CENTRAL JAVA: Despite grappling with thoughts of giving up throughout the brutal Siksorogo Lawu Ultra race, Rejlen James managed to become the first Malaysian female finisher.
The 35-year-old ultra trail runner from Sabah clocked 19:18:30 for the 80-kilometre race that concluded yesterday here.
The mother of one said she cried after crossing the finishing line as the race was "too painful" for her.
"Before the race, there had been symptoms that I might have fallen sick as my throat felt dry and bitter.
"From the start until the end, I had difficulty breathing as I had a blocked nose and stuffy chest. It got worse as the temperature was quite cold at 17 degrees Celsius, especially at the peak of Mount Lawu as it was raining and windy," she said, adding the mountain was also challenging with a significant elevation gain of 5,400 metres.
Lawu mountain is a stratovolcano that is active, but has only had one reported and very modest activity as far back as 1885.
It is a mountain with a lot of significance in Javanese history and culture, and it basically divides Central Java from East Java.
Rejlen said that due to her poor physical condition at that time, she kept on thinking of quitting the race, but told herself that there was no other option but to finish it.
The Siksorogo Lawu Ultra Race is also the final of the 2023 Asia Trail Master (ATM) Championship, where only the top 5 males and females with the highest ATM point scorers from each Asian country are eligible to join.
"I came from far and had achieved so much to reach this level; it was unreasonable to quit. Cheering from friends also helped me complete the run. I was so happy to cross the finishing line," said the petite runner, who was sponsored by Sportlicious Malaysia.
Another Sabahan mountain porter, Wilsen Singgin, also became the first male Malaysian and secured a top 6 placing for completing the same race in 11 hours 5 minutes.
"Despite coming from Borneo, a country surrounded by deadly mountains, he too felt the mountains here in Lawu are not child's play and definitely a killer, especially the step downhill," according to the Sportslicious Malaysia Facebook post.