Elite Runners, Local Champions and Thousands of Participants Took Over the City for the 18th Edition of KLSCM

The Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2026 wrapped up its 18th edition with a record 43,800 participants from 53 countries taking part across the race weekend.

After the IHH 10KM and 5KM races opened on Saturday at Dataran Merdeka, attention turned to the Full Marathon and ASICS Half Marathon, with more than 27,200 runners taking to the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

For the elite runners, the morning brought some close competition. Kenya dominated the Full Marathon Men’s Open category, taking all three podium positions.

Ezekiel Kemboi emerged champion after crossing the finish line in 2:21:19, narrowly beating defending champion John Nzau Mwangangi, who finished eight seconds later in 2:21:27. Moses Kibet Kipsang completed the Kenyan sweep with a time of 2:21:32.

In the Full Marathon Women’s Open, Ethiopia’s Alemitu Ajema Lema took the title in 2:39:29. Kenya’s Lucy Nthenya Ndambuki finished second in 2:39:59, while fellow Kenyan Caroline Cheptonui Kilel took third place in 2:40:17.

Malaysian Runners Chase SEA Games Opportunity

There was another reason for local runners to perform well this year.

KLSCM 2026 was the official preliminary selection event for the marathon category for the SEA Games 2027, putting the spotlight on some of Malaysia’s leading distance runners.

Yeow Ni Jia defended his Malaysian Men’s Full Marathon title, finishing in a new local personal best of 2:33:52. Lai Yi Hng was not far behind, taking second place in 2:34:16, while national record holder Tan Huong Leong finished third in 2:39:17.

For Yeow, the race was not only about defending his title but also securing a place on the SEA Games longlist. “My goal was to secure a podium spot as well as make the SEA Games longlist and, of course, defend the title. I was hoping to clock below 2:35, and because of the competitive field, I managed to get my local personal best,” said the 26-year-old.

The Malaysian Women’s Full Marathon also produced an interesting result. Esther Joy Chen Hong Li won the category in her first attempt at the full marathon distance, completing the 42.195km race in 3:05:22. Elaine Koon finished second in 3:12:43, while Lai Wei Ling took third place in 3:14:37.

Chen, 22, decided to attempt the marathon after learning that KLSCM would serve as a preliminary selection event for the SEA Games 2027. “My coach adapted my training for a marathon block, and our strategy was to go big or go home. He gave me a rough pace to follow, and my goal was to finish the race,” she said.

Strong Regional Competition in the Half Marathon

The ASICS Half Marathon also attracted a competitive regional field. Kenya’s Amos Cheruiyot Kirui won the Men’s Open category in 1:06:15. Eduard Flores of the Philippines took second place in 1:11:01, while Kenya’s David Kibet finished third in 1:11:47.

Singaporean runners claimed the top two positions in the Women’s Open category. Rachel See won the race in 1:22:33, followed by Shing Ling Goh in 1:25:13. Thailand’s Kawinthida Thadased completed the podium with a time of 1:28:53.

Malaysia also had its own Half Marathon podium battles. Daren James Nair Rodney James won the Malaysian Men’s category in 1:13:44, followed by Muhamad Asyhraf Mohamad Zaidin in 1:14:39 and Wee Hon Gavin Sim in 1:15:26.

Nurul Juliana Shakira Abdul Halim topped the Malaysian Women’s category in 1:32:36. Yu Hui Khiing finished second in 1:33:08, while Allison Yee Pui Se took third place in 1:37:00.

More Than a Weekend of Racing

While the elite competition was one of the highlights, KLSCM continued to bring together runners with very different reasons for being at the starting line.

Some were chasing podium positions and personal bests. Others were attempting a new distance, running with friends or simply hoping to cross the finish line.

The scale of the event was particularly evident this year, with 43,800 participants representing 53 countries. More than 3,600 international runners travelled to Kuala Lumpur to participate.

“We are truly appreciative of the support for KLSCM 2026 that has been shown by the running community and our sponsors and partners,” said Rainer Biemans, Project Director of KLSCM and Director of Dirigo Events.

He said the organisers remain focused on improving the race experience while maintaining KLSCM as an event runners look forward to each year.

Running for a Cause

Away from the race results, participants were also running to support different causes.

The Run For A Reason programme raised more than RM1.1 million before the race weekend, with fundraising continuing after the event.

This year’s beneficiaries include Standard Chartered Foundation, Hospis Malaysia, Kechara Soup Kitchen, Teach for Malaysia and Malaysian Congenital Heart Foundation.

For an event of this size, medical support was another important part of the weekend.

More than 400 medical personnel from IHH Healthcare Malaysia’s six Central hospitals were deployed to support runners, alongside medical professionals who ran with participants as part of the Medic on the Run team.

18 Editions and Counting

KLSCM has grown considerably since its early editions and today attracts runners from Malaysia and overseas.

The event became the first race in Malaysia to receive the World Athletics Elite Label in 2025 and retained the recognition in 2026.

Standard Chartered Malaysia continued as title sponsor for the 18th year, while ASICS and IHH Healthcare were Gold sponsors.

The event is owned and organised by Dirigo Events and is sanctioned and supported by Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Malaysia Athletics, World Athletics, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and other supporting authorities.

But beyond the numbers and elite runners and podium finishes, the weekend showed why large running events continue to attract people with very different abilities and goals.

For some, KLSCM 2026 ended with a medal and a podium finish.

For many others, simply reaching the finish line was enough.