Malaysian Married Couple Beats Thousands To Win 2019 Penang Bridge International Marathon
"My husband motivated me, pushed me, and made sure I was in full spirit for the marathon."
By May Vin Ang — 25 Nov 2019, 03:51 PM
A Malaysian married couple took home the 2019 Penang International Marathon (PBIM) champion trophies in their respective categories yesterday, 24 November
According to New Straits Times, Nik Fakaruddin Ismail finished the men's marathon with two hours, 40 minutes, and 53 seconds; while his wife Nur Amelia Musa finished in the women's equivalent with three hours, 18 minutes, and 51 seconds to clinch the top spot.
They beat 5,000 runners who participated in the full marathon category.
The couple, who are both working in Kuala Lumpur, were presented a trophy and RM5,000 each for their feats by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
This year was Nur Amelia's second time competing in the PBIM full marathon
The 33-year-old policewoman won a silver medal in last year's run.
She told reporters at Queensbay Mall, Penang that she had trained for six weeks before this year's event, but sustained injuries on one of her legs.
"Thankfully, my husband has always been there to help me with my recovery," she said, as quoted by Bernama.
"My husband motivated me, pushed me, and made sure I was in full spirit for the marathon. Even though we (work at different locations), whenever we have the time, we train together."
"Alhamdulillah, after a year, our efforts have borne fruit and we won it together," she said after receiving her winner's trophy and prize money.
Nur Amelia was first runner-up in the Full Marathon Women's Open, Malaysian category, last year.
Image via Penang Bridge International Marathon/FacebookHer husband, Nik Fakaruddin - who is a soldier based at Pusat Cemerlang Olahraga Tentera Darat, Sungai Besi - is also no stranger to marathons
This is his fourth year in a row emerging as champion.
The 34-year-old said that he was satisfied with his performance in this year's PBIM as it was pretty close to breaking his personal record.
He said that his best personal record was completing the whole 42.195 km stretch in two hours, 40 minutes, and three seconds in 2016, just 50 seconds faster than today's performance.
"I am still pretty content with my results, all thanks to my consistent training in the gym, track run, and a daily routine of jogging 20 km," he said.
Nik Fakaruddin has won the Full Marathon Men's Open, Malaysian category, four years in a row.
Image via Penang Bridge International Marathon/FacebookMore than 25,000 people from 65 countries worldwide took part in the Penang Bridge International Marathon this year
The runners were flagged off by the chief minister outside Queensbay Mall early Sunday morning.
The participants comprised of 5,000 full bridge marathon runners, 8,000 half bridge marathon runners, and over 12,000 10km runners.
Nur Amelia and Nik Fakaruddin's achievements as a married couple has left everyone feeling inspired
A Facebook user praised the duo for supporting each other.
Another user acknowledged the training, physically and mentally, that it took for the couple to prepare for the run.
"I guess this can be called 'true partnership' - the realisation of a shared dream!" said this user in support of the couple.
