IN THE NEWS: Worthy Candidate For Record Book

Worthy Candidate For Record Book
By Y.P. SIVAM, Photos by KAMARUL ARIFFIN

Pint-sized Jenny Lim Kui Eng can easily claim a place in the Malaysia Book of Records as the Malaysian woman who has participated in the most number of marathons. Since 1986, Lim, who hails from Miri, Sarawak, has completed 42 marathons.

She could have run in more events had it not been for a four-year lay off she took from 1995 to 1998 to start a family. To add to her remarkable record, Lim finished among the top 10 in all but one of the 42 marathons that she entered.

The mother of two, was the champion in the Malaysia Airlines-Penang Marathon in 1988 and the 1989 Kuala Lumpur International Marathon (KLIM). Her personal best was 3’22:14 recorded en route to her second placing in the 1990 Kedah Marathon. This year alone, Lim had taken part in five marathons - the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon (KLIM), Malacca Marathon, Ipoh International Marathon, Songkla Marathon and Bangkok Marathon - and many 10km runs. Despite taking part in a number of marathons in just months, Lim said she had never faced any problems recovering after every event. “I follow a regimented training programme. Since I am not working now, I have the time to increase my training session according the competitions.

Lim enjoying her daily one-hour run at the Bukit Kiara Rimba Park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

“I took part in the Ipoh International Marathon in July and Songkla Marathon in August. After the Bangkok Marathon in November, I took part in the relay event in the Singapore marathon. It was tiring but my body could take it,” she said.

Her training programme involves a one-and- half-hour run in the mornings. On alternate Sundays, she goes for 30km runs or two-and- a-half-hour-long runs. She does speed workouts once a week and also goes for a light workouts once in a while. “There is nothing special in my diet. I take normal food and it’s sufficient,” said Lim.

When asked why she always entered marathons, Lim said: “I love to run. Even during my pregnancy, I got excited watching road races. If I had a choice then I would have taken part in runs,” said Lim after a her daily one-hour run at the Bukit Kiara Rimba Park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail recently. Lim. said she was involved in basketball, volleyball and track events during her school days. In fact her siblings - two brothers and three sisters - were also into volleyball and basketball.

Lim...attributes her fitness to her regimented training programme.

But Lim’s interest turned to road races when she moved to Kuala Lumpur to further her studies at Goon’s Institute where she began a secretarial course in 1978. “There were a lot of road races in the Klang Valley then and I started taking part in them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Soon I was representing New Balance and subsequently the Nike Team in road races,” said Lim.

Her first marathon (the KLIM) was in 1986 where she emerged seventh in the local category and 10th in the international category. She then clocked 4’2:48. Encouraged by her time, Lim opted to take part in marathons regularly. And she is set to take part in four marathons - KLIM, Penang, Malacca and Songkla - next year.

Now 46 years old, Lim said she had no plans to retire yet. “I love running. As long as my legs are strong I will continue to run.”