15KM Daily Marathon Training Wins MATRA

Kangar, 23 Nov – Daily marathon training, maintaining a healthy food intake and to be mentally prepared were among the main tips of a student from Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) to win Melaka Ultra (MATRA) recently.

The first year student of Faculty of Engineering Technology (FTK), Mohd Zharif Asyraf Ismail said he spent some time after dawn each morning for five kilometres (KM) marathon training.

"In the evening, if there was no class or lecture, I will go for a 10KM run practice.  I usually only spend a day or two in a week to rest from training.”

"In addition, taking a balanced nutrition is one of the main factors to keep fit and healthy" he said.

Mohd Zharif won the 100 KM Open Male's MATRA Race held in Melaka on November 18 with a time of 13 hours 27 minutes.

According to Mohd Zharif, besides Melaka Ultra, he previously won second place in the 70 KM Kuching Ultra Marathon in his hometown and was ranked seventh when he joined the 50 KM Penang Ultra Marathon in September last year.

He started joining long-distance races two years ago through his own marathon group, Underground Runners Sarawak (UGRS) while he was still working before pursuing his studies in UniMAP.

"We participated in events using our own financial resources and some sponsorship from UGRS. All the members in the group are always supportive of each other," he said.

 When asked about future plans, Mohd Zharif and his group planned to join a 168 KM race in Pahang scheduled next year.

 He added that his family has always been supportive of his interests, and all his siblings were active in sports.

 "My brother joins the national team in futsal under 16 while my youngest brother joins the National Football Development Program (NFDP).”

 "In short, all of my siblings are active in spots, be it in tournaments or just to fill the leisure hours every evening," he said as he ended the interview.