Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 1 October 2023: The Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2023 (KLSCM) celebrated its 15th edition with a new course record in the Full Marathon Women’s Open category, set by Beatrice Jelagat Cherop from Kenya. Cherop crossed the finish line in a time of 2:32:51, erasing the previous record of 2:34:37 set in 2011 by Rose Kerubo Nyangacha.
Over 40,000 runners from 46 different countries took part in the event, which also included a Kids Dash, 5km and Boost Juice 10km categories on Saturday, and Half and Full Marathon categories on Sunday.
Kiprop Tonui from Kenya won the Full Marathon Men’s Open category in a time of 2:13:49. Tonui had finished second in the category four times before, but finally clinched the coveted title this year.
In the Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s category, defending champion Poo Vasanthan retained his title in a time of 2:37:38. Michelle Chua Khit Yeng won the Full Marathon Malaysian Women’s category in a time of 3:13:07.
The Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s category was anticipated to be a hotly contested affair and lived up to that billing when five of Malaysia’s top distance runners went toe-to-toe to determine who would be crowned champion. Defending champion Poo Vasanthan proved his win last year was no flash in the pan when he held off five-time KLSCM champion Muhaizar Mohamad, national marathon record holder Leo Tan Huong Leong, national half marathon record holder Prabudass Krishnan and Nik Fakaruddin to retain his title in a time of 02:37:38. Nik Fakaruddin came in second in 02:37:43 while Leo Tan finished third in 02:37:56.
“With such a strong field, I decided that I would just keep pace with the more established runners in the competition until I was two kms from the finish line before I started to pick up my pace and push towards the victory,” said Poo.
The Full Marathon Malaysian Women’s category saw Michelle Chua Khit Yeng improve on her third-place finish last year to clinch the win in a time of 03:13:07 while defending champion Noor Amelia Musa clocked 03:14:41 to come in second and Chew Jia Qi got third place in a time of 03:22:50.
Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2023 (KLSCM): New Course Record, Memorable 15th Edition
“This year I had a lot of help from my coach, along with my friends and family who helped me to do my long runs so I managed to clock a lot of mileage in my preparation for the race,” said Michelle.
KLSCM 2023 was also the first time the race operated with the recognition from World Athletics as a Road Race Label event, making it the only distance running event in Malaysia accorded that status.
Rainer Biemans, Project Director of KLSCM and Director of Dirigo Events, said that KLSCM 2023 had been a truly memorable event. “We introduced a number of measures to keep the race fresh and more sustainable, and the response from the running community has been excellent,” he said.
“We were also delighted that Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Adam Adli was on hand to flag-off the Full and Half Marathon categories in a year where we also embarked on our journey to make the event more sustainable and eco-friendly,” he added.
Adam Adli, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, said that the reception of the 15th edition of KLSCM had been excellent. “We are pleased to have contributed to the wellbeing of our communities in taking up healthy pursuits, staying true to our promise of being here for good,” he said.
Mak Joon Nien, CEO of Standard Chartered Malaysia, title sponsor of KLSCM, said that the Bank was continually reminded of the impact the marathon holds in effecting positive social change. “We look forward in ensuring that the event becomes more eco-conscious in line with the Bank’s sustainability agenda,” he said.
The KLSCM Run For A Reason (RFAR) charity initiative raised funds for four deserving organisations: Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, Dignity for Children Foundation, Hospis Malaysia, Kechara Soup Kitchen and Reef Check Malaysia.
The Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon has grown year-on-year to become the most anticipated distance running event in Malaysia. The premier running event once again saw Standard Chartered Malaysia returning as title sponsor, along with a host of returning and new sponsors, including Boost Juice, Seiko, Pressio, 100 Plus, TudungPeople, Brooks and Tiger Balm. The event is owned and organised by Dirigo Events with Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur as venue host.
KLSCM is sanctioned and supported by the Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF), Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletic Federation (FTKLAA), World Athletics and the Association of International Marathons, Distance Races (AIMS).
