TAIPING – Kristjan Chapman pounced on a brief opening to claim a famous victory in the MY100 of the Malaysia Ultra-Trail by UTMB (MYUT), capitalising when his closest rival stopped to tie his shoes on the final climb.
The Icelander, who swapped sub-zero temperatures at home for the sultry heat of Taiping, completed the gruelling 96.7km course in 11 hours 39 minutes 29 seconds. He finally broke clear of China’s Bai Xing Zhi in the closing stages after the pair had traded the lead for most of the race.
“It was a real cat-and-mouse game,” said Chapman.
“Sometimes I was in front, then he was in front. Towards the end, we were both cramping and packing on ice. On the last climb, he stopped to tie his shoes and I thought, ‘Alright, this is it,’ so I went for it.”
Xing Zhi, a former soldier and two-time runner-up, had been chasing his first MYUT title and looked strong for long stretches before finishing second in 11:51:52. Japan’s Kanta Mizutani claimed third place in 12:14:56.
Chapman admitted he had not expected to win on his MYUT debut, especially against a rival as experienced as Xing Zhi.
“Honestly, beyond anything. I wasn’t expecting it. It was competitive all the way through,” he said.
Adapting from Iceland’s minus-10 temperatures to Malaysia’s tropical humidity posed its own challenge.
“Going from minus 10 degrees to this kind of heat is definitely a huge change,” he said.
“But after living here for close to a year, I’ve been getting used to it. Still, the humidity always hits — it always takes its toll eventually.”
Chapman credited the course for suiting his strengths.
“It wasn’t as technical as some other trails I’ve experienced. I actually liked that we had to go downhill on concrete — that made a big difference for me. When I start cramping, technical downhills are really tough, but this worked out well. Overall, the course was great and the organisers did a fantastic job.”
The flagship MY100 category covered 96.7km with an elevation gain of almost 4,900 metres, taking runners through Maxwell Hill and the surrounding Virgin Jungle Reserves. Nearly 3,000 participants from 64 countries took part across six race categories over the weekend.
Finishers of the MY100 earned three coveted “Running Stones”, key to qualifying for the UTMB World Series Finals in Mont Blanc, France. The top three men and women from the MY100 and MY50 also secured direct entry into the 2026 edition of the CCC (Courmayeur–Champex–Chamonix) race.
Malaysia’s Sua Yih Huan delivered a strong performance to finish fourth overall in 14:02:59, emerging as the best local runner. The 45-year-old businessman trains daily in Bukit Mertajam and Sungai Petani but has fallen short of his targeted sub-13-hour finish.
Despite the demanding conditions, Chapman now looks ahead to his next challenges.
“In three weeks I’ll be doing the Climbathon up at Kota Kinabalu, and then I’m heading to Sichuan, China to run a 50k,” he said with a grin, still savouring his breakthrough victory.
For Xing Zhi, it was another bittersweet return to Taiping, where he once again fell just short of the title he craves — and where he will no doubt be back to visit the tree he planted on his first race three years ago.
Men’s MY100
1. Kristjan Chapman (Ice) - 11:39:29
2. Bai Xing Zhi (Chn) - 11:51:52
3. Kanta Mizutani (Jpn) - 12:14:56
Best Malaysian finisher
4. Sua Yih Huan (Mas) - 14:02:59
— September 27, 2025
The post Malaysia Ultra-Trail: Iceland’s Chapman seizes MY100 Crown after rival’s slip appeared first on Scoop.