A 72-year-old man emerged champion in the veteran’s category of the Perak International Mount Bujang Melaka Challenge 2014 held near Kampar recently. For Ahmad Nurdin Mohd Yusop of Batu Gajah, participating in the energy-sapping race for the second time, age was not a factor in an extreme sport of such nature.
“Perhaps it’s due to the fact that being a retired soldier, I was exposed to adventure and outdoor activities very early in life. Hence, I am able to persist in this gruelling race where physical fitness is a must. To prepare for this event, I jogged about 5km a day for three weeks to build up my strength.”
This year’s race attracted a total of 660 participants, including 22 from Singapore, Thailand, Kenya and Germany.
President of Persatuan Kembara Negara, Datuk Khalid Yunus said that the Perak International Mount Bujang Melaka Challenge 2014 was the second within the National Challenge Circuit 2014. Last year the Perak edition had 598 entries. “It’s growing in strength each passing year.”
Persatuan Kembara Negara was the main organiser and was assisted by the Perak state government through Tourism Perak along with the Ministries of Tourism and Culture and Youth and Sports, as well as Tourism Malaysia.
The National Challenge Circuit 2014 consists of three editions, in all. The first was Gunung Datuk in Negeri Sembilan on January 26. The third and final edition will be the Gunung Berembun Challenge in Terengganu on September 6.
The challenge requires participants to run up and down the designated mountains in the fastest possible time. Veteran Ahmad Nurdin completed the race in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Incidentally, the height of Mount Bujang Melaka is 1233 metres (4048 feet) above sea level.
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