The scene at the Honda Half Marathon Flag-Off! #SCKLM2017 // Photo credit: Standard Chartered KL Marathon Facebook

More than 36,000 running enthusiasts participated in this international race held in the iconic city of Kuala Lumpur. There were also close to 1,700 running tourists from 52 countries and 75 nationalities taking part making SCKLM a truly international event.

KUALA LUMPUR, 21 May 2017: Close to 36,000 runners converged on Dataran Merdeka to take part in the 9th edition of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon today. Cosmas Matolo Muteti,from Kenya won the Full Marathon Men’s Open category in a time of 2:18:43 to take home USD17,500 while the Full Marathon Women’s Open category was won by Elizabeth Chepkanan from Kenya in a time of 2:36:14 also earning USD17,500 in the process.

Five-time champion Kennedy Kiproo Lilan from Kenya came in second in the Full Marathon Men’s Open with a time of 2:19:35 while Tonui Kiprop from Kenya finished third in a time of 2:20:36 In the Full Marathon Women’s Open, Vikoti Chepkemoi from Kenya took second place in a time of 2:40:08 and Zeritu Begashaw Wakijira from Ethiopia had to settle for third place with a time of 2:42:56.

The Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s category saw a close battle between defending champion Muhaizar Mohamad and Leo Tan Huong Leong. These two vastly improved runners were neck to neck until close to the finish when Muhaizar eventually repeated his triumph in last year’s Standard Chartered KL Marathon with an improved time and personal best of 2:35:55. Leo narrowly finished second in a time of 2:38:06 and Ow Yong Jin Kuan came in third in 2:43:45. The Full Marathon Malaysian Women’s category was clinched by Yuan Yufang in a time of 3:23:00, while Loh Chooi Fern clocked 3:25:55 to come in second and Chua Khit Yeng got third place in a time of 3:33:46

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FM Open winner Cosmas, was delighted that he not only won the title but recorded a personal best while fighting off multiple winner Kennedy. “I was running against strong opponents but I kept to my game plan and really enjoyed the run through some great scenery,” he said.

Muhaizar was also thrilled to have retained his title, especially after the tough competition with Leo. “It was a hard race but I’m very happy to have defended my title and even happier to record another personal best at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon,” he said.

Rainer Biemans, Project Director of SCKLM and Director of Dirigo Events, added “We are extremely pleased to have pulled off SCKLM 2017 without any major hiccups and we hope that all our runners had a memorable run and a great experience overall. It is gratifying to receive such support from the local and international running fraternity and we are committed to continually improve on all aspects of this event and look forward to welcoming all of you for our 10th anniversary in 2018.”

Mahendra Gursahani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank said, “As title sponsor, we are delighted to be able to play a part in empowering people from all walks of life to make a difference through this amazing event. There are inspiring stories everywhere today and this is a testament to the power of the Marathon. Congratulations to all our winners and our sincere appreciation goes out to all participants for their tremendous support.”

This was exemplified by more than 30 visually impaired runners who took part in the 5km Fun Run, along with volunteer “running buddies” from Standard Chartered Bank. 20 autistic children from Permata Kurnia and over 100 underprivileged kids from Sivanandha Home and Care2run also participated in the race across various categories. Standard Chartered KL Marathon’s Run For A Reason charity initiative remains an integral part of the event, channelling funds raised to deserving charities that assist underprivileged communities and those in dire need. This year the participating beneficiaries were the Standard Chartered Foundation, National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Dignity for Children Foundation and Hospis Malaysia.

Efforts to make the Marathon more competitive, like having a seven-hour cut-off time and route checkpoints appear to be paying dividends as more than 8,000 runners signed up for the Full Marathon category this year. There were also close to 1700 running tourists from 52 countries and 75 nationalities taking part making SCKLM a truly international event. SCKLM was also the first stop in Englishman Andy Dukes’ epic marathon ride around the world on his BMW motorbike while running in six marathons in six continents.

SCKLM 2017 Race Day was preceded by the Race Entry Pack Collection from 18-20 May which was a bigger affair this year with the inclusion of the Prudential Healthy Life Expo, as well as the Friendship Run and Pasta breakfast on 20 May which saw Full Marathoners from Malaysia and around the world gather for a warm-up run and mingle in a more social setting.

The view this morning during the FM Flag-Off. // Photo credit: Standard Chartered KL Marathon Facebook

 

Apart from the Full and Half Marathons, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2017 also featured a 10km distance and a 5km Fun Run for social runners, along with Kids’ Dash categories for children under 12 years of age. There were also several categories like the Corporate Challenge, Media Challenge, Universities Challenge and Ministries Challenge to either raise money for charity as well as provide friendly competition and bragging rights for the eventual winners.

The Standard Chartered KL Marathon has grown to become the premier running event in Malaysia, drawing thousands of local and international runners to the country whilst firmly establishing Malaysia in the global running calendar. The 2017 edition of the race once again saw Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia returning as title sponsor, along with a host of returning and new sponsors, including Honda, Seiko, Brooks, Lucozade and Pacific Regency. The event is owned and organised by Dirigo Events with co-organiser Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur.

Standard Chartered KL Marathon is sanctioned and supported by Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF), Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletic Federation (FTKLAA), International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Association of International Marathons, Distance Races (AIMS).

Winners of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2017

Full Marathon Men’s Open

Position Name Country Time
1st Cosmas Matolo Muteti Kenya 02:18:43
2nd Kennedy Lilan Kenya 02:19:35
3rd Tonui Kiprop Kenya 02:20:38

 

Full Marathon Women’s Open

Position Name Country Time
1st Elizaberth Chepkanan Kenya 02:36:14
2nd Vicoty Chepkemoi Kenya 02:40:08
3rd Zeritu Begashaw Wakijira Ethiopia 02:42:56

 

Full Marathon Malaysian Men

Position Name Country Time
1st Muhaizar Mohamad Malaysia 02:35:55
2nd Tan Huong Leong Malaysia 02:38:06
3rd Ow Yong Jin Kuang Malaysia 02:43:45

 

Full Marathon Malaysian Women

Position Name Country Time
1st Yuan YuFang Malaysia 03:23:00
2nd Loh Chooi Fern Malaysia 03:25:54
3rd Chua Khit Yeng Malaysia 03:33:46

 

Full Marathon Veteran Men

Position Name Country Time
1st Seurei Julius Kiprotich Kenya 02:23:09
2nd John Kprop Samoei Kenya 02:37:34
3rd Timothy Kelsall Great Britain 03:08:16

 

Full Marathon Veteran Women

Position Name Country Time
1st Lilian Chelimo Kenya 02:48:45
2nd Margeret Njuguna Kenya 02:56:20
3rd Deborah Chinn USA 03:36:13

 

Honda Half Marathon Men Open

Position Name Country Time
1st John Muiruri Mburu Kenya 01:07:13
2nd Charles Munyua Kenya 01:07:53
3rd James Munyi Maregu Kenya 01:09:28

 

Honda Half Marathon Women Open

Position Name Country Time
1st Shieys Chepkosgei Kenya 01:21:46
2nd Njijia Ann Mukui Kenya 01:22:33
3rd Muriuki Naomi Wambui Kenya 01:25:54

 

Honda Half Marathon Men Veteran

Position Name Country Time
1st Jeffrey Ross Great Britain 01:28:02
2nd Ramesh Palaniandy Singapore 01:31:49
3rd Troy Keast Australia 01:32:48

 

Honda Half Marathon Women Veteran

Position Name Country Time
1st Hayley Holle Great Britain 01:36:18
2nd Clare McCulloch Great Britain 01:37:20
3rd Rachel Pepper New Zealand 01:42:33

 

10km Speed Men Open

Position Name Country Time
1st Enock Kipchirchir Kigen Kenya 00:33:19
2nd Soh Wai Ching Malaysia 00:35:42
3rd Amiruddin Bin Nasir Malaysia 00:36:52

 

10km Speed Women Open

Position Name Country Time
1st Danielle Nant New Zealand 00:40:23
2nd Chan Shun Yee Hong Kong 00:44:32
3rd Michele Tan Bee Kiang Malaysia 00:45:08

 

10km Speed Men Veteran

Position Name Country Time
1st Lim Khon Seng Malaysia 00:39:53
2nd Chan Shan Ching Hong Kong 00:41:09
3rd See Hock Leong Ronnie Malaysia 00:43:14

 

10km Speed Women Veteran

Position Name Country Time
1st Susan Khoo Great Britain 00:47:27
2nd Lorna Wong Malaysia 00:47:38
3rd Tina Munro Great Britain 00:48:32

 

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