Sunday, June 02, 2013

Press Release: Malakoff University Duathlon Series (MUDS) 2013 @ Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)



UPNM CROWNED MUDS 2013 CHAMPION
UPNM Wins Best University and Top University Trophy

Kuala Lumpur, 1 June 2013 – The grand finale of Malakoff University Duathlon Series (MUDS) at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) saw title sponsor Malakoff Corporation Berhad (Malakoff) crown Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) with the Best University Trophy for accumulating the most points in the tri-legged run-bike-run challenge. UPNM students also bagged the top spots in the Men’s University and Mixed Team Relay categories in the final leg of the race.

UPNM was also awarded the Top University Trophy along with a RM3,000 cash incentive. The award was given to the University for sending a delegation of 193 students to all three-legs of the event – the largest amongst participating universities.



Organised for the seventh consecutive time, MUDS 2013 had three categories namely: University Category (Men’s & Women’s), Open Category (Men’s & Women’s) and Team Relay Category (Men’s & Mixed).

Speaking at the final leg of the challenge, Zainal Abidin Jalil, the Chief Executive Officer of Malakoff said, “The Malakoff University Duathlon Series is an annual initiative under Malakoff’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility platform – the Malakoff Community Partnerships. The initiative is part of the Company’s commitment to boost the ‘Duathlete Community’ in Malaysia.”

“The continued growth in participation for MUDS over the years is a sure sign of the success of this initiative. The increasing numbers of first-timers from both the Universities and the general public clearly demonstrates their eagerness to participate in such duathlons. Given this encouraging support, Malakoff is proud to be able to continue championing MUDS in the years to come,” he added.



The first MUDS was organised in 2003 with 312 participants vying for the top spots. Since then, the Series has steadily gained popularity among duathletes with over 900 joining the race this year. The event drew a sizeable number of participants from the expatriate community including Algeria, Australia, India, Mauritius, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The final leg of the Series at UPM involved a 3km Run - 13km Bike - 3km Run distance. Lim Shimri from UPNM completed the challenge in 41.59 minutes and won the Men’s University Category. Meanwhile, Irene Chong See Win from Universiti Malaya (UM) clocked in at 49.59 minutes and earned first place in the Women’s University Category. Mohamad Allie Helmi and Tamika Baynes won the Men’s and Women’s Open respectively. The Men’s Relay Category saw “UM Running Club” claiming the top spot while “UPNM A” dominated the Mixed Relay Category.

Representing the winning team for Best University and Top University Trophies, Lim Shimri, a second year medical student said, “Defending this trophy means a lot to us. We are delighted that the intense training and hard work have been rewarded! Our winning streak motivates us to win these trophies again next year!”



Apart from the host universities, MUDS 2013 also attracted students from more than 30 universities and colleges including Universiti Teknologi Mara, International Islamic University of Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Monash University Malaysia and Sunway University College.

The finale at UPM was preceded by races at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) and Universiti Malaya (UM). The first leg at UPNM involved a 3km Run – 13.8km Bike - 3km Run race, while the second leg at UM saw duathletes racing a distance of 3.5km Run – 11.4km Bike – 3.5km Run race.

For every event, the top five winners in the University and Open categories as well as the top three winners of the Team and Media categories were awarded placing medals.

For the complete results, please visit the website: www.duathlonseries.com.my.

More photos HERE.

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