By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 2: International runner Anderson Saitoti Seroi from Kenya won the Kuching Marathon 2022 held in Sarawak’s capital city earlier today.
The 26-year-old was the first to cross the finish line in the 42km category with a record of 2 hours and 32 minutes.
Speaking to reporters, he said it was his first time joining a marathon in Sarawak, acknowledging the local weather which he described as very different to other countries he has competed in, as his main challenge to finish the mission.
“The weather was quite hot but I was happy to finish the run despite facing great competition from the other runners.
“The most intense part was when I was at the last few kilometers (KM39) of the route where I had to gather the remaining energy that I had just to get to the finish line,” he said.
Seroi’s name is no stranger in international marathon events as he has made the headlines many times including winning the Ulan Bator International Marathon in Mongolia in May this year and Venice Marathon in Italy last year.
Meanwhile, former Malaysian long-distance running athlete Muhaizar Mohamad, 37, was among the seasoned competitors who participated in the same event category which started as early as 1am today.
Muhaizar, who is also a former SEA Games bronze medalist, managed to finish the run in fourth place in the international category with a record of 2 hours and 48 minutes.
The 7th edition of Kuching Marathon saw about 10,000 people participating across four categories, namely Full Marathon (42km), Half Marathon (21km), 10km Fun Run and 5km Fun Run.
The event was organised by Kuching Marathon Association in collaboration with Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) and Tourism Malaysia. — DayakDaily
