ABAHAN RULES MOUNT KINABALU CLIMBATHON ANEW

Sandi Menchi Abahan conquered Southeast Asia’s highest peak anew and brought home a gold. Abahan clocked four hours and 50 minutes to claim the women’s elite category of the Mount Kinabalu Climbathon last Sunday. Abahan ruled the event, the organizers said: “Despite the high elevation and challenging conditions, Menchi expressed her satisfaction with reaching the summit again.” It was the Southeast Asian Games obstacle course race champion’s third title.

Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid finished second, while Danny@Kuilin Gongot claimed third place. Organizers said that only three women completed the race, the others were listed as “Did Not Finish” due to the demanding terrain. Meanwhile, Daved Simpat, a 42-year-old porter who showcased incredible endurance, won the Men’s
Veteran category by finishing in an impressive 3 hours and 36 minutes. Simpat has years of experience working as a
porter on Mount Kinabalu that gave him an edge over the competition as he reached Low’s Peak, the summit, in just
2 hours and 25 minutes — the first among 199 participants.

“I’m thrilled to win this championship. Having worked as a porter on Mount Kinabalu for 15 years, I believe that
experience helped me. Even though I’m older now, I’ve trained consistently,” said Simpat, who placed third in the
last Climbathon in 2017. Placing second is 2016 and 2017 champion Safrey Sumping clocked 3:52:49, while Milton
Amat finished third with a time of 4:01:00. The Men’s Elite category, seasoned porter and nine-time Climbathon participant Walter Herman, 35, took the top podium after clocking 3:36:42.

Walter overtook Indonesian runner Yusri Nanda on the descent from SayaSayat checkpoint, securing his place just behind Simpat. Yusri, who finished second, described the veteran runners as “flying senior men” and acknowledged
the difficulty of competing at elevations above 4,000m. It was a return of the Climbathon after a hiatus said organizers, “with runners facing the steep ascent to Low’s Peak, Mount Kinabalu’s summit, and the equally challenging descent.” The race is considered as one of Borneo’s most renowned endurance events, attracting athletes from across the region.

The race has a cutoff time of 3 hours and 30 minutes to reach the summit and would require the runners to have both speed and resilience. This year’s Climbathon reminded participants and spectators alike of the incredible endurance required to compete in one of the world’s toughest mountain races. Climbers not only face physical
obstacles but also the high altitudes of Low’s Peak, making this a bucket-list race for mountain runners.

Pigeon Lobien/ABN

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