KOTA SAMARAHAN: Seven elite Sarawakian marathoners are aiming to break the state marathon record at the Taipei Marathon 2025 on December 21, with strong support from Hock Seng Lee (HSL) Land Sdn Bhd.
The team aims to complete the 42.195-kilometre (km) race in under 2 hours and 40 minutes, surpassing the current Sarawak record of 2:39:57 set by Miri Sukma coach, Mohamad Jironi, at the 2016 Kuala Lumpur Marathon.
The runners – Andy Yeo, Dr Owen Tan, Sunny Jong, Jeremy Yeo, Alpha Lim, Nicholas Andrew Ling and Cindy Lim – are all full-time professionals who train at an elite level.
Team leader Yeo said that HSL’s sponsorship has been a major boost for the runners.
“With HSL’s generous support, we hope to break our personal fastest times and set a new record for Sarawak.
“The current record by Jironi is an inspiration, and I believe he will be happy if someone from the Sarawak team breaks it,” he said at a press conference at HSL Tower, La Promenade, today.
While Yeo focuses on the team’s record-breaking ambitions, Dr Tan highlighted the physical and mental demands of marathon training.
“Marathon running builds mental resilience because you’re covering long distances, managing training, nutrition, rest, and balancing work and life.
“I focus on listening to my body, proper nutrition and hydration, and run about 110 to 120 km per week,” he said.
Dr Tan also explained why Taipei offers ideal race conditions.
“A cooler, drier environment will help, and our training in Sarawak’s heat should prepare us. The challenge is to pace ourselves and maintain effort for 42 km,” he added.
Meanwhile, HSL marketing and communications lead, Abraham Tiong, said that the runners’ dedication is inspiring.
“All seven runners are balancing full-time jobs while pursuing their marathon goals.
“Most are largely self-funded, which makes HSL’s sponsorship especially meaningful,” he said.
He added that HSL supports running because it is a sport accessible to everyone.
On future plans, Tiong said HSL will hold the HSL Samarahan Half-Marathon next year on a flat course, alongside a new relay event known as the Raya Relay, to encourage more interest in running.
He expressed hope that the determination and passion shown by the elite runners will inspire more people in the Samarahan community to take up the sport.
