RANAU: Porter Daved Simpat, 42, won the overall championship in the revived 31st Mount Kinabalu Climbathon.
The winner of the Men's Veteran category completed the 26km race in 3:36:13.
He was the first among 199 participants to reach Low's Peak, doing so in 2 hours and 25 minutes.
"I am happy to win the championship. I believe that being a porter for 15 years at Mount Kinabalu gave me an advantage.
"I placed third in the last Climbathon in 2017. Although I'm now older, I've trained consistently."
Second-place winner Safrey Sumping, 41, the 2016 and 2017 champion, said he was glad to see more young runners.
He finished the race in 3:52:49, while third-place Milton Amat completed the race in 4 hours and 1 minute.
In the Men's Elite category, Walter Herman, 35, clocked in at 3:36:42.
He began to pick up speed during the descent from the summit just right after at the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint.
The porter and nine-time Climbathon participant overtook Indonesian runner Yusri Nanda, who had reached the peak after Daved.
Second-place finisher Yusri described Walter and Daved as "flying senior men", but focused on his own performance during his first race at an elevation above 4,000m.
Sandi Menchi, from the Philippines, was thrilled to secure her third championship title.
"It was tougher with the higher elevation this time, but I'm satisfied that I reached the summit," she said after completing the race in 4 hours and 50 minutes.
Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid won second place and Danny@Kuilin Gongot won third place.
Only three women finished the race, while others were listed as Did Not Finish.
The cutoff time for reaching the summit was 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Present at the event were Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, Sabah Parks chairman Dr Maklarin Lakim, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry deputy permanent Secretary I Mary Malangking and race director Zachary Mobijun.