When the spark faded in road running, Muhammad Sohaib, better known as Angah, went searching for something more. “There was one time in 2024 where I felt that I lost spark in road running and was unmotivated. I decided to try trail running as an escape. I registered for the Merapoh Rainforest Trail 30km, my first trail running event, and have fallen in love ever since,” he recalled.

That decision has carried him into a new chapter, the Malaysia Ultra-Trail (MUT) by UTMB 2025, where he will tackle the MY50 category, a 53.6KM course with 2,216M elevation gain. Set to begin at 5:00AM on 27 September from Esplanade Taiping, the race allows 17 hours for runners to finish, with Angah aiming not just to survive but to thrive. For him, it feels special to have a UTMB World Series event right here in Malaysia, bringing the global trail running stage closer to home.

As a personal trainer, Angah’s philosophy mirrors his trail journey. “Maybe it’s about patience and consistency. It is a long road in the trails. You may go slow and stop for a while, but the most important thing is to get back up and continue the journey, finish what you have started. It is applicable in the gym, you have to be patient and stay consistent, as you may not see the gains in one night.”

Preparation for MUT means adapting both body and mind. “I’m currently balancing a mix of strength and endurance training, mostly on the road. Once a week, I hit the trails to get used to technical terrain and elevation gain,” said Angah. With MUT’s steep climbs and rolling downs, strategy matters. “I always prefer a steady grind pace for trail. Power hike for uphills, going fast when I meet the roads.”

He admits that certain aspects remain a challenge. “Downhill sections have always been the most challenging for me as a beginner,” he said. Still, he has sharpened his toolkit, favouring exercises like single leg RDLs and Bulgarian split squats for strength, ankle dorsiflexion exercises and 90/90 hip switches for mobility.

He recently made his debut in the 100km trail race at The Magnificent Baling 2025. Although it ended in a DNF, he refused to give up. “It was painful since I injured both of my ankles. I could barely walk, but I told myself that no matter what, I had to reach the 100km mark. It was my first-ever 100km, and I’ll definitely be back next year, crossing the finishing line.”

Through these battles, he has developed mental anchors. “I always tell myself that I’m not going this far to only reach this far. And to remind myself that we lived by ‘always finish what you have started’.”

Gear-wise, his setup is simple but deliberate: “I will always bring two 500ml soft flasks in my vest. The left side is electrolytes, the right side is mineral water.”

When asked to sum up the trail experience in three words, he kept it short: “Exciting, competitive, fun.” And to anyone hesitating to take the plunge? His advice is blunt but motivating: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Trail is more than just running, you’ll learn a lot. Go sign up!”

With MUT drawing near, Angah is ready to put those words into action. Driven not only by endurance but by the simple joy of finishing what he started.

 

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