On 2015, me and my secondary school friends start connecting and decided to run together. Our first and my first run 10K marathon was on October 2015 for Wild Run, that would be the first of our many runs together.
It was scary at first to think that I would be running that far under the hot sun, but I paced myself and used a little boy as my running partner, I stayed close with him and walk/run together until I think I’m confident enough to go alone. I survived.
This is my favorite medal, it is designed like the shape of the Sabah state and filled with colorful flora and fauna, which is what we’re all about.
This is my favorite medal, it is designed like the shape of the Sabah state and filled with colorful flora and fauna, which is what we’re all about.
Not that my first one wasn’t hard but for me this is the hardest one that I’ve run in. On 4th June 2016 I ran my first 12K trail marathon in Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon (BUTM). We run to look back on the earthquake that happen in Mt. Kinabalu exactly one year ago.
This is a trail run so there are parts where we have to run up and down hill. We even passed through an actual corn field and walk on a suspension bridge.
Our shirt has words written in Dusun which means ‘If not us, then who else?’. It symbolizes the will and volunteerism of the porters and malim gunung who risked their lives to help bring the survivors down from the summit.
And pictured in the medal is one of the most iconic picture from the rescue operation, a malim gunung carrying an injured boy down on his back.
I was exhausted when it was all done but it was worth all the experience and view along the run.
I wouldn’t hesitate to join another trail run again in the future.