Second win at Mount Kinabalu Climbathlon

Last Sunday was my third Climbathon, up Mount Kinabalu. My participation to this race was made possible with the support of the Philippine Skyrunning Association.

Like last year, the weather made it unsafe race all the way to the summit, so the course was changed, and was going to be the same one I raced last year. A shortened version of the course, 20km long instead of 26km.

This year, the weather conditions were colder, which affected different parts of my body. At some points in the race, my head, back, hands, lips, and chest felt numb. Perhaps I didn’t get my body used to such high intensity racing.

Like in other races, I was informed about my competition. This year, I would be up against 3 top contenders: 1 athlete from Kenya, one from Europe and a local Malay. To defend my title, I would thus have to outrun these three ladies. Pressure was on.

The Kenyan lead the women’s pack for about 6.5 kilometers when I finally caught up with her. We were climbing together and talking for about 1 kilometer. Done with the chatting, I went into race mode and pushed ahead.

Nevertheless I kept the pressure on and lead the female’s race until the finish line.

I'm very happy about this win and having defended my title. I failed to improve my time on the same course as last year, so it gives me additional motivation to train harder for the next bi annual race in 2019.

I have been representing the SCOTT Running team for a few month now. It felt good to be part of a team this time, to have the support of a brand that understands what athletes need, and makes awesome gear. I have to say, the Supertrac RC are the best combination of grip and cushioning. Plus, the traction on both muddy paths and wet rocks allowed me to push hard while feeling secured. For someone like me who's tried many brands, the Supertrac RC shoes are the best for my feet so far❤

Discover more about Sandi MENCHI on her Facebook and Instagram.