Malaysian breaks Guinness World Record as the fastest runner in a baju Melayu at London marathon

Mohd Syahidan has set a new Guinness World Record as the fastest full marathon runner in a baju Melayu at the London marathon. Photos: @edansyah

Malaysian marathon runner and coach Mohd Syahidan Alias, 36, made history at the London Marathon on Sunday (April 23), setting a new Guinness World Record for the fastest full marathon runner in a baju Melayu.

Mohd Syahidan, who goes by the nickname Edan Syah, completed the gruelling 42.2km run in an impressive time of two hours, 49 minutes and 22 seconds.

On his Instagram, he posted: "Mission Accomplished! We achieved the mission (under) three hours... Guinness World Record Holder: the Fastest Full Marathon in Traditional Malay Dress (Male)."

In his post, he also thanked bulanbintanghq for sponsoring his outfit.

Mohd Syahidan decided to run the marathon in the traditional baju Melayu to showcase the garment and its cultural significance.

The baju Melayu is a traditional Malay outfit with a long-sleeved shirt, trousers, and kain samping, often worn during special occasions.

Mohd Syahidan wore a red baju Melayu, blue kain samping and yellow sports shoes, representing the Jalur Gemilang's colours.

Ready, set, go! Mohd Syahidan posing with his manager, SAC co-founder Jolene Hong before the marathon.

He decided to run the marathon in the traditional wear as a way of showcasing the garment and promoting its cultural significance. He also recorded his run using an omnidirectional camera, which captures videos and photos in 360 degrees.

"I decided to take raw footage using a 360-degree camera to capture the historic moments during the London marathon. I apologise if the video isn't that nice. I thank all the Malaysians in London for supporting me and helping me to record videos during the rainy and cold weather during the marathon," posted Mohd Syahidan, the co-founder of Smart Athletics Club, a Subang Jaya, Selangor-based company that trains runners.

Mohd Syahidan is also the first Malaysian to complete six world marathon majors under three hours.

In 2018, he earned a Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run in the national flag costume category in two hours and 54 minutes at the Blackmores Running Festival in Sydney, Australia.

Mohd Syahidan is the first Malaysian to complete six world marathon majors under three hours.

The runner's achievement has been celebrated throughout Malaysia, where he has become an inspiration to many.

@labujahat_fadzly said: "Congratulations ... Putting Malaysia in the eyes of the world in your own way."

@dr_roslee commented: "Alhamdulillah, big congrats to coach Edan and all in the team for creating history and for successfully carving a new history and raising the dignity of our traditional Malay clothes. After this, you can eat lots of ketupat and rendang."