M'sian Completes 263KM Marathon At Home To Prove It's Possible To Go Running During MCO
He ran 263km in 36 hours in his living room.
By May Vin Ang — 07 Apr 2020, 06:09 PM
It's the third week of the Movement Control Order (MCO), and a Malaysian runner just proved you can complete an ultramarathon in the comfort of your own home
Documenting his run in a Facebook album, Yim Heng Fatt said he ran a total of 263km in 36 hours while stuck at home last weekend.
Constantly tracking his distance on a smartwatch, Yim repeatedly ran a 50m loop around his living room, kitchen, and dining area at an average of 22 seconds each time.
He only occasionally took breaks in between running to eat, shower, and rest.
According to Malay Mail, he finally decided to stop when he reached 263km because the number sounds like a Cantonese phrase meaning "to live eternally".
Yim wanted to show that it's possible for runners to stay active from the safety of their own homes
"I took part because it's a new challenge trying to run an ultra indoors with sandals," said the avid runner.
And while he shared that running indoors "wasn't the easiest", there were advantages to exercising at home.
"The good thing about running indoors is the ability to control the weather," he said.
Yim had taken out a stand fan and switched his air-conditioning on when the weather became too hot in the afternoon.
"Plus, you can virtually run naked."
He added that he had his own 'water station' to keep him energised and cracked open a cold beer to celebrate every 50km he finished.
"Just had to try to adapt to the changing variables and environment, and make good of it. I'd say it worked out fine and well for me in the end."
He also shared that his run was part of a charity fundraising, where a mask would be donated for every 10km completed by runners
The participants were supposed to run as much distance as they could in their own homes in 36 hours, from 6am on Saturday, 4 April, to 6pm the next day.
While it sounded like he contributed a small sum of only 23 masks, Yim assured that the event was more than just that.
"It's about the camaraderie as a team, enjoying ourselves with the run indoors, and making a positive change in our own little way. Even if it's a tiny one," he said.
He revealed that a total of 300 participants had logged various distances in those two days, coming up to a cumulative total of 14,000km.
"Every little bit helps to fight this pandemic affecting each of us."
