HSL Ekiden Relay Race hosts 300 runners from all over Sarawak

KOTA SAMARAHAN (March 29): The inaugural multi-stage running event in Sarawak, the ‘HSL Ekiden Relay Race’, gathered some 300 runners representing 60 teams on Sunday.

The race started at 6.30am with the flag-off for the Open category at La Promenade Mall here, followed by the Veterans category.

Each five-member team must complete a 15km circuit inside La Promenade’s gated community.

Team Haolian won the Open category with a time of 52 minutes and 16 seconds (52:16), ahead of Millennium Runners by 12 seconds. RevRun placed third with 52:36.

The Veterans winner was Team Kaliu, which clocked 54:47, with Team Haolian (Veterans) and U42T Team Reservoir finishing as respective runners-up with recorded times of 56:29 and 58:45, respectively.

The fastest runner of the day was Ryan Victor, who completed his 3km leg in just 9:03, equivalent to a pace of just three minutes per kilometre.

Some of Sarawak’s elite runners also took part including Sally Yap, HSL-sponsored ultra-trail national record holder Sunny Jong, Apple Cheng Jia Xin, and Md Mustafa Rahman – better known as @RoboCopKch, whose trademark finish-line dance videos have garnered more than half a million views on TikTok.

The HSL Ekiden Relay Race is modelled after the popular Japanese event format, which is usually held around the New Year.

Unlike the regular individual road race, it is a relay where the runners complete separate legs one after another rather than all team members running the full distance.

“For the first time ever, East Malaysia has an ‘ekiden’.

“It is so exciting for us – totally new and unique experience.

“Thank you to everyone, from HSL for always supporting the running community, and to City Joggers Club (CJC), which always provides great technical support,” said Team Haolian leader Tan Jit Ping in a statement.

CJC president Elisabeth Wong shared similar sentiments, noting that the race recorded a full turnout.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen a racing event with 100 per cent participation. It’s clear that HSL’s Ekiden has wide support,” she said.

The winning teams took home RM3,000 in cash prizes, fully funded by HSL, a Sarawak-based construction firm.

“The atmosphere was great.

“Each time one runner had to pass the sash to the next, there was a surge of electricity.

“There was so much cheering. I was not prepared for the adrenaline rush,” said HSL marketing and communications head Abraham Tiong.

HSL has been carrying out running events since its Fitness Weekend in 2021.

In 2023, it held its first HSL Samarahan Marathon, which recorded about 3,000 participants, including those coming from Singapore and Brunei, and as fas as from Kenya and South Korea.

“We base these events on the principle of leading the way to healthy living, which complements La Promenade’s tagline, ‘Leading The Way To Luxury Living’.

“The company is glad to be a keen supporter of fitness.

“Up next is the 2026 HSL Samarahan Marathon, where we are anticipating another 3,000 runners across the 3km to 21km categories,” added Tiong.

The company subsidises the marathon by up to 30 per cent to keep prices affordable.

Early-bird’s fees starts from RM30 for the 3km category, and RM90 for the half-marathon.

To sign up, go to lapromenademall.com.my, or search #Samarathon2026 on social media.