Carter Wei
KUCHING (June 14): Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and MCO, the Kuching Fitness Association (KFA) is confident that the Borneo Trail Classic (BTC) can take place in October.
The event is part of the Spartan Trail World Championship 2021 series. KFA have secured the license to host the only race to be held in Southeast Asia for the next five years.
Kubah National Park – one of the 10 international locations in the series – is set to stage the event from Oct 16 to 17.
KFA president Carter Wei said this will be Sarawak’s biggest sporting event ever which will put Sarawak on the Global Trail Running map.
“It is a challenging time for everyone, however we at KFA are very positive and excited about The Borneo Trail Classic. We are working hard to ensure that it will be a standout event.
“When the state has achieved herd immunity, we, together with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MTAC) will welcome back local and foreign racers to Sarawak,” he said in a recent interview.
The number of participants targeted for the BTC is 3,000.
“Despite the country being deprived of physical events for a year and a half, there has been a new trend of people looking forward to explore outdoor healthier lifestyle,” Wei observed and added that they have received enquiries from international racers outside Sarawak, foreigners from Europe and America to join the race.
Response to the BTC has been positive since its launching in March with promotions through digital media platforms growing strong, according to Wei.
“The digital media is still a growing platform but at a very fast rate, such as in Instagram, we have over 600,000 followers and five million followers on Facebook, so Spartan Race’s footprint on digital media is very big,” he added.
KFA believes that the race on Borneo Island presents unique challenges which also help to attract international trail racers.
“What makes the race challenging is the hot climate and the jungle humidity which they are not used to.
“Another thing is the rough terrain and the constant changes of elevation, which will give different experiences and physical demands to the racers,” Wei explained. He also pointed to the unpredictable weather – making the terrain and trail muddy and slippery – as another challenge.
KFA is hoping that the BTC will help to promote Sarawak’s beautiful outdoors as trail racers from all over the world will participate in the race.
“We are very honoured and proud to be organising an international event of this scale in Sarawak, and this would not be possible without the strong support from the Sarawak government and also Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
“We also urge all our local running communities, run clubs and fitness enthusiasts to take the opportunity to participate in this inaugural event and showcase to the rest of the world the best that Sarawak has to offer,” Wei said.