces, Nik Fakaruddin Bin Ismail, went toe-to-toe for most of the race.

However, the KL SEA Games bronze medalist Muhaizar broke away towards the end, managing to defend his title and in doing so, won this category for the fifth time, finishing in 2 hours 35 min 23 sec.

Said Muhaizar, who was thrilled to have retained his title, “I think that running and winning in KLSCM before gave me a slight advantage over the other competitors as I know what to expect and so made the right strategy.” 

Muhaizar also continued, “This win will help to boost my confidence ahead of the SEA Games in Manila in November and I hope to bring back a medal.”

Full Marathon Malaysian Women’s Category

And as for the Full Marathon Malaysian Women’s category, Loh Chooi Fern successfully defended her maiden win from the KLSCM 2018, with a timing of 3 hours 21 min 33 sec.

Fern appeared to be slightly disappointed with her timing though, saying that her “result was not really good this time around.”

Asked whether she would be aiming to make it five wins just like her male compatriot Muhaizar, Fern said, “I will try. Maybe I will come back next year to make it three first, and let’s take it from there.”

Fern, who has a 2 hour 58 min 32 sec marathon personal best, which was set at the 2019 Gold Coast Marathon, admits that it is not likely that she can run a sub-three marathon at KLSCM due to the difference in the climate condition.

She explained, “The PB was set overseas and the race conditions there were quite different to this run. The KLSCM is much more challenging in terms of the weather and the running terrain.”

To train for her marathons, Fern, who holds down a day job as a consultant, wakes up early in the mornings to squeeze in her running.

She said, “I do morning training. I need discipline to wake up though. After training, I go to work for eight to nine hours. I run six days a week and have one day of rest.”

Dirigo Events are happy

Dirigo Events, the owners and organisers of KLSCM, are happy with how the race had went.

Said Rainer Biemans, the Project Director of KLSCM and Director of Dirigo Events, “The 11th edition of KLSCM has proven to be an exciting two days that has seen some great competitions in the top categories, which has added to the lustre of our biggest event yet.”

A Full List of Winners for KLSCM 2019: