SANDAKAN: At 89, Yee Sze Mun continues to defy age by challenging himself through endurance sports, with an impressive record of taking part in around 70 marathons.
Yee, who is also affectionately known as ‘Uncle Lee’, said his passion for running began in his 50s before he went on to participate in various extreme endurance challenges.
Among his notable experiences was the Sahara challenge in 2012, a seven-day, 250-kilometre endurance event involving around 1,000 participants.
He later took on the Ironman challenge which consists of a 3.8-kilometre open-water swim, 180-kilometre cycling segment and a full marathon of 42.2 kilometres, covering a total distance of 226 kilometres and requiring participants to complete the course within 17 hours.
Yee said his journey into Ironman began at about 40 years ago after he took part in the Honolulu Marathon, before becoming interested in more demanding endurance challenges around Waikiki Island.
“Why do I do Ironman? There is no prize. The prizes are only for professionals. I do it for satisfaction,” he said to Daily Express in an exclusive interview in Sandakan.
“I have no sporting background. At first, I wanted to get fit and challenged myself to go further.
“It started with attitude, then became an addiction, followed by passion.
“Now, it has become a lifestyle,” he added.
His dedication to endurance sports has even earned him a humorous nickname from his wife, who calls him a “living weirdo” because of his unusual passion for extreme challenges.
Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Yee has two children.
One of them has an interest in Aikido and is now a professor in Australia.
His last Ironman participation was in Langkawi when he was 77 years old.
Apart from his sporting achievements, Yee is also the author of “The Bumblebee in Me” and he also featured in the biographical book about Malaysian ironman written as told by its author and publishers.
For Yee, endurance sports are not simply about winning races, but about personal satisfaction, staying fit and continuously challenging his own limits.
His message to others is simple: “Anything is possible if you believe in yourself.” Yee continues to show that age is not a barrier to pursuing passion, staying active and challenging the limits of what is possible.
Recently, Yee also successfully joined the 10km Elopura Charity Run in Sandakan.
The organising chairman, Datuk Md Afendi Hamdan said the run was participated by about 1,000 runners including students in the 5km category.