Beach obstacle race to become an annual sports tourism event

MIRI: The ‘Magnificent 7 Beach Obstacle Race Challenge’ event organised by FIT Box Event Management in collaboration with Saiful One Fitness United ( S1FU) will become an annual event in the city.

Assistant Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin said the inaugural event held yesterday attracted over 200 participants, including runners from abroad.

He said the overwhelming response showed that obstacle race was becoming a favourite sport among the public.

“Obstacle race events which are becoming very popular, especially among the younger generation in the city, is good to help us stay fit and healthy,” he said when presenting prizes to the winners of the race at Beach Republic here yesterday.

Lee hoped that the obstacle race would develop into a tourism event for the city.

“It is important to make full use of our beaches in Miri, a city with a long coastline, and organise more of such events to attract tourists from near and far to come here for a visit and enjoy the beautiful sceneries that Miri has to offer.”

He suggested that the organiser develop a quality website and put the event online for greater promotional purposes.

Through the establishment of the website, runners, especially from outside Sarawak, will be able to register online for future participation in the event.

“I hope that this event will grow into another popular event in Miri and become an international event in the near future,” he added.

The Miri Beach Obstacle Race Challenge held yesterday was supported by the Miri City Council ( MCC) and sponsored by Beach Republic and Amaida Resources Sdn Bhd. It was held in conjunction with the Miri May Fest 2017.

The 7km beach race involved over 14 obstacles including running, climbing, jumping, crawling and swimming that stretched throughout Miri Beach Republic terrain.

Mohamad Firdaus triumphed in the elite men’s category after clocking 35 minutes 50 seconds while Jessamine Yee won the elite women’s category with a time of 45 minutes 30 seconds.

In the group category, Lazy Ninjas came in first clocking 1 hour, followed by Suicide Squad 6 and Suicide Squad 4.

Free gym memberships, trophies, T- shirts, medals and hampers were distributed to all winners.

Also present at the prize-giving ceremony were Saiful One Fitness United trainer and Mr Sarawak 2017 Athletic Physique 170cm and above champion Lukman Haziq Hamdan.