KLSCM 2026: A Tough and Humid 21.1km Through KL

KLSCM is one of those races I keep coming back to.

I’ve run the half marathon several times now, and I already knew that the 21.1km course was not going to be an easy one. The route is hilly throughout, taking runners through the heart of Kuala Lumpur before heading onto the highways.

I was back again this year for the ASICS Half Marathon, starting from the first pen.

But this time, I wasn’t feeling particularly good even before the race had started.

The night before, I had been at the AllStar Legends football match at MITEC, and I didn’t get enough sleep. By race morning, I was sleepy, tired and generally feeling like crap.

So instead of putting too much pressure on myself, I decided to just start and see how I felt.

I initially tried to settle into a reasonable pace, but it became pretty clear that this wasn’t going to be one of my better running days.

The weather didn’t help either. It felt especially humid and muggy this year, possibly because of the haze, and the hills seemed to take a bit more out of me than usual.

The first half of KLSCM is still my favourite part of the course. You get to run through the city, with the buildings, roads and general sights and sounds of Kuala Lumpur making it feel like more of an event. There are hills here too, though, so it’s definitely not an easy opening 10km.

After that, the course becomes much quieter as it heads onto the highways.

There are plenty of runners around you, but there isn’t much cheering along most of the route. It can feel a little monotonous, especially when you’re already struggling.

The race itself was well organised as usual. There were plenty of water and 100PLUS stations, as well as a gel station along the course, so there was no shortage of hydration and fuel.

By around 15km, I was really feeling the effort when I bumped into Pong.

She was struggling too, and we ended up running together for the rest of the race. Having someone alongside me made a huge difference. We could encourage each other and just get through the remaining kilometres together.

Honestly, I think I would have been a lot slower without her company.

And then suddenly, the finish was approaching.

The final 500m was easily the most epic part of the race.

After a relatively quiet second half, the atmosphere completely changed as we got closer to Dataran Merdeka. There were loads of cheers from the crowd, and it felt really good to finally run towards the finish line.

I’ve always liked finishing at Dataran Merdeka, and this year was no different.

Once I crossed the line, it was time to catch up with friends, take some photos and enjoy the finish area. Finishers also received the usual race medal, along with apples, bananas and 100PLUS.

It wasn’t my best race performance by any means. But sometimes the overall race experience is about more than the finishing time, and the atmosphere at the end, plus having someone to run with when I was struggling, made this one memorable.

A big year for KLSCM

Away from my own race, KLSCM had another huge year.

The 18th edition attracted a record 43,800 participants from 53 countries, including more than 3,600 international runners. More than 27,000 runners took part in the Full Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday. KLSCM also retained its World Athletics Elite Label, which it first received in 2025.

At the front of the ASICS Half Marathon, Kenya’s Amos Cheruiyot Kirui won the men’s race in 1:06:15, ahead of the Philippines’ Eduard Flores and Kenya’s David Kibet.

The women’s race was won by Singapore’s Rachel See in 1:22:33, with fellow Singaporean Shing Ling Goh finishing second in 1:25:13.

The Full Marathon produced a close finish too, with Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi edging defending champion John Nzau Mwangangi by eight seconds to win in 2:21:19. Even Kemboi summed up the conditions afterwards simply: “It was hot and humid but I was lucky today.”

I certainly knew how he felt.

For me, KLSCM 2026 wasn’t about chasing a big time. It was about getting through a tough, humid 21.1km, finding some motivation when I needed it and enjoying that final run into Dataran Merdeka.