TAIPING: Farmer Milton Amat gave himself a belated birthday gift with a third-place finish in the men's 100km category at the Malaysia Ultra Trail UTMB in Taiping on Saturday.
The Sabah-born clocked 12 hours, two minutes, and 18 seconds to secure his spot behind China's Duo Ji (11:01:18) and Bai Xingzhi (12:00:49).
"My biggest challenge was climbing Bukit Larut twice, but I'm thankful I faced no major issues during the race," said the 42-year-old Milton.
"Although I was just a few minutes behind the runner-up, I'm not disappointed as I gave it my all."
Milton's podium finish ensures automatic qualification for the UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix, France, next August.
Looking ahead to the World Series Finals, Milton hopes to secure sponsorship to support his bid to represent Malaysia at the event.
"If I have sponsors, maybe I'll go, but I'll need around RM10,000 to compete in Chamonix.
"I'll try to raise funds first," he added.
In the women's 100km race, China's Lin Chen edged Vietnam's Ha Thi Hau by a mere second to claim victory with a time of 13:15:16.
The Philippines' Angelie Cabalo secured third place, finishing in 16:14:37. - Bernama