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
Half Veteran Womens
Lian Bee Hoon - 1:44:28
Kirsten Conrad - 2:03:04
Ling Nyuk Hwa - 3:04:11
10KM Open Mens
Gerald Jutri - 0:40:26
Irwan Faidel Launti - 0:41:31
Jasrin B Keram - 0:42:29
10KM Veteran Mens
John Yates - 0:42:05
Cowboy Miala - 0:44:56
Tony Harvey - 0:45:59
10KM Open Womens
Julie-Anne Jack - 0:50:43
Sim Phei Sunn - 0:55:18
Malia Bt. Jumin - 0:58:48
10KM Veteran Womens
Mariam George Mathew - 0:55:29
Sally Purser - 1:00:30
Lubiah Gudsung - 1:02:33
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
