Local runner Milton clinches TMBT Marathon

Published on: Monday, September 23, 2019

KOTA KINABALU: Local runner Milton Amat won the Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) Ultra-Trail Marathon in a time of 14 hours and 22 minutes that was held at the base of iconic Mt Kinabalu on Sept 14-15. Japanese Hisashi Kitamura took the runner-up spot while former champion Alessandro Rizzetto Chini of Italy, third place. It was a tight race for the top spot in the women’s 100km race where Asuka Nakajima of Japan started the race very strong. She, initially, led the pack by 14 minutes at the halfway station. But China’s Danyu Wen over took the lead at 90km and maintained the pace to eventually win in a time of 17 hours 50 minutes with Asuka in runner up and Jcy Ho of Hong Kong in third place.

In the men’s 50km race, Jisub Kim of Korea won top spot in a new record of five hours, 42 minutes ahead of Ryan Whelan of the UK and local mountain runner, Wilsen Singgin. In the women’s 50km category, Lauren Woodwiss of the UK also set a new record with her time of seven hours 28 minutes, followed by Flora Wing Yee Ching of Canada and Jessie Montague of UK. Some 2,000 trail runners that include 600 international runners representing 43 nations pitted themselves against the challenges in six distance categories ranging from a 7.5km Family Run to the full Over 109km main event. The 2019 edition included a new 37km Night Challenge, which provided medium distance runners the experience of running in the night under a full moon. For majority of the competitors, overcoming physical and mental exhaustion to complete the course within the maximum time of 33 hours in the 100km course was the main goal but it also saw top runners giving all out for a podium spot.

Eight different nationalities in the men and seven in the women top ten of the 109km race witnessed strong international field of participants. The TMBT Ultra-Trail Marathon was organised by Borneo Ultra Trails, a member of the International Trail Running Association (Itra). The event is a part of the Ultra Trail World Tour and is a qualifying event of two of the world’s most prestigious races, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and the Western States Endurance Run in the US. The TMBT will be back on Aug 29 to Aug 30 next year for the 10th anniversary race. Before then, the Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon, which this year includes the even larger challenge of the first ever Borneo 100 Mile Ultra-Trail run, will be held in Kiulu on March 14-16, next year. For more information and registration visit www.borneoultra.com/BUTM