Running to inspire others

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SOME people participate in marathons to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some have their eyes set on the medals, while some, like Md Shariff Abdullah, run to inspire others.

As the amputee marathoner with a prosthetic left leg approached the finishing line of PJ Half Marathon, the spectators welcomed him with applause and cheers.

Fellow runners and officials on duty also stopped in their tracks to congratulate the 43-year-old when he was assisted to the first-aid tent to nurse a cramp in his right thigh.

Against all odds: Md Shariff (centre) receiving applause and cheers from the crowd as he approaches the finishing line.

“I was born without a left foot and had to amputate my left leg below the knee in December 2008 following a skin infection.

“I almost wanted to give up but I was inspired by world double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorious. I told myself, ‘if he can do it, why not me?’” Shariff, who is known as the Singapore Blade Runner, said.

The Singaporean reached Petaling Jaya at midnight and spent a few hours in a hotel lobby before catching a cab to Petaling Jaya Stadium in Kelana Jaya at 4am.

It was his first time participating in PJ Half Marathon and he clocked close to three hours but it did not bother him. He even stopped at 18km to help a runner, who was suffering from leg cramps.

“If I can do this, everyone else can too. Don’t give up.

Striking: Although in a sarong, Yim Heng Fatt completed the 21km.

“I’m heading to Sabah next for the Sabah Adventure Ultra Trail Marathon and then Penang for the Penang Bridge International Marathon,” he said.

Marathoners prefer comfy running apparel but not Yim Heng Fatt, who ran 21km in a sarong.

“I wore this for two reasons — to make it harder for myself and to make people smile.

“There used to be a man running barefooted in sarong and he succumbed to cancer later. I am sort of continuing his legacy,” the 41-year-old IT manager from Puchong said.

Despite the restriction from the fabric, he clocked one hour and 54 minutes and received a finishing medal.

The run was also a good platform for families, friends and colleagues to bond.

R. Sethuraman, 43, and his wife Sugeeta Menon, 40, had no problem waking their two children up at 5am because they were all excited about the event.

“Sethuraman, who is an avid runner, always shows them the medals and goodie bags he received from the race.

“By signing up for the 3km family fun run, they also got their share of the goodies this time,” Sugeeta, a teacher, said.

Khairul Izham and Nurziana Harun, both 34, took their five boys aged between eight months and seven from Selayang to the run.

The twin babies were wide awake since 4.30am but soon fell asleep in the prams not long after the category was flagged off.

Nine employees from Malaysia Milk Sdn Bhd, the manufacturer of Marigold and Vitagen, were sponsored by their company to run in the 10km and 21km categories, and four of them walked home with finishing medals.

Sales operations manager Tan Boon Peng said it was a good teambuilding session for the team.