The flag off before dawn saw a handful of trail run enthusiasts gathered at Bukit Kiara last Sunday, 1 March 2020 for the Classics de Kiara – an infamous 40km trail challenge at Bukit Kiara, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail.
More participants gathered at 7:00am, making it a total of 450 participants, mustered for the 14km flag off for the Conquer the Trails. While the air is filled with high enthusiasm to conquer Kiara, many were still worried on their capabilities to complete the race. The verdict came through as 10 per cent of participants could not finish their race (as announced on the official Conquer the Trails Facebook page).
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As hard as it may seem, 34-year old Lee Suit Yan dominated the trail as a newcomer to the sport, and stole the glory to the 14km Women Open category with a total time of 2:30:28.
“I started trail running back in December 2019 and this is my first trail race. I started with a hiking routine at Bukit Gasing and Ah Pek Hill, and slowly morphed into trail running. Before this, I was more inclined towards 10km road races and half marathons.”
“Bukit Kiara had ‘killer slopes’ where all of us had to ascend and descend slowly. There was also a part of the trail where the soil was loose. I slipped and fell. More precautions were also taken on rocky trails as I was prone to injuries especially with improper landing. Usually, I would switch to walking instead of running in this situation.”
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Suit Yan, a Plant Quality & Compliance Lead in Johnson & Johnson Malaysia, had thought of giving up at times but endured the training and the race with a strong mind.
“Having good nutrition consumption, a health coach Shawni Ng and a regular training session with my trail run buddy Vivian Koh have contributed to my achievement. Their words of encouragement, advice, and knowledge kept me mentally prepared for peak performance during the race.”
“Moreover, proper sports nutrition also played a role in sustaining and improving my sports performance especially on high intensity races such as this trail run.”
“I believe that with more training and experience on different trail routes, I will continue to improve on my next race.”
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Suit Yan also believes that perseverance is the key to success.
“Finishing a run isn’t just an athletic achievement. It is a state of mind that says ‘anything is possible’”
View the full race gallery here. ToughASIA is the Official Media Partner of Conquer the Trails & Classics de Kiara 2020. View the full race results here.
TOP 5 RACE RESULTS
Men Open – 14km
| Rank | Name | Time |
| 1 | Mohd Asdi bin Weding | 01:43:19 |
| 2 | Amaury Doleon | 01:55:05 |
| 3 | Azam Mohd Shidid | 01:59:33 |
| 4 | Mathew Smith | 02:01:41 |
| 5 | James Dorall | 02:07:55 |
Women Open – 14km
| Rank | Name | Time |
| 1 | Lee Suit Yan | 02:30:28 |
| 2 | Ang Yee Mei | 02:31:41 |
| 3 | Cameron Heins | 02:32:12 |
| 4 | Tan Mei Wai | 02:33:08 |
| 5 | Cecile Douard | 02:39:48 |
Men Veteran – 14km
| Rank | Name | Time |
| 1 | Askel Martin Lasen | 02:00:40 |
| 2 | Saw Pook Keong | 02:05:55 |
| 3 | Mohd Zuki Wahab | 02:10:29 |
| 4 | Fong Sui Loong | 02:11:21 |
| 5 | Raymond Ng Chow Kiong | 02:13:08 |
Women Veteran – 14km
| Rank | Name | Time |
| 1 | Melinda Wang Mei Lin | 02:27:39 |
| 2 | Jenny Holloway | 02:34:53 |
| 3 | Chew Siew Yeng | 02:52:06 |
| 4 | Boh Yeok Hun | 02:58:07 |
| 5 | Maizatul Ain Ahmad | 03:00:04 |
