TOP Malaysian marathon runner Shaharudin Hashim, despite a strong field of Kenyans, finished 10th in the 21km men’s Open category in the PJ Half Marathon at the Petaling Jaya Stadium in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
Many of the established local runners chose to stay away from the event because of the presence of foreign participants but Shaharudin opted to race against them. And he should be praised for matching his rivals in the early stages of the run.
But in the end, Shaharudin, from Police, crossed the finishing line in 1’15:06 to settle for the 10th spot.
Kenyans Joseph Mwagi Ngare (1’05:08), `Onesmus Muasya Muindi (1’05:26) and Kasitit Michael Hoywala (1’05:28) took the top three spots.
Shaharudin said he started off well in the first 10km.
“I had a friend to accompany me and we managed to achieve our time. But my friend had to stop at the 11km mark due to cramps.
“I was just left to run behind a group of Kenyans who had gone ahead of me. It was not easy to catch up so I tailed closely behind the two runners in front of me,” said Shaharudin.
Great run: Shaharudin is the only Malaysian to make it to the top 10 of the men’s open 21km race. However, he found the going tough when he reached the ramp before the roundabout at Japan Lapangan Terbang.
Despite his 10th placing, Shaharudin was pleased with his time.
“My aim was to clock around 1’16.00 but I managed a faster time. It could have been because of the strong competition. The PJ Half Marathon is part of my preparations for the coming Penang Bridge International Marathon,’’ said Shaharudin.
Joseph, who won the men’s Open 21km category in the Standard Chartered Marathon this year, said he and his countrymen kept together in the leading pack.
“It is part of our group strategy, We trained together. In a race we keep each other company and motivate one another along the route,’’ said Joseph.
It was also an all-Kenyan affair in the women’s Open category. Esther Wambui Karimi completed the event in a time of 1’16:31 followed by Ann Mukuhi Nihia (1’23:23) and Yucabeth Chelangat Bore (1’23:38)
Esther said the route was an easy one compared to the other runs in Malaysia.
International R. Venugopal, representing Police, also made his presence felt in the men’s Open 10km category.
He finished third in a time of 33:33 while the top place went to Mutai David Kipkiroi in 31:36. In second place was Elphaz Kipchumba in 31:47.
Former Malaysian international Yuan Yufang was the winner in the women’s Open 10km event on 42:01 while Chia Xian Qing Pamela was second in 43:00 followed by S. Sanggeetha in 43:45.
About 4,500 participants took part in the PJ Half Marathon, taglined — Run for a Greener PJ, organised by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the Selangor Amateur Athletics Association (SAAA) and The Star.
The main sponsors were Genneva Syariah, ICI Paints Malaysia, Sports Toto, 100Plus, AmBank Group, Milo and Andaman Property Management.
African power: (from left) Ann Mukuhi Nihia, Esther Wambui Karimi, Kasitit Michael Hoywala, Joseph Mwagi Ngare, Onesmus Muasya Muindi and Yucabeth Chelangat Bore celebrating their win in the men’s and women’s 21km open event. RESULTS
21km
Men
Open: 1. Joseph Mwagi Ngare 1’05:08; 2. Onesmus Muasya Muindi 1’05:26; 3. Kasitit Michael Hoywala 1’05:28.
Veteran: 1. Junichiro Adachi 1’15:59; 2. Mark John Williams 1’17:31; 3. V.Devandran 1’21:33
Women
Open: 1. Esther Wambui Karimi 1’16:31; 2. Ann Mukuhi Nihia 1’23:23; 3. Yucabeth Chelangat Bore 1’23:38
Veteran: 1. Julie Foreman 1’33:15; 2. Susan Khoo 1’37:33; 3. Emer Breen 1’40:32
10km
Men
Open: 1. Mutai David Kipkiroi 31:36; 2. Elphaz Kipchumba 31:47; 3. R.Venugopal 33:33
Veteran: 1. M. Ramakrishnan 37:01; 2. Ong Chin 38:22; 3. Casey Lim 40:34
Women
Open: 1.Yuan Yufang 42:01; 2. Chia Xian Qing Pamela 43:00; 3. S. Sanggeetha 43:45
5km
Boys : 1.Calvin Boon Chang Yik 14:02; 2. Amirul Hakim Johari 14:07; 3. S.Jivana 14:12
Girls: 1. Kim Khoo 21:44; 2. Nor Walieyna Nor Aziz 22:19; 3. Sylvia Moey 23:15
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