Malaysia’s Muhammad Haziq Mohd Hairol Izmi speeds ahead to win the IHH 10km.
RUNNERS of all ages hit the roads of Kuala Lumpur this morning for the IHH 10km and 5km categories of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2026.
The first day of the event saw more than 9,800 runners competing in the IHH 10km, and over 3,500 runners participating in the 5km category.
There was a festive air at Dataran Merdeka where KLSCM 2026 participants converged at the event’s old stomping ground for the 18th edition of the KLSCM.
Muhammad Haziq Mohd Hairol Izmi and Mercy Jebiwott took the gold on the IHH 10km podium for the Men’s Open and Women’s Open categories.
Muhammad Haziq finished in 33:54 while Mercy from Kenya crossed the finish line in 37:00. Aekkarat Meenamai from Thailand took second place in the Men’s Open with a time of 34:22 while Ahmad Arif Ibrahim from Singapore came in third with 34:57.
In the Women’s Open category, the silver went to Serena Teoh Dong Xiang from Singapore who finished with 39:41 while Malaysia’s Shayathiri Ratnam took the bronze with 42:16.
“This is my first KLSCM race. I kept my eye on the men’s leads to push forward and it helped that the weather was cool. I felt good and look forward to running in the KLSCM again next year, maybe in the Half Marathon or Full Marathon,” said the 27-year-old.
The IHH 10km Men’s Veteran category saw Marcus Ong from Singapore topped the podium spot with a time of 36:02.
Malaysians Lee Ching Keong and Yong Khong Wei took the remaining podium spots, with Lee coming in second at 37:06 and Yong finishing third at 38:00.
Malaysian women swept the top spots in the IHH 10km Women’s Veteran category, with Chua Mei Yin crossing the finish line with a time of 45:00. Foo Yin Yin finished second with a time of 46:49 while Lim Pei Ting finished third with 47:17.
The 5km run brought non-competitive runners together with several participants showing up in eye-catching and fun costumes to pep up the run.
Some of the more notable outfits included a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and some styled after comic or anime characters.
“I think I speak on behalf of many runners when I say we are all happy and excited to return to Dataran Merdeka. The energy and excitement here today was palpable and we are grateful that the 2026 KLSCM was able to happen.
“We are enthused to be able provide sportsmen and the community with a sporting event that that lets runners of all skill levels come together,” said Project Director of KLSCM, Rainer Biemans.
The much anticipated Full Marathon and Half Marathon categories will take place tomorrow and will see fierce competition amongst the top runners.
All eyes will be on the Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s category, where the stakes are higher as KLSCM is the official preliminary selection event for the marathon category for the 2027 SEA Games.
The KLSCM is Malaysia’s premier distance running event and also the first and only race in the country to be awarded the World Athletics Elite Label – achieving that in 2025 and once again this year.
It has steadily grown to become the most anticipated distance running event in Malaysia, attracting thousands of local and international runners annually whilst establishing itself as a landmark running event in the local and global running calendar.