THE Asics Southeast Asian edition of Meta:Time:Trials held last Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand saw Malaysian Muhammad Ikbolasen shattered more than one record.
Not only did the 20-year-old runner from Pahang commemorate his first trip out of Malaysia by winning the Men Elite's 10km category with a winning time of 31:31, he also improved his Personal Best (PB) by 1:31.
"I am very happy with the result since I only targeted to clock 33:50," said the long distance runner who is now training for the Malaysia Games, happening at the end of this month.
Joining Ikbolasen on the podium were Subas Gurung (31:55) from Nepal and Nicholas Impey (33:13) from the United Kingdom.
Another Malaysian who made it to the podium was Nur Amelia Musa, who finished third in 40:57. At first place was Sea Games bronze medallist, Goh Chui Ling from Singapore with a winning time of 39:15 followed by Thailand's Woraphan Nuanisri who came 1 minute 28 seconds later.
Although she didn't meet her target of below 40 minutes, the marathoner from Kuala Lumpur was pleased with her podium-finish.
"Maybe I will run more 10km races to improve this result," said the mother of one.
BEAT THE BEST
Both Ikbolasen and Nur Amelia were among 28 elite runners who were tasked to beat their
PBs at the second edition of Meta:Time:Trials 10km race.
Certified by the Athletics Association of Thailand (AAT), the run started and ended at Stadium One, a sports-themed mall located next to the National Stadium of Thailand in Pathum Wan district.
Despite the humid race condition, three personal bests were set by Ikbolasen, Vietnamese Lam Quang Nhat and Malaysian Tahira Najmunissa in the elite categories.
Tahira finished fourth, but the national extreme sports athlete, who brought home the country's first silver medal in the women's duathlon event at the Hanoi Sea Games last July, beat her personal best by clocking 41:21.
"This came as a surprise. I didn't expect to improve my timing as I had been competing in duathlon races the past two weeks," said the mother of four.
However, she said, the new timing gave her a boost of morale to prepare for the Sea Games Cambodia selection in Labuan later this month.
GO FASTER
All elite runners ran in the Asics' Metaspeed+ shoes which were revealed to the public for the first time at the inaugural Meta: Time: Trials in Malaga, Spain last July.
Building on the success of the Metaspeed series introduced in 2021, Asics Institute of Sport Science (ISS) has utilised data accumulated through elite athletes in competitions to refine the design, enabling runners to sprint with greater agility and enhanced comfort.
Three Kenyan runners dominated with blistering pace in their Metaspeed+ and were joined by three Thai runners on the podium in the Mass Participation category.
This year's edition of this event reinforces the sports brand's position as the pioneer of innovation in the running sector, furthering its continued commitment to provide elite athletes with the ideal platform to unleash their potential.
THE METASPEED+ SERIES
The Metaspeed Sky+, recommended for stride runners, has a 5mm drop (39/34mm), and the carbon plate sits closer to the foot, as well as having less of a curve.
For cadence runners, the Metaspeed Edge+ has an 8 mm drop (39/31mm) and a more curvature carbon plate that sits closer to the ground.
The Metaspeed+ series is now available online at asics.com and selected retailers.
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