By Ling Hui
KOTA SAMARAHAN, Dec 29: Sarawakian runner-up winner of the 77km Asia Trail Masters course at Mount Apo in the Phillipines, Sally Yap will be challenging The TOP Komtar’s tower run in Penang on Jan 8.
The 30-year-old Chinese-Bidayuh mix from the Land of the Hornbills is expected to go up against world’s number one tower runner Soh Wai Ching from Selangor in their conquest of the 1,381-step and 239-metre tall skycraper.
Tower-running is a competitive sport of climbing stairs in tall buildings, which have been held in some of the world’s most iconic buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York, and the KL Tower in Malaysia.
The Komtar tower run will be Yap’s first feat of the year 2023 after her outstanding achievements in various ultra trail marathon races throughout this year.
Yap, being almost entirely self-trained, self-funded and self-taught with no dietician or coach, got into ultra trail marathons in early 2022.
Despite being an eight-month-old novice in this sport, she has since won the Borneo Dragon Back Ultra, Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon, Hutan Ration Road Ultra Marathon, Cameron Ultra, Jagoi Heritage Ultra Trial, and The Most Beautiful Thing in Sabah.
She was also placed third at the Malaysian Mountain Trail Festival and second at the Spartan World Championship Borneo Trail Classic. All events participated involved distances between 50km and 160km.
To prepare for all those hardcore races, Yap said her weekly training involves over 100km of road running and up to 4,000m elevation gain.
“The weekends are the only time I can work on my elevation gain. I usually go to Mount Serapi or Mount Singai to do looping, up and down, up and down.
“I’ve been there so many times that the guard at the entrace of Mount Serapi recognises me,” she said at a press conference held at HSL Tower here today.
Hock Seng Lee (HSL) is one of Yap’s sponsors, other than Coros and Kailas Gear, for her ultra trail marathon at Mount Apo. To return the favour, Yap will be the ambassador for all of HSL’s fitness events and marathons in the future. — DayakDaily
