Trail Runners Give Thumbs Up to Inaugural Trail Titans Event at Kiara Hills

 

16km Men’s Veteran Category L-R  Gloria Ng (Director of Dirigo Events), Juangti Wan Leong (3rd), Ben Hails (1st) and Edward Smith (2nd)

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Aug 2023: The inaugural Trail Titans event, presented by Dirigo Events, owner and organiser of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon, got the seal of approval from participants after they competed in two distance categories at Kiara Hills yesterday. The 16km and 10km distances were keenly contested by over 450 enthusiastic trail runners in what is expected to be the first in a series of trail running events by the esteemed organiser.

In an interesting turn of events, both Men’s distance categories saw Veteran runners come out on top overall, comfortably beating their younger competitors. In fact, the top five positions in the 16km distance were taken by veteran runners. Ben Hails ran a blistering pace to bag the coveted maiden 16km distance title, although he was competing in the Men’s Veteran category, in a time of 02:17:58. Edward Smith came in second in 02:24:51 and Juangti Wan Leong clocked in at 02:27:36 to place third. 

In the 16km Men’s Open category, Teh Kenji clinched first place by clocking in at 02:38:55, while Cian Hulm placed second in a time of 02:53:11, and Alex Fanning rounded up the podium places by finishing third in 02:53:12. 

In the Women’s 16km Open category, Karen Siah took first place in 02:43:49, followed by Priscilla Wong who finished second in 03:08:39 and finishing in third place was Analiza Marcos in a time of 03:29:47. In the Women’s 16km Veteran category, Sook Khim Lim clinched first place in 02:53:28, Francis Lyn Evasco finished in second place in 02:53:46 while Melinda Wang came in third in a time of 03:02:34.

10km Men’s Veteran Category L-R  Gloria Ng, Saw Pook Keong (3rd), Muhammad Asdi (1st) and Kian Kok New (3rd)

In the 10km Men’s category, veteran runner Muhammad Asdi was the overall winner in 01:12:21 while another veteran Kian Kok New took second place in 01:19:22 and Lim Wei Sing finished third in 01:21:03, while placing first in the 10km Men’s Open category. Kaha Sufyan came in second in the Men’s 10km Open category in 01:38:28 while Jerry Chow came in third in 01:47:12.

10km Women’s Veteran L-R  Gloria Ng, Low Guat Peng (3rd), Harum Delima Mohd Noor (1st) and Lynn Ismail (2nd)

In the Women’s 10km Open category, Mei Wai Tan finished first in a time of 01:46:47, followed by Norkhasidah Hamzah in second place at a recorded 01:51:37 and third place fell to Farah Nur Ain Abdul Latif, who finished in a time of 02:16:38. In the 10km Women’s Veteran category, Harum Delima Mohd Noor bagged first place in 01:47:15, while Lynn Ismail finished second in 02:03:46 and Guatpeng Low came in third at 02:07:23.

16km Women’s Veteran L-R  Gloria Ng, Melinda Wang (3rd), Sook Khim Lim (1st) and Francis Lyn Evasco (2nd)

The top three finishers in all categories received winners’ medals and prizes while the top five finishers in all categories were rewarded with free entry into the next Trail Titans event. 

16km Men’s Open L-R  Gloria Ng, Alex Fanning (3rd), Teh Kenji (1st) and Cian Hulm (2nd)

10km Men’s Open L-R  Gloria Ng, Jerry Chow (3rd), Lim Weiseng (1st) and Kahar Sufyan (2nd)

10km Women’s Open L-R  Gloria Ng, Farah Nur Ain Abdul Latif (3rd), Mei Wai Tan (1st) and Norkhasidah Hamzah (2nd)

16km Women’s Open L-R  Gloria Ng, Analiza Marcos (3rd), Karen Siah (1st) and Priscilla Wong (2nd)

Runners tackling the trails

“We want to establish Trail Titans as a brand for runners who are looking for an alternative to road races and we want to build the brand from a grassroots level,” said Gloria Ng, Director of Dirigo Events. “We hope Trail Titans will encourage emerging trail runners to embrace the unique challenges of trail running and enjoy the beautiful scenes of nature while doing it. Kiara Hills is an excellent location for our first event as it is in close proximity to the city but still affords participants the experience of being within nature and amidst breathtaking vistas of the surrounding areas,” she added.

Abdul Haris Shariff

Seasoned trail runner Abdul Haris Shariff, who came all the way from Sungai Petani to participate, was impressed with the organisation of the event, as well as with the meticulously crafted routes. “I’ve taken part in a number of trail running events over the years and I have to say that Trail Titans is one of the better organised events I have participated in,” said Haris. “Everything was well executed, from water stations and the availability of medical personnel to the well-planned routes that were moderate in difficulty but still provided a stiff challenge to regular trail runners like me,” he added.

Karen Siah descending the trails

The scenic beauty of the location was also appreciated by participants who loved the idea of trail running within the city. Karen Siah, who won the 16km Women’s Open title, was one such participant. “It’s amazing that you can enjoy this tranquil setting just a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of the city. Communing with nature while you indulge in your favourite pastime of running is for me, a dream come true and I will definitely be back for future editions,” she said.

Dirigo Events are expected to announce the next edition in their Trail Titans series very soon so stay tuned to their social media channels to be the first to sign up for what is expected to be a sought-after series of events.