Taiping: Iceland’s Kristjan Chapman and China’s Jiang Weng Li emerged as the men’s and women’s champions of the 2025 Malaysia Ultra-Trail by Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) here, which attracted nearly 3,000 runners from 64 countries.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the race, which was flagged off at Esplanade Taiping, saw the runners navigating through lush jungle, including the iconic Lake Gardens, before finishing at Jalan Kota. Kristjan completed the men’s MY100 category in 11 hours, 39 minutes and 29 seconds (11:39:29s), beating China’s Bai Xing Zhi (11:51:52s) and Japan’s Kanta Mizutani (12:14:56s).
In the women’s category, Jiang demonstrated endurance when she won the 100-km event in 14:38:44s – just one week after winning the ultra race in Italy. Japan’s Ayaka Takimoto was second in 15:27:10s, while Jiang’s compatriot, Liu Wen Jing, was third in 15:54:37s.
Kristjan admitted that winning on his debut was unexpected, especially when facing an experienced runner like Xing Zhi, who led for most of the race. He mentioned that both experienced cramps towards the end, but a minor incident gave him the chance to pull ahead.
The 34-year-old runner found the change in weather from Iceland’s cold to Taiping’s heat a significant challenge. Despite some adaptation, he noted the humidity’s impact on his performance.
Meanwhile, Jiang, from Chongqing, faced challenges with the tropical weather, especially since her body had not fully recovered from her previous race. She nearly suffered a heat stroke and had to rest during the last climb but focused on finishing safely.
Tournament organiser and race director Ewegene Tan highlighted the event’s growth since its inception as the Malaysian Mountain Trail Festival in 2018, noting a 36 per cent increase in foreign participants this year. He attributed the rise to enhanced safety measures, ensuring participant safety for the UTMB World Series race finals in Chamonix, France, in 2026.
Tan expressed optimism for future participation growth, aiming for 4,000 to 5,000 runners, which would also promote Taiping as a tourist destination.