It’s been a while since we've updated this blog. We do however, hope that this post finds you all happy, healthy and well in 2009.
The second Borneo International Marathon is back! BIM 09 is scheduled for Sunday, 11th October 2009.
Registrations begin on Monday, March 2nd 2009. The same procedures apply as per last year, i.e. online registrations will be available on our website www.borneomarathon.com as well as manual registrations at our office and all Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlets in Sabah and Sarawak.
We’d also like to let everyone know that for those of you who haven’t requested for certificates via email or for those who have yet to collect from our office, we have begun the (admittedly somewhat slow) process of mailing them out via snail mail.
Please do let your running mates, family and friends know about our updates. We look forward to hearing back from you soon and we thank you again for all your support for our first BIM 2008 and hope to welcome you back to Kota Kinabalu in 2009.
Sunday October 12th 2008 saw the inaugural Borneo International Marathon being held in Kota Kinabalu. Over 1,000 runners representing 20 different nationalities made their way to Sabah to test their running prowess on KK's scenic coastal highway which was the main focal point for most runners. With three races offered, namely the Full Marathon (42KM), the Half Marathon (21KM) and the 10KM run, the Borneo International Marathon catered to every category of runner, from the novice to the elite in Sabah's first marathon in over 20 years.
The Borneo International Marathon, affectionately known as BIM, was started by 4 individuals; all part time runners themselves. Andrew Voon, Chris Neilsen, Simon Amos and Urs Weisskopf are working professionals living in KK with a shared passion for running. Feeling that there was a severe lack of good running events in the state, the four founded the Borneo International Marathon in the hopes of raising the profile of running in East Malaysia as well as to reinforce the importance of a healthy lifestyle and to introduce the idea of participating to individuals that probably would have not considered running at all.
"We've had some excellent feedback from participants," said Andrew Voon. "People loved that our route took them through the city and for some it was a tour as well as a run. Lots of runners have pledged to return and to take on the challenge for next year. KK really does offer a different environment and most importantly, a different sort of race. Even seasoned marathoners who have participated internationally were praising our efforts in selecting an original and visually stunning marathon route."
The lead-up to the BIM began on Friday and Saturday with runners collecting their registration packs. Participants were also feted to a welcome dinner pasta party and cultural show hosted by the Sabah Tourism Board on Saturday evening. This was a perfect opportunity for runners to mingle and meet while enjoying an introduction to traditional Kadazan-Dusun dances; some even joining in themselves. The priority for most however was the approaching day and runners were in bed early resting the events to come.
The flag-off for the Full Marathon was at Likas Sports Stadium and kicked off at 4:30am with the Kenyans taking the lead almost immediately. Flag-offs for the Half and 10KM were at 5am and 6am respectively. What the organizers feared would be a wet, rainy day turned into a blazingly hot one that took a toll on almost all runners. There were ample water stations to combat this and runners feedback was that this was an important high-point of the BIM.
The winner of the Full Marathon in the Mens Open category was Kenyan Sammy Kiprop Kiptoo with a time of 2:25:00 followed by Geoffrey Kiprotich Birgen who came in second with 2:26:42 and third place went to Elkana Ruto who finished at 2:33:18.
Full Veteran Mens Paul Hague - 3:10:31 Duanis B Indam - 3:26:38 Yusop Tungkob - 3:31:05
Full Open Womens Fridah Lopeda - 3:18:04 Chan Pui Shan - 3:27:48 Joyce Runo Chemeli - 3:32:43
Full Veteran Womens Tan Lee Huang - 4:57:27 Christina Daramat - 5:00:35 Ang Bee Hua - 5:16:07
Half Open Mens Wilson Kibogo - 1:11:49 Muniandy Ramadass - 1:13:54 Micah Kiprotich - 1:18:01
Half Veteran Mens Guianus Salagan - 1:22:02 Supermaniam Govindan - 1:23:35 Lim Lian Hock - 1:35:02
Half Open Womens Doris Chuchumba - 1:24:10 Michele Tan Bee Kiang - 1:39:26 Mariana Mohammad - 1:41:11
Gerenal feedback from runners was that the Borneo International Marathon was challenging and the heat played a big factor in runners performance. This however did not deter participants from enjoying themselves and their runs with quite a few first-time visitors to Sabah vowing to return and some runners even had the energy to take on Mount Kinabalu a few days after the marathon. Sabahan hospitality shone through and many stated that they appreciated the encouragement shown by volunteers and supporters along the route. On the humanitarian side of things, the BIM managed to raise RM33,000 for 8 charities by way of contributions from participants as well as a donation of RM21,000 from AirAsia's CEO Dato' Tony Fernandes who pledged RM1,000 for every kilometer completed by AirAsia flight attendant Lily Liew in her very first half marathon. The BIM is scheduled for October 11th 2009 and the organisers welcome any interest from sponsors and organizations who are keen to be a part of the second Borneo International Marathon.
More information can be found at www.borneomarathon.com Join our Facebook group
Greetings from all of us at the Borneo International Marathon. October 12th is not that long away now and we’re pretty excited with the upcoming events. Just a few quick points, reminders and some general information :
1)RACE START TIMES
First off we would like to update and remind all runners of the reporting times and flag-off times.
CATEGORY AGE GROUP TIME LIMIT REPORTING TIME RACE START
Full – Open
18yrs – 40yrs
7 hours
4:am
4:30am
Full – Veteran
40yrs and above
7 hours
4:am
4:30am
Half - Junior
10yrs – 18yrs
3 hours 30 mins
5:30am
6am
Half – Open
18yrs – 40 yrs
3 hours 30 mins
5:30am
6am
Half – Veteran
40yrs and above
3 hours 30 mins
5:30am
6am
10KM – Junior
10yrs-18yrs
2 hours
6:30am
7am
10KM – Open
18yrs-40yrs
2 hours
6:30am
7am
10KM – Veteran
40 yrs and above
2 hours
6:30am
7am
400M Kids Run
6yrs and under
9am
9:30am
800M Kids Run
10yrs and under
9am
9:30am
1500M Kids Run
10yrs-12yrs
9am
9:30am
Please be at the reporting station by the time stated for your respective runs. We have had to push back the Full Marathon starting time by 30 minutes due to a request from the police. All other race flag-off times remain the same.
For those of you who are arranging for shuttle transfers with Popular Express on the morning of the event, please double check your hotel pick-up times with them.
Parents, we have added on a 1500M Kids Run for the 10 to 12 year olds. The fees for all kids runs are RM5 (not inclusive of registration pack or shirt)
2)REGISTRATION PACK COLLECTION INFO :
Registration packs will be available for collection on
-Friday 10th October and Saturday 11th October
-From 12pm – 8pm
-At Likas Sports Complex Multipurpose Hall, the same venue for the Welcome Dinner Pasta Party.
-The adidas FootScan system will be made available to runners during this time. Mr. Krishnan Karrupan, the head of running for adidas Malaysia, will be on hand to advise runners on appropriate running footwear.
-We will require your Registration Number or official receipt number. Please have these with you when collecting your packs.
-We will not be able to provide collection for registration packs on Sunday. If you are unable to collect your pack by Saturday please appoint someone to collect it for you.
3)WELCOME DINNER PASTA PARTY
Many of you have indicated your attendance for this pasta party which is generously hosted by Sabah Tourism Board and is free of charge for registered runners. Should you wish to purchase a ticket for a spouse or friend the ticket prices are RM25 for adults and RM15 for children 10 years and below. The Pasta Party is not only necessary for Marathon runners to load up on their carbo intake, but a great opportunity for runners to interact with each other and to make new friends.
Please let me know should you wish to attend.
The Welcome Dinner Pasta Party will begin at 6:30pm at the Likas Sports Complex Multipurpose Hall.
4)VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers are an essential part of any event running smoothly and volunteering offers a great experience for those who do not wish to participate as runners but would still like to contribute in some way to the Borneo International Marathon. We have volunteer forms available for interested parties. Cheerleaders are also welcomed and encouraged so please do get your family and friends to come and cheer you on as you make your way along one of our three routes offered or as you cross the finish line.
If anyone would like volunteer forms please drop me a line and I will email or fax these forms to you.
5)SOMETHING INTERESTING
SabahAir Aviation Sdn. Bhd. will be offering 10 minute helicopter joyrides around Kota Kinabalu at RM115 per person based on 4 people per flight. This offers a fantastic vantage point and new perspective of viewing our beautiful city. Highly recommended for first time visitors to Kota Kinabalu. Helicopter joyrides will be available on Sunday morning at the car park area of Likas Stadium from 8am to 12pm.
6)DEADLINE EXTENTION
Due to last minute interest, we have extended our cut-off dates. We are open for registrations until Monday 6th October.
Should you require additional information please do not hesitate to contact me. We are looking forward to meeting all of you. See you in October!
KK based runners who have been thinking of signing up? We'll be having a B.I.M. booth at next week's Sutera Harbour 7K run on Saturday 26th of July 2008.
Entry forms can be collected, registrations and cash payments may be made on the spot. If you're in the vicinity do drop by at say hi.
The Borneo International Marathon is looking for valuable assistance from the Sabah community to help in making this event a memorable and successful one. We are currently compiling volunteer roles and allocation and more information on this will be available soon.
Should you be interested in contributing your time to this marathon which will showcase Kota Kinabalu internationally please contact us :
Tel / Fax : +6-088-218833 Email : info@borneomarathon.com
Thanking you in advance and looking forward to hearing from you.
Those of you joining our 4th training clinic this Saturday will be in for a special treat. adidas Malaysia will be conducting their Footscan program in conjunction with the clinic.
Mr. Krishnan Karuppan, the head of running for adidas Malaysia and an accomplished runner in his own right will be on hand to guide runners who choose to try out the Footscan program and will discuss information based on their foot strike on a computerized pad and appropriate footwear based on the results.
Runners will also be given a RM50 rebate voucher each on adidas running shoe purchases at selected adidas retail outlets in Kota Kinabalu.
For more information on the above please call : +6-088-218833 during office hours or 012-8022-077 (mobile)
Details :
Saturday 19th July 2008 Likas Jogging Track 3pm
n.b. In the event of rain the clinic will be pushed back to Sunday, same time and place. Due to time constraints however, the Footscan program will not be available on Sunday.
Thanks and hope to see you and your friends there. Happy running!
