Nurul Syafiqah Yahya placed first in the women’s open category. - BB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Some 28 participants, including seasoned veterans and eager new runners and cyclists from across the nation, took to the streets to complete the gruelling BSRC Hayamman 2024 Duathlon Challenge on Sunday (Dec 29).
With Brunei Shell Recreation Club (BSRC) as the starting point, the challenge was organised by the Belait Cycling Club (BCC) in collaboration with the BSRC Cycling Club, BSRC Running Club and the Village Consultative Council (MPK) of Kuala Belait.
The aim was to provide a challenge for runners and cyclists as they completed the combined 38-kilometre (km) route that crisscrossed the area.
The race was also held in conjunction with the 78th birthday celebration of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Speaking to the Village Head of Pekan Kuala Belait Mohammad Sufrizal Hamdan, he explained that the race also served as a trial run that would become the foundation for similar races and challenges planned to be held sometime in 2025.
He also added that the runners competed in three categories: men’s open, women’s open and teams.
The runners were flagged off by the Penghulu of Mukim Belait Abdul Afiq Zainuddin, who was present as the guest of honour.
The challenge was split into three legs: runners first completed a 5km lap, then shifted to cycling a total of 28km, before completing their race with a final 5km run.
In the men’s open, Mohammad Nazri Mastani finished first, followed by Hadrie Morsidi and Mohammad Qayyum Abdul Rahim in second and third place respectively.
The team category saw Team Pulau Kecil finishing in first place, with Team Jomgerak and Team MPower in second and third place respectively.
Meanwhile, Nurul Syafiqah Yahya placed first in the women’s open category.
“This is my first time joining a duathlon challenge,” she said in an interview. “I did various endurance and interval training for around three weeks along with my friends.”
She also expressed her surprise at her achievement, noting that “it was unexpected, especially with Alisa Lau being one of the participants in the challenge who had won an Iron Man Challenge in Australia recently.”
Alisa Lau Hui Na, who also participated in the race, placed second behind Nurul Syafiqah in the women’s open category.
Despite her nervousness at the start, Nurul Syafiqah credited her achievement to the overwhelming support from friends such as Alisa Lau, whom she had trained alongside before the race.
With the win under her belt, she expressed her eagerness to partake in more races in the future.
Prizes for the top five runners in each category were presented to them by the Penghulu of Mukim Belait and BSRC Vice President Rosman bin Lamat, at the end of the event. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
