Malakoff Corporation Berhad (Malakoff) successfully flagged off the first leg of the annual Malakoff University Duathlon Series (MUDS) at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM), with over 350 aspiring and seasoned duathletes.

MUDS is a tri-legged run-bike-run challenge designed with a shorter race course. Currently in its seventh year, 23 universities and colleges from across the country competed in the first leg of the race. Participating institutions include Universiti Malaya, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and International Islamic University Malaysia. The event is a sporting initiative sponsored by Malakoff, as part of its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility platform – the Malakoff Community Partnerships.

Speaking about the event, Zainal Abidin Jalil, the Chief Executive Officer of Malakoff said, “We want to provide an opportunity for our youth to take their first stride into duathlons. This is in line with our commitment to develop the next generation of duathletes while supporting the sport's development in Malaysia.”

“In fact, we are pleased with the growing number of new faces competing each year. The steady increase of interest amongst Malaysians is a testimony of the success we have accomplished in developing a thriving Duathlete Community in the country,” he added.

The first race at UPNM featured a largely flat route traversing around the campus. The race was flagged off at Dataran Wawasan with a 3km run, followed by an endurance testing 13.8km cycling challenge, culminating with another 3km sprint to the finish line.

Lim Shimri, from UPNM, marked his victory as the first duathlete to finish the race at 47 minutes 35 seconds to win the Men’s University Category. Meanwhile, Irene Chong See Win from Universiti Malaya (UM) clocked in at 59 minutes 29 seconds to bag the first place in the Women’s University Category.

Muhammad Farris Syaza Zamri and his teammates from UPNM, claimed the top spot in the Men’s Team Relay Category while Nurul Athirah Mahadi and team, also from UPNM won the Mixed Team Relay Category. The top five winners in each individual category and the top three winners in the team category were awarded placing medals in recognition of their efforts.

Irene Chong who clinched victory in the Women’s University Category said, “I am very pleased with my performance and I am delighted that I have won. This has been a perfect start to the Series and I am optimistic that I will be able to maintain my competitiveness in the subsequent races.”

In the University Category, Lim Shimri also shared the same ambition to continue with this winning streak. He said, “We are excited to be racing at our own home ground for the first leg of the Series, which worked to our advantage. Our team have trained rigorously for the Malakoff University Duathlon Series. We plan to maintain the same momentum throughout the next two legs of the race.”

The inaugural MUDS was held in 2003 with only 321 duathletes. Since then, the unwavering support for the event from the public and private universities as well as the sporting community has contributed to the event’s growth with close to 750 participants taking part in the race last year.

The second leg of the Series will continue at Universiti Malaya on 18 May 2013. The grand finale will be held at Universiti Putra Malaysia on 1 June 2013, where the university with the highest entries will be awarded the Top University Trophy while the university with the best accumulated results will be presented with this year’s Best University Trophy.

Registration for the second and final leg is still open till 14 May and 28 May 2013 respectively. To register for these and for the full race results at UPNM please visit www.duathlonseries.com.my