GEORGE TOWN: Malaysian tower-running world champion Soh Wai Ching has added another Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) mark to his collection after completing the 3km Penang Hill Heritage Trail in 25 minutes 55.25 seconds.
The 32-year-old Selayang-born athlete’s latest feat makes it his fifth MBOR record this year and his second national record in three days.
On Saturday (Aug 29), Soh broke his own record by scaling Komtar’s 68 floors in seven minutes two seconds, completing 1,356 steps.
Soh said his Penang Hill attempt was tougher than expected despite the favourable conditions.
“The weather was very hot, and the process was not as easy as I imagined,” he said.
He said he had watched a video of his first attempt on the trail five years ago, when he took around 31 to 32 minutes.
“I kept watching the video last night and visualised every scene along the route in my mind. Today, I arranged for four friends to support me at different checkpoints.
“Every time I passed a checkpoint, they cheered for me, and that gave me a lot of motivation.”
Soh said the cloudy and cool weather, without rain or haze, was almost ideal for the challenge.
He hopes his achievement will encourage more Malaysians and tourists to hike Penang Hill rather than simply taking the funicular railway.
Describing himself as a “Penang son-in-law”, Soh said he has a close connection with the state as his wife is from Macallum, George Town but the couple now live in Petaling Jaya.
He returns to Penang roughly every two months and makes it a point to train on Penang Hill.
“This is the best training ground because you can run up and then take the funicular down, which saves your knees from the impact of running downhill,” he said.
Soh estimates he has climbed the hill 20 to 30 times since first visiting Penang around 2016 or 2017 for the Penang Bridge International Marathon.
He believes more frequent training could help him improve the record.
“If I want to break this record again, I need to train here at least three times a week. I would become more familiar with every bend and my pacing, and that could help me save more seconds,” he said.
Interestingly, Soh’s personal best during regular training on Strava is about 30 minutes 34 seconds.
He attributed his 25:55.25 record to being in peak condition and receiving strong support from people along the route.
Soh said the achievement during the National Day period was especially meaningful after his Komtar record.
“When you know you have the ability to break a record, it becomes a responsibility. You have to give everything you have and bring glory to the country, just like quotes from Spider-Man, with great power comes great responsibility, “ he said.
“I want to demonstrate my responsibility as a Malaysian and bring the Malaysian flag onto the world stage.”
MBOR officer Sıti Nurhanim Mohd Noh presented the MBOR certification to Soh on the hilltop after he set the new record.
Soh’s wife, Chan Yee Chin, 32, and their 9-month-old son, Victor Soh Yi Sheng, also took the funicular train to the top of Penang Hill to celebrate the exciting moment with him.
