The first races of the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2025 took place this morning, with the 5km, Pantai KL 10km and Kids Dash categories kicking off the first day of what local runners fondly refer to as the “Hari Raya of running.” The highly anticipated Full Marathon and Half Marathon categories will take place tomorrow with intense competition expected from the top runners, especially in the Full Marathon Malaysian Men’s category which is set to see a six-way fight.
More than 15,800 runners ran into today’s event, pounding the pavement through the streets and highways of Kuala Lumpur and the tracks of Stadium Merdeka. Almost 15,400 runners set off from this year’s start line of Jalan Raja Laut and past iconic buildings downtown in a bid to make a notable finish at the historic Stadium Merdeka. The Kids Dash races were the only categories that were a track race at Stadium Merdeka.
The KLSCM is Malaysia’s premier distance running event and Kuala Lumpur’s largest marathon with KLSCM 2025 being the first
and only race in the country to be awarded the World Athletics Elite Label.
SEA Games medallists Sonny Wagdos and Joida G. Gagnao made it a golden sweep for the Philippines in the Pantai KL 10km podium
for the Men’s Open and Women’s Open categories. Wagdos finished in 32:26 while Gagnao crossed the finish line in 39:23.
This was the first KLSCM outing for Wagdos, who felt both happy and overwhelmed after the race.
“The route was a bit hard but it was enjoyable. The weather here is different which made the pace manageable – it’s easier to
manage your run when the climate is cooler. I look forward to coming back again for the KLSCM and hope to run in the Full Marathon
or Half Marathon then,” said the 31-year-old.
“I was amazed by the route and that it was uphill but I really enjoyed the run and there were a lot of supportive people along the
route. I will be focusing on the SEA Games after this and then for next year, I’m looking to increase my distance and might try the Half Marathon. This was my first KLSCM and I look forward to coming back again for it next year,” said Gagnao, 29.
Malaysian runners took the remaining podium spots with Sanjay Manimaran coming in second in the Men’s Open with a time of
33:22 and Daren James Nair finishing third with 33:31. In the Women’s Open category, the silver went to Shayathiri Ratnam from Malaysia who finished with 41:51 while her compatriot Tan Zhi Lin took the bronze with 42:29.
The Pantai KL 10km Men’s Veteran category saw Zuraiddi Jumai from Malaysian bag the top spot with a time of 37:27. Nick Alexander Sasha from Britain had to settle for second place clocking in at 37:38 while his compatriot Jeffrey Ross finished third in
38:42.
The Malaysian women made it a clean sweep in the Pantai KL 10km Women’s Veteran category with Lee Sium Louw taking the gold with 46:21. Lim Pei Ting finished second with 48:14 while Foo Yin Yin finished third with 48:41.
The 5km Fun Run is an annual colourful affair with most runners laced up to run and this year’s run was no exception. A number of runners dressed in eye-catching and fun costumes to liven up the run and these included a sumo wrestler, also seeing determined competition today was the Kids Dash categories for young runners, which saw Malaysians sweeping all the podium positions. However, due to a technical error, the distance for the Kids Dash 800m Speed categories had to be revised to 400m. Dirigo Events will be issuing a full refund to all 800m participants.
The Boys’ title went to Nuh Harith Mohamad Shafiz who finished with 01:21. Adam Qaid Mohamad Afiq came in second with 01:22
while Hafiy Aidan Muhamad Hanios finished third in 01:23. The Girls’ title went to Annalise Au who came in first with 01:30. Nur Mikhaila Zuhairi finished in 01:33 to take second place while Taniskka Krishna Kumar took third place with a time of 01:39.
In the Kids Dash 2km Boys’ category, Muhammad Afique Adam Mohd Amirudin won the Boys’ title in 07:08, leaving James Alan
Hutchinson in second place with a time of 07:09. Coming in third were Tee Kai Long and Lim Joon Hee who crossed the finish line
with a time of 07:15.
The Kids Dash 2km Girls’ category saw Malaysians sweeping the podium with Medoraa Sofea Abdulhayy taking the Girls’ crown with a time of 08:19 while Anissha finished second with 08:37. Vivian Chow Zhi Bing rounded up the top three by taking third with a
time of 08:46.
“The atmosphere at today’s races was electrifying and KLSCM is delighted to be an event where sport, health and community spirit
come together. We always look forward to our young runners in the Kids Dash categories showing their mettle as they are all
potential champions and we believe in building them up to the best that they can be,” said Rainer Biemans, Project Director of
KLSCM and Director of Dirigo Events, the owner and organiser of KLSCM.
